Ford Everest Sport can stil tow 3.5t

Four-pot, rear-drive Ford Everest Sport can still tow 3.5t and seat seven, for $6800 less than V6

„ MATT BROGAN

FORD Australia has announced the addition of a rear-wheel drive (RWD) four-cylinder version of the Everest Sport large SUV as part of its revised ‘2023.5’ model year line-up, priced from $62,790 plus onroad costs.

The new variant will maintain a 3500kg braked towing capacity, and is available exclusively with Ford’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine and seven-seat interior layout.

As well as costing $6800 less than the V6 four-wheel drive Sport variant – Sport trim was previously V6 4WD only – the Everest Sport RWD is $2800 more affordable than an Everest Trend with four-cylinder engine and four-wheel drive.

It arrives as standard with black exterior finishes, black 20-inch alloy wheels, Everest bonnet and tailgate badging, a hands-free powered tailgate, leather-accented upholstering with front-seat heating and ventilation, 10-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat with memory, eight-way power adjustment for the front passenger seat, and the availability of Blue Lightning paint.

The news comes as Ford makes a range of product and pricing updates to its ‘2023.5’ model year line-up. As part of the update, the Everest Platinum now receives steel underbody protection and a black painted roof, and the availability of 18-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tyres as a no-cost option.

Further, Everest Sport 4WD and Trend 4WD variants produced from March 2023 onwards will be available with an optional Touring Pack which includes black stand-off roof rails, 360-degree camera technology, zone lighting, and a factory-fitted tow package with integrated trailer brake controller.

Ford Australia says current MY22 Everest stock will continue to be offered at the current retail price until such time as production concludes in February 2023. Thereafter, modest price increases of between $300 and $695 will be applied across the range (see below).

Option pricing for the MY23.5 Everest range remains unchanged with the exception of the Touring Pack, which jumps $350 to $2300, and an increase of $25 to the cost of premium paint, now $700.

“The Everest Sport has proven to be a very popular model since we revealed the next generation Everest range earlier this year,” said Ford Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic.

“With the introduction of the Everest Sport RWD, we are offering our customers more choice, with a very stylish vehicle that can tow the boat and fit the family in safety and comfort.”

2023 Ford Everest pricing*:

Ambiente 2.0 RWD (a) $53,290 (+$300) Ambiente 2.0 4WD (a) $58,290 (+$300) Trend 2.0 RWD (a) $60,590 (+$300) Sport 2.0 RWD (a) $62,790 New variant Trend 2.0 4WD (a) $65,590 (+$300) Sport V6 4WD (a) $69,590 (+$500) Platinum V6 4WD (a) $77,530 (+$649) *Pricing excludes on-road costs.

FILMS Bros review - 4 Stars

BROS is a fresh, funny and very witty comedy, despite being masked in the genre trappings of New York rom-coms.

„ JACOB RICHARDSON

Bobby (Billy Eichner) is a New York based podcaster and author, who is famous for his exploration of unsung gay icons.

Despite his fame, he is facing two dilemmas; firstly, the LGBTIQ+ museum he is the director of is having trouble securing the remainder of the funding it requires, and secondly, his love life is stagnating.

While trying to sort out the first, he happens to run into Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), and despite the fact that they both struggle with commitment, they begin dating.

Directed by Nicholas Stoller, Bros is the first rom-com with an all (or at least predominately so) gay cast, telling a gay love story. After some misfires in the space (a truly terrible Christmas rom-com from last year comes to mind), Bros is refreshing for its take on gay relationships - veering hard into their nature, rather than whitewashing them with heterosexual norms for straight cinema-goers.

Here, we see a much more authentic picture of the gay experience in the dating world; not one that necessarily tracks with the experience of straight patrons.

That’s all for the best, because it means that Bros feels really fresh, interesting and engaging. Gone are many of the tired romcom tropes, replaced with excitement, and a sense of suspense for what could happen next in this story.

Ultimately, it also means that the romance between Bobby and Aaron really hits home. Their love feels complex, complicated and genuine - two commitment-phobes trying to break the mould of their previous relationships and learn to trust another person.

One of the biggest takeaways from Bros is that it's funny. Like, really funny. And it works on many levels - from jokes that produced belly laughs on sight alone, to some real thinkers that will test whether you’re actively or passively watching.

You’ll find yourself laughing throughout. The film suffers only in its comparison to other New York rom-coms.

It’s a staple of cinema, the New York set romantic comedy, and while Bros couches its groundbreaking tale in that world as a pseudo-statement, it also necessarily suffers the trappings of retreading that ground.

Reviews by Jacob Richardson Creative Director | Film Focus www.filmfocusau.com

The Woman King review - 4 Stars

THE Woman King is gorgeous, violent, eye-opening and start-tofinish thrill-a-minute entertaining.

„ JACOB RICHARDSON

Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) is cast off by her father, after refusing a marriage proposal. He gifts her to their King, who rules the Kingdom of Dahomey in Africa in the 19th century. There, she joins the Agojie; an all-female unit of worries, led by General Nanisca (Viola Davis) - a warrior who is slated to become the fabled Woman King and sit alongside the King.

Nawi is aided in her training by Izogie (Lashana Lynch) and Amenza (Sheila Atim), as the Agojie prepare for war with neighbouring tribes over their belief that working with the white man and selling their people into slavery is wrong.

The first thing you need to do with The Woman King is realise that this is a proper action film. And it looks epic. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood makes the Agojie into a lethal, highly efficient and visually impressive fighting force, as they flip around each other, make superhuman leaps, and more. They come across as the closest thing to superheroes without being a Marvel movie.

But while the movie is undoubtedly very enjoyable from that perspective, and the fight scenes are some of the best you’ll see this year, you’d be mistaken for thinking that this was a mindless actioner. Far from it.

The film is couched in a beautiful emotional arc for both Nawi and Nanisca. They traverse their respective journeys while also dealing with the fights and war that stems from their King’s decision to reject slavery, and those journeys - particularly in the hands of Mbedu and Davis - are deeply affecting. Lashana Lynch is another standout.

Her portrayal of Izogie is so incredibly fierce, strong and funny that you really feel like she is one of the all-time great characters.

It’s a beautiful movie, and the visual portrayal of the city, the fight scenes, and these incredible warriors, really is something to behold.

Buy NOW - Pay LATER Cost of immediate gratification

„ MINDSET | MARCUS WHEAN

WE live in a credit society. Most of us can have almost anything we want now; we can have it now and pay for it later.

It is such a positive thing in many ways, especially for important and big purchases like property and vehicles. Big capital assets are out of reach for many to purchase without credit, loans or mortgages. We all rely on credit in some way.

The other side of our credit society is it has made its way into almost every aspect of our economy. We can literally put everything we buy on credit and pay for it later and often at greater cost because of interest than the original purchase price.

Is this a convenient technology that has arisen as a miracle that we’ve all just ‘discovered’ or is it a natural organic consequence of our biological and emotional needs? It is said that people buy out of emotion.

Emotions that are primal and highly influential in terms of motivation. Most are even linked to survival. FOMO (fear of missing out) is a classic example of a primal emotion that drives behaviour.

If we see or perceive everyone else to have, and perceive ourselves as ‘have not’, we are going to be motivated to ‘buy’ out of that emotion because, being social creatures, we do not want to ‘fee’ like we are different or missing out.

The problem with all this is that because we are saturated and bombarded with social media influence. Nowadays, we are almost stuck in a perpetual emotional and motivational loop. Therefore, we are more susceptible to taking up credit and ‘buy now, pay later’ technologies.

The availability of these technologies basically exploits our emotional and social brains. The further problem is that this is highlighting an emerging vulnerability I see every day. That is, people cannot or find it more difficult to delay gratification.

To delay gratification requires the execution of the rational centres of the brain. To exert will if you like with respect to decision making, active planning, and thinking clearly and rationally into the future.

Credit technologies are rife and expanding because more and more people are lacking the ability to delay gratification. It is not the credit industries’ fault. There is a need and so they supply it. Basic economics.

We are all struggling

For us as individual, however, stress, anxiety and depression problems are rising. When we are struggling, immediately gratifying things are appealing and taken up more because we are in pain and crave quick relief.

Immediate gratification need not just apply to credit and purchases. Immediate gratification is things like procrastination and avoidance; eating junk food instead of prepping a healthy meal; lazing on the couch instead of exercise or cleaning the house. It is basically putting of things in favour of quick relief now.

The problem is long term. So, debts rise, problems don’t go away, and intrinsic frustrations and negative emotions like guilt or even shame emerge because we have not been applying ourselves to our lives in favour of the long term and cashing in too many time and too often for short term gains; or rather, short term relief.

Psychologically it also reinforces the negative beliefs we may hold about ourselves in terms of our self-efficacy. That is, if we believe we can’t do things or are not good enough for instance and can develop learned helplessness.

Consequently, self-confidence drops; we feel lousy in ourselves, become more emotionally driven and vulnerable to immediate gratification. When we fail to delay gratification the loop is complete reinforcing the negative self-belief that kicked off the whole thing.

One of my principles for mental fitness and personal growth is discipline. Discipline means to follow. I aim to follow the discipline of delaying gratification wherever possible. Try it yourself.

Try and do the hard thing before the easy thing. Get the chores over and done with. Buy the thing if you still want, but not right there and then. Give yourself time to think; for the emotion to die down. If you still want to buy the thing after that then do it.

The important thing is to have future goals that require focus; goals based on values aligned with personal growth that is important to you. That helps to delay gratification and so no to credit, unnecessary purchases, or temporary stress-relieving behaviours.

Delaying gratification is also so rewarding. I would argue It is essential to self-esteem, personal growth and mental health. Try delaying gratification more. It will be challenging at times, but it will serve to dissolve negative beliefs and instil positive ones. It takes time but that’s the whole point. Give yourself the time.

Why, because you’re worth it and self-worth is not in what we have but how we treat and value ourselves and delaying gratification is a mainstay of self-esteem and personal growth.

Marcus Whelan is a Registered Psychologist and Mental Fitness Coachwith 10+ years’ experience in private practice. He holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in psychology and education. Visit: www.marcuswhelanpsychology. com.au

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