Everest vs Fortuner vs MU-X vs Pajero Sport vs Rexton 2019 comparison review

We'll start at the front of each of these models, where you'll find cup holders between the front seats, door pockets with bottle holders, and a covered basket on the center console.

You might not be expecting this, but SsangYong has the most luxurious and plush interior. Strange, right? But that's because we've got the top-of-the-line Ultimate model getting goodies like quilted leather seat trim on the seats as well as the dash and doors.

There's a lot to like here, heated seats - even in the second row - and a heated steering wheel. There's also a sunroof (which no one else has) and dual-zone climate control.

The media screen has just about everything you could want - digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, smartphone mirroring, Bluetooth, a 360-degree pop-up display. It simply lacks built-in satellite navigation and, annoyingly, the home screen. Its automatic door locking system also required some adaptation.

The next most attractive saloon is Mitsubishi, which has the most comfortable seats in the group, with fine leather seat trim, good controls and quality materials throughout.

There's a smaller but still nice media screen with the same smartphone mirroring technology and DAB radio, and a 360-degree camera. But then again, there is no built-in satellite navigation.

It looks more like a family SUV than a regular SUV than some of the other vehicles here, but lacks room to store loose items.

The third most attractive is the Ford Everest. It feels a bit "affordable" in this base Ambiente spec, but the large 8.0-inch screen with CarPlay and Android Auto helps make up for it. In the next section, we will delve into which machine is equipped with which technology.

And it has satellite navigation built in, which is good if you don't have phone reception to use your smartphone's map. Good, if not amazing, storage is on offer, and while the materials look and feel a little basic, Jane, my god, they're harmless.

The Toyota Fortuner's cabin is different enough from the HiLux's that it feels more family-oriented, but compared to the others here, it feels like a budget offering that tries to be special. That's partly due to the optional $2500 "Premium Interior Pack" that gets you leather trim and power-adjustable front seats.

The Fortuner's media screen is tricky to use - it lacks smartphone mirroring technology, and while it has built-in sat-nav, the buttons and menus are awkward, and the rear-view camera display is pixelated. But it's mind-boggling that Toyota still doesn't let you use many of the screen's features while the car is in motion.

Of these SUVs, it feels cramped at the front, but it has more cupholders than others and it has a double glove box with a refrigerated section - great for chokes or drinks on warm days.

The Isuzu MU-X feels tough and ready to go - which is good in ute, but it's not all that amazing in this competition. This is the entry trim level, so to some degree that's to be expected. But for not much more money, competitors offer MU-X cream for a pleasant salon.

However, it feels wide and spacious, and the storage game is strong here too - it's the only one with a covered storage compartment on the dash (if you can open it).

And while the MU-X has a media screen, it has no GPS, no navigation system, no smartphone mirroring, which means the screen is actually redundant, aside from serving as a display for the rear view camera.

Now let's talk about the second row.

Each of these SUVs has map pockets in the backs of the front seats, cup holders that fold down from the middle seat (to varying degrees of utility), and bottle holders in the doors.

And if you have kids, everyone has ISOFIX child seat anchorages and top tether anchor points in the second row, while Ford is the only car with two third-row child seat anchor points.

Rexton offers amazing shoulder and headroom. The quality of the materials is the best of the bunch and it even has a 230 volt outlet in the center console - too bad it's still a Korean plug!

While the Rexton impressed, it was actually the Everest that we rated as the best for second-row comfort, seats, visibility, roominess and space. It's just a nice place.

The Pajero Sport is small in the second row, lacking headroom for taller passengers. Although the leather seats are fine.

The Fortuner's second row is fine, but the leather feels just as fake and the plastics here are tougher than the others. Also, the door storage is hard to reach with the door closed - seriously, you struggle to get the bottle out of the door when it's closed.

The MU-X's lack of rear vents - for the second and third rows - in this specification is unacceptable for a family SUV. Otherwise, though, the second row is fine, aside from a bit of cramped knee room.

Interior dimensions are important, so here's a table showing trunk capacity with two, five, and seven seats - unfortunately it's not a direct comparison because different measurement methods are used.

	Everest Environment	MU-X LS-M	Pajero Sport Exceed	Rexton Ultimate	Fortune GXL
Boot space- Two places up	2010l (SAE)	1830L (VDA)	1488 (ACA)	1806L (VDA)	1080L
Boot space- Five places up	1050l (SAE)	878L (VDA)	502L (VDA)	777L (VDA)	716L
Boot space- Seven places up	450l (SAE)	235 (ACA)	295L (VDA)	295L (VDA)	200L

To better illustrate the differences, we tried to fit the same items in all five SUVs to see who had the most roomy trunk dimensions - a CarsGuide stroller and three suitcases.

All five SUVs were able to fit both a stroller and three luggage (35, 68 and 105 liters respectively) with five seats up, but none of them were able to fit a seven-seat stroller in the game.

For what it's worth, the Fortuner's trunk depth helped allay fears of third-row seat intrusion given their unique (in this group) fold-up system.

When using all seats, Fortuner, Rexton and Everest are suitable for a large and medium suitcase, while MU-X and Pajero Sport are only for a large one.

To get technical information in a second, the difference in load capacity is significant. Rexton Ultimate has the best payload capacity (727kg), followed by Everest Ambiente (716kg), MU-X LS-M (658kg), Fortuner GXL (640kg) and last place Pajero Sport Exceed with a payload of 605 kg. — or about seven me. So if you have big-boned kids, maybe keep that in mind.

If your family is seven, you'll probably need to install a roof rack system with a roof rack on rails (and also install some roof rails if you're buying this spec MU-X) or tow a trailer. But if you're using this type of vehicle primarily as a five-seater with two extra seats, then it was clear that the most practical luggage would be a Ford.

If you're considering getting one of these rugged SUVs, but don't really need seven seats - perhaps you need to haul items and set up a cargo barrier, cargo liner, or cargo awning - then you can get the Everest Ambiente (which comes as standard). with five seats - an additional row adds $ 1000 to the price) or Pajero Sport GLS. The rest are standard with seven seats.

We asked our man Mitchell Tulk to be our gopher and test out the comfort and accessibility of the third row. We made a series of races with him from behind on the same sections of the road.

All five of these SUVs have a folded second row, with Ford being the only one that doesn't allow the rear seats to drop forward to access the third row. Thus, Everest ranked last in terms of ease of access. However, Ford has a comeback as it's the only one here with a sliding second row for better rear seat comfort.

However, Mitch said the Everest's third row was the least comfortable in terms of suspension, which was "bouncy" and "very uncomfortable for third row passengers".

SsangYong's second row seats require two separate actions - one to lower the second row seat back and the other to tip the seat forward. But it had a better entrance and exit because of the large doorways.

Back there, Mitch said the Rexton "had the worst visibility out of the group" due to the very small side windows. Also, "the dark interior is a bit claustrophobic" plus its low, flat seats didn't make up for the narrow headroom due to the low roofline. He is not the tallest at 177 cm, but even he hit his head on sharper bumps. Its biggest plus? Silence.

Another bad sight in the third row was the Pajero Sport, which had slanted rear windows that made it hard to see outside. The seats, however, were "the most comfortable of the group" despite "shitty headroom" and a floor that felt too high under the hips. The trip was a good compromise in terms of comfort.

You'll have to read our in-depth driving impressions below to find out more, but the Fortuner surprised with its back-row ride comfort. It was "on the hard side" with average seating comfort, but quiet enough for Mitch to put it in second in the back row.

The best of this group for third-row comfort was the MU-X, with "the most comfortable ride," good seat comfort, excellent visibility, and amazing quietness. Mitch said it was the best place, calling it "magical" compared to others. But still, this MU-X specification grossly lacks air vents for the second and third rows, which made it very sweaty on our hot summer test days. His advice? Buy the next spec - with vents - if you plan on using the rear seats a lot.

	Account
Everest Environment	8
MU-X LS-M	8
Pajero Sport Exceed	8
Rexton Ultimate	8
Fortune GXL	7