After tackling a long freeway trip in December in our long-term Ford Territory, returning to the normal routine of Januworry had us craving for the open road again.
Owing to time constraints, we settled for a quick overnight getaway in the Hennops River Valley, which also saw us exploring numerous dirt roads in the area.
Like the majority of its rivals, the Ford Territory is not available in all-wheel drive, but thanks to its 190mm ground clearance, compliant suspension, rigid bodyshell and excellent noise insulation properties, it rides comfortably on dirt roads, and can take a few badly rutted sections in its stride.
When faced with the more challenging kind of dirt roads, owners can call upon the Mountain (Off-Road) mode. It activates a gentler throttle response and optimises the traction and stability control settings for traversing obstacles at crawling pace.
While the ride is generally comfortable on dirt, harsher ruts and surfaces can introduce some harshness to the cabin, thanks to the Territory Titanium’s 19-inch alloy wheels.
On the flipside, its beefy, 235mm-wide rubber does enhance your grip and sense of control during higher-speed dirt excursions, and the same is true when tackling twisty sections of tar.
After spending some time on various routes in the vicinity of Hartbeespoort Dam, Magaliesburg and, a month earlier, in the Midlands Meander in KZN, I am generally impressed with the way the Territory handles corners.
Grip is impressive, and it is agile for its size, with body roll being relatively minimal, but the one drawback in my opinion is the lack of steering feedback. There is a numb and artificial feel to the steering, and though we understand this car was conceived in collaboration with Ford’s Chinese partner JMC, we do wish the Blue Oval had lent some more of its expertise to that aspect - especially given its history of producing cars that are an absolute joy to steer.
Granted, it’s something that is unlikely to bother most owners, and on the upside, the steering is generously assisted, making parking and town driving relatively easy, especially given the Territory’s generous size.
Back to the open road though, the Territory has all the makings of a great road trip car, including an impressive eight-speaker sound system, generous specification, including panoramic sunroof and wireless charging, and the leather seats - electrically adjustable up front - are comfortable as well as supportive
The Territory is family-friendly too, with generous stretching space for rear occupants and a large boot.
The 138kW 1.8-litre engine provides adequate performance on the open road, but we do wish it was a bit more economical, with highway consumption averaging 8.5 litres per 100km. Our overall consumption, on a variety of roads, currently stands at 9.6 l/100km.
But how does it fare as an urban commuter? Very well in most respects, we can confidently say after spending four months with it, but there are a few ergonomic niggles which you can read more about in our November update.
IOL