Promising to be a catch-all for most modern family needs, the new Ford Territory makes good use of its Asian origin to provide a decent value proposition.
I had to throw in this car’s Chinese roots immediately as it’s one of two misconceptions I overheard while driving this Panther Black press vehicle. Firstly, most observers erroneously refer to it as an Everest – present company included – and secondly, quite a few people alleged that it was a re-badged Fung Dung from China.
Of course, none of that is true. The original Ford Territory (of Australian fame) could easily be seen as a direct relative to the Everest, but this softly-named CX743 MCA version is a completely new product built by Ford’s Chinese partner, JMC Ford, since 2022 for various smaller markets including our own.
Another pleasant fact is that this vehicle shares no DNA with established Chinese vehicles which, to be fair, have actually come a long way in terms of design and technology. Still, the only close relative is apparently the Ford Equator, which is a slightly larger JMC Ford product made for equally obscure markets.
Back to the Territory, which is available elsewhere with a choice of 1.5 or 1.8L 4-cylinder turbo-petrol power and a 7-speed DCT driving the front wheels. Our Southern African market only gets the beefier 1.8L motor which kicks out up to 138kW at 5,200rpm or 318Nm from 1,500 to 3,000rpm.
We also get the choice of three trim levels: Ambiente, Trend or Titanium, whose escalating specifications include all modern safety and convenience items with top-tier stuff in this Titanium version being a full glass roof, leather trim, power front seats, bigger screens and more speakers, ambient lighting, surround park sensors, auto headlights, adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation.
Do yourself a favour and visit the nearest Ford dealer to discover what the mid- and entry-level units have on offer, because if you (and your messy family) prefer vinyl or cloth seats, the cost savings and random gadget omissions may work in your wallet’s favour. Ambiente starts at R593,500, Trend is R650,500 while this Titanium will set you back R725,500.
Ford South Africa also recently introduced a Dark Edition based on this Titanium which panders to the horribly depressing trend of turning anything shiny (like these gorgeous 19-inch alloys) completely invisible; or into something you’d either find on a base model or a drug dealer’s driveway. Yours for R733,000.
Luckily, this jet black 1.8T Titanium had enough bright-work to accent its stylish and modern silhouette; plus silver wheels give a car much-needed stance (or footing) because they frame the wheels inside their respective arches while the vehicle is in motion. Ditto for its matt silver flank and bumper inserts.
Inside I was delighted to find a noticeable blue hue to the obligatory black leather trim so favoured by local buyers. In my opinion, it was blue enough to appease colour crazies like me, yet dark enough as not to frighten off our conservative friends. You get seven exterior paint choices but I’m unsure if there are other leather hues available.
A couple of interior notes I could share with you include the chunky (but very welcome) volume control on the central tunnel; although it sometimes took ages to respond or would only change the audio volume in very small increments. Other infotainment controls are fairly intuitive and sound system quality was most acceptable.
Although new owners should quickly get used to it, it took me a few attempts at mastering the right-hand side steering wheel controls. Ford gave them a split personality between audio and gauge cluster info, with one master switch to toggle between them. It initially irritated me but eventually became second nature.
Something which seriously messed with my life was the Territory’s auto-locking system, which locks all doors even while you’re walking around the car to get your kid out the other side. I’m sure it’s selectable (or a dealership can nuke it) but as a nasty after-effect, in the few days after returning this Ford, I instinctively walked away from other cars thinking they’d lock themselves.
Another small irritation was a fairly persistent tyre pressure warning system which, by the end of our term with this press car, become a constant companion. Perhaps it just needed a quick reset at a Ford workshop, because it alleged that the front right tyre was 0.1 bar less than all others. Or in one instance, it warned that it was exactly the same pressure as all the others.
In keeping with other modern trends, Ford also made sure to invent a completely new concept for this SUV’s gear selector. I’m fairly convinced that it’s now a full-on competition between manufacturers, to see who can stray the furthest from the traditional forward-backwards lever and create some sort of modern art installation.
Ford went with a fairly familiar rotary knob, in a sensible size and with good haptic quality. Unfortunately you don’t get any shift paddles, although they did include a central “L” button on said knob. After a much joyous summer spent with my Gen Z niece, I dared not press any switch containing that dreaded letter though.
To touch on the driving aspect of the new Territory, I have little to report which would stray from the current trend of city SUV’s. The robotised multi-clutch gearbox is semi-obedient and needs a degree of patience (or pre-empting) from standstill or during quick momentum change requests.
It’s worth noting that, much like other Chinese-born turbo-petrol vehicles, this one already red-lines at an exceptionally low 5,000rpm. During multiple 0-100km/h tests (our best was 9.28 seconds) the car would short-shift first gear but often allow 5,200 or 5,300rpm in subsequent shifts; which is where its quoted power peak lies.
With European turbo-petrol engines easily reaching 6,000 or thereabouts revs per minute, my current theory as to why Chinese engine builders are so conservative is to reduce engine stress, thereby extending its life and hopefully being able to honour the car’s entire warranty period. In this case, it’s either four years or 120,000km.
Steering feel is also on par with modern SUV offerings: perhaps a bit too light but fairly direct, making it easy to commute and park this 4.63m vehicle. Other crucial measurements include an 11.4m turning radius, up to 190mm of ground clearance and cargo capacity ranging from 448 (rear seats up) to 1,422L with all rear furniture folded flat.
Ford alleges an average fuel use of just 7L/100km from the generous 60L tank but, as with most other vehicles we test, our real-world average was hovering a few notches above that. The Territory may be able to hit seven on a steady motorway cruise but not if you subject its 2,025kg weight to urban hills or extra weight.
However, in closing, I felt that the Asian-born Ford Territory strikes a safe (and pleasant) balance between modern style, contemporary luxury and safety, as well as family-friendly features and acceptable on-road manners. And with a price tag around 725k, its even fairly competitive in our crowded SUV market.