The new Ford Equator will ship with a five-seat cabin in its most affordable form, but those looking for a family hauler will be able to opt for a three-row SUV that can accommodate six or seven people.
The second row can be fitted with two individual seats or a bench seat for three. Other than that, the interior reminds of the Edge Plus model. The dash and infotainment are combines under a single glass screen, and a rotary knob is used for drive mode selection.
Other than that, the newcomer shares its transverse engine layout and front-wheel drive with the Edge Plus, but has an all-new bodywork and a longer wheelbase of 2,865 mm (+15). The Equator has two-tier headlights with the main lights at the bottom tier and very smooth sides. It is 4,905 mm long, 1,930 wide and 1,755 tall.
An EcoBoost gasoline turbo-four supplies up to 224 PS (221 hp / 165 kW) in conjunction with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Whether AWD will be an option remains to be seen.
Sales in China will begin in late Q1 2021. Ford promises to make the Equator considerably more affordable than the Explorer, which sells for $48,000+ on that market.