Review: Ford expands its Territory

When it comes to the most basic reasons why people choose a specific car to buy, it boils down to two things: price and looks.

Sure, they’ll check out the features, look at the legroom, and ask about fuel economy, but even if a car is spacious, fuel-efficient, and has a ton of features, if prospective buyers don’t like the way it looks (and obviously, if they can’t afford it), they’ll walk away.

Why? Because a lot of new cars today are loaded with features, are reasonably spacious, and have decent fuel economy. But not all of them are exceptionally good looking.  

There’s no walking away from the Ford Territory, though. In fact people who see it in the flesh for the first time will gravitate towards it. It’s hard to not be attracted to an SUV that looks so much like the drop-dead gorgeous Range Rover Evoque—arguably one of the sleekest-looking compact SUVs on the planet.

Evoque-ative styling

To describe the Evoque is to describe the Territory: a rounded front end with slim LED headlamps that bracket a black grille; a wedge-shaped side profile with the Land Rover-pioneered floating roof, large wheels, and a sharply rising windowline and side windows that taper towards the back; and a characterful rear end with bold LED taillamps, sporty silver under-bumper diffuser/gravel deflector and a blacked-out wraparound D pillar. Heck, even the positioning and treatment (size, font, and spacing between the letters) of the T-E-R-R-I-T-O-R-Y nameplate on the tailgate is very reminiscent of the R-A-N-G-E R-O-V-E-R lettering on the back of the Evoque.

And I’m not complaining. The Territory’s overall look may not be original, but it doesn’t come across as a rip-off either. It simply looks stunning.          

So Ford got the eye candy part right. How about the rest of the car?

Blue chip Blue Oval pedigree

Thankfully, Ford is hardly a one-hit wonder when it comes to SUVs. Far from it—the Blue Oval is actually one of the world’s biggest purveyor of SUVs (the Explorer and Escape are perennial top sellers in the US). The Territory may be new nameplate in the Philippines, but it’s been on the Australian market for over a decade. Having said that, the Philippine-model Territory—which is made in China and exported to South America and to left-hand drive markets in Southeast Asia—is not mechanically related to its Aussie namesake. Ford Australia was involved, though, through its Ford Design Studio in Melbourne, in the development of the Territory’s very contemporary styling as well as in prototype testing at its Geelong Proving Grounds also in Melbourne (which shared the Territory’s development with the Ford testing center in Nanjing, China).

The Territory’s 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine, on the other hand, was designed by Ford engineers in Europe, imbuing the motor with generous power and impressive smoothness, along with a low once-a-year maintenance requirement and lower servicing costs. Ford broomed its Dual-Clutch Transmissions (DCT) and mated the Territory’s engine to a new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with Sport mode that delivers 143ps and 225Nm of torque.

Polished performance

To describe the Territory’s acceleration as scintillating is a bit of an overstatement, but the power and torque are certainly gratifying enough for everyday driving and even the occasional pedal-to-the-metal sorties. I would’ve wished for paddle shifters to heighten driving excitement, although Ford did equip the Territory with “+” and “-“ gates on the gear lever for manual control over the CVT.

A lot of recent all-new models manage to nail the ride/handling balance and the Territory (which rides on front struts and rear multi-links) is no exception. Extensive chassis development—long a Ford strength—endowed the Territory with a comfy ride and stable car-like handing. The Trend variant rolls on 17-inch wheels with 235/55R17 rubber while the Titanium+ gets an upsize to 18-inch rims with 235/50R18 tires.     

Gadgets galore

Standard across both Territory (Trend and Titanium+) variants are LEDs for the auto on-off headlamps (with follow-me-home feature), daytime running lamps (DRLs), and tail lamps; as well as front and rear fog lamps, panoramic moonroof, rear spoiler, and roof rails.

Inside the stylish and spacious (thanks to a generous 2,716mm wheelbase) cabin, you’ll find premium perforated leather seats, Smart Keyless Entry with Push Button Start (Porsche owners will be at home as the Start button is on the left side of the steering wheel), leather steering wheel with audio controls, power door lock with central locking, speed-sensing door locks, rear view mirror with auto-dimming and high-mount USB port, leather-covered center console with dual-lid opening, sunglass holder, 7 cup and bottle holders, and a 12-volt power outlet that come standard in both variants.

Distinguishing the Titanium+ variant are 18-inch alloy wheels, gloss black with chrome inserts on the front grille, rain-sensing front windshield wipers, power-folding side mirrors, puddle lamps, and chrome exterior door handles.

The Titanium+’s interior, on the other hand, features a 10-inch fully-digital instrument cluster with three themes (Normal, Sport, or Fashion), 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, power windows with one-touch up/down function on all windows, ambient lighting with seven color choices, and cooled/heated front seats—solid luxury car features.

The Territory is further equipped with smart features that elevate the driving and riding experience. Standard for both variants are a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with adjustable quad view, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, four USB ports and multiple speakers (8 for the Titanium+ and 6 for the Trend). Wireless charging is exclusive to the Titanium+. That’s a heck of a lot of features.

State-of-the-art safety

For safety, the Territory comes with Ford’s Co-Pilot360, a suite of driver-assist technologies available in the Titanium+ variant that include Active Park Assist with parallel-parking and the segment-first perpendicular parking, 360 Degree Around View Monitor, Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Information System and Lane Departure Warning. That’s a ton of cutting-edge features that was available only in high-end luxury and sports cars just a few years ago.

More driver-assist technologies standard in both variants are Electronic Stability Control including ABS, EBD and Traction Control, Hill Launch Assist, six airbags, rear parking sensors (front and rear parking sensors standard on the Titanium+), and Tire Pressure Monitoring System with individual tire pressure display. Both variants are also equipped with ISOFIX child seat anchorage points.

Price? The Ford Territory Trend retails for PHP1,199,000 while the Titanium+ goes for PHP1,299,000. That’s solid value for an SUV that looks great, drives well, has gobs of space, offers a ton of comfort, convenience and luxury features, and gets 9 km/l in the city. Ford will certainly mark the Philippine market with its Territory.