The Ford Territory might not be a direct continuation of the Aussie-born SUV that we knew in the early 2000s, but after spending two months with the latest version we are coming to realise that it fits the current market landscape down to a tee.
With the Kuga and Focus no longer earmarked for our market and the Figo, EcoSport and Fiesta being discontinued altogether, Ford South Africa found itself scrambling for new products. Some even joked that it would just become The Ranger Company.
One of the models it managed to secure was the new Territory, the Chinese-made product of a joint venture with JMC, and it’s already outselling established players in this space, such as the Toyota Rav4 and Nissan X-Trail.
Ford managed to sell 326 examples of the Territory in November, making it the brand’s second best seller, and though it’s nowhere near the Ranger bakkie’s lofty numbers it did help the Blue Oval achieve its best local sales month since June 2021.
While we’re looking forward to tackling the open road in our long-term Territory later in December, it has done a fine job attacking the urban jungle in comfort.
My wife lent it for a few days when her car was in for repairs and she was impressed by its luxurious cabin, interior tech and commanding feel on the road.
Coming from a smaller car, the Territory did feel a bit bulky to navigate on the narrow suburban roads en route to her place of work, but on the flipside she did feel cocooned and safe inside.
As we’ve noted before, the Territory has excellent sound insulation properties and provides a quiet driving experience, with minimal noise emanating from the road or its 1.8-litre turbopetrol engine. The smooth gear-changes enacted by its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, add to the feeling of on-road refinement.
My wife remains highly impressed by the user-friendliness of the infotainment system and particularly with the sound quality of the eight-speaker audio system. Her Apple devices also synced quickly and easily with the CarPlay system as well as the wireless charger. The only nitpick for her was a lack of interior stashing space for smaller items, as the central storage bin is very deep and not always convenient to reach into.
I’ve also enjoyed my fair share of time behind the wheel of the Territory, coming to appreciate its refined on-road feel, and so far the 138kW engine has proven sufficiently powerful. But let’s hold that thought for now as the open road beckons..
The only nitpicks from my side are the overly-sensitive throttle and braking calibrations, which can be a bit frustrating at first after stepping out of another car, but I’ve found I get used to its nuances fairly quickly. The stop-start system can also be a bit slow to action, but I’ve made a habit of deactivating it every time I take to the wheel, which can be done easily via the centre console, which also has a rotary knob for volume control and a few shortcut buttons for the infotainment system.
The Territory has a really spacious cabin and the Titanium range-topper is well stocked, with items such as a panoramic glass roof, leather seats with power adjustment for the front occupants, LED ambient lighting and Adaptive Cruise Control that goes with the usual long list of accident-avoidance features. The only thing I would add, if I had the choice, would be a surround view camera.
So far our Ford has conquered urban territory with ease. Stay tuned to IOL for our next update in early January.
The Ford Territory Titanium is priced at R721,000, with the Trend (R646,600) and Ambiente (R590,000) serving as cheaper alternatives. Click here to find out what features the three different grades come with. Service plans are optional.
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