Six months and seven days after taking delivery, my long-term Ford Territory 1.8 Titanium has been reabsorbed into the Blue Oval’s media test fleet.
Dropping it off in Gardens, Cape Town, on a drizzly summer’s day, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness sweep over me as I bid my steed farewell. Though this might sound overly dramatic, this C-segment SUV had become my faithful companion — one that played an invaluable role in my relocation from Johannesburg to the Mother City in July last year.
After the removal truck left my house, I still had an assortment of boxes, odds and sods that needed to be hauled down the N1. None of them were going to make it inside my 1991 Mazda MX-5, a car that can at best accommodate one or two duffel bags and a packet of crisps (preferably salt and vinegar, please). But with the rear seats folded flat (a simple action that expands the 448l boot to a much more capacious 1,422l) and some savvy Tetris-like packing skills, I got them all to fit inside the Territory with minimal histrionics.
This load-lugging ability became a defining characteristic of this SUV over the next few months, as I moved into a new abode and rediscovered the joys of cycling. I purchased a gravel bike and to my surprise discovered I could transport it in the back of the Territory without having to take either of its wheels off. Though I hate moving bicycles around the countryside at the best of times, not having to dismantle anything made the chore a lot more palatable. So for my needs (and hobbies) this Ford ticked all the right boxes.
The Territory also proved a fine daily driver, with a comfortable, well-insulated cabin and a commanding view of the road ahead — something I learnt to appreciate negotiating the recurring nightmare that is Cape Town city traffic. In Titanium specification there’s also a ton of adjustability to be had behind the wheel thanks to a 10-way electrically adjustable driver's seat and a steering column that can be tailored for rake and reach. I’m 1.88m tall, my partner 1.65m, and neither of us struggled to find our preferred driving positions.
Another string in its “urban assault” bow is that despite its sizeable proportions (4,625mm long, 1,934mm wide) the Territory is an easy machine to thread through treacly inner city traffic courtesy of its generously sized glasshouse and standard active driver aids like mirror-mounted blind spot monitoring lights that blink if there's a vehicle lurking unseen in the lane beside you. Ford's forward collision mitigation system is also present, as is a colour (albeit low-res) reverse camera with dynamic guidance lines and front parking sensors. The latter proved a boon in Cape Town where street parking is a way of life.
Away from the hustle and bustle, out on the quieter roads of the small Karoo, I found more to like about the handsomely shaped Territory. Though it might not sound particularly inspiring, the SUV’s 1.8l four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine offers decent shove, with strong lowdown torque and enough grunt on tap to ensure safe overtaking.
It is paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which went about its cog-swapping duties with a commendably smooth and shudder-free action — I just wish it had paddle shifters so you can manually change gears when needed. Though this pairing proved a fine one in practice, I feel fuel economy could have been better, as even with a light right foot I couldn’t get the on-board computer to register less than 8.0l/100km. Ford claims 7.0l/100km on the combined cycle — good luck to anyone trying to get near that.
When not charging down tarred highways, the Territory also lent itself well to some light soft-roading. Though no bundu-basher by any stretch of the imagination, its elevated ground clearance (190mm) and Mountain drive mode setting (your other options are Eco, Normal and Sport) allowed me to navigate a sodden Swartberg Pass with confidence.
There were some niggles though, chief of which took the form of the vehicle’s fiddly infotainment system. Clearly the product of Ford’s China affiliate Jiangling Motors Corp, it’s leagues apart from the Blue Oval’s excellent Sync systems I’ve experienced in vehicles like the Ranger, thanks to a foreign feeling software ecosystem and confusing plethora of main menus and sub-menus. This tricksy operation extended to the climate control system, the function of which is actuated via the touchscreen and a small haptic touch bar that lets you regulate fan speed, defrost the front/rear windscreens and initiate Auto mode. If you want to turn on recirculation, adjust the temperature or choose which vents you want air to flow through, you have to pinch/swipe yet another digitised menu — very frustrating. I went into an in-depth tirade about the system, which you can read here.
I also thought Ford's engineers could have finessed the calibration of the Territory's stop-start system, the electric handbrake releasing a split second too early when the engine fires back up. Though this isn't a problem on a level road, inclines will see the SUV roll back slightly before torque is reinstated to the front axle — not what you want in urban traffic where people are riding on your back bumper. After experiencing a few too many close calls, I kept my left foot on the brake pedal until the engine returned to idling speed.
Similarly, the Territory’s brakes proved incredibly grabby (read over-boosted) and required deliberately light pressure in the first few millimetres of pedal travel to avoid being flung towards the windscreen. A recalibration, Ford, would not go amiss.
Ride quality proved a grey area too, with ill-maintained sections of asphalt sending the Territory into a bit of a tizz. This choppiness probably has a lot to do with the large ten-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels shod with relatively low-profile 235/50 tyres — a feature unique to the flagship Titanium model I had on test. Lesser models get 18-inch wheels wearing slightly plumper 235/55 tyres and I would be interested to see if this footwear makes a difference.
These concerns aside, there was not much else to fault with the Territory. Despite being conceived and manufactured in China, build quality appeared rock solid, with zero rattles, vibrations or squeaks to annoy the ear inside the cabin. Overall fit and finish was excellent and the quality of the paint appeared light years better than the Romanian-made, orange-peeled mess of a Puma I tested last year. There were no mechanical gremlins to report either. Aside from a software update during its 15,000km service, life with the Territory 1.8 Titanium — and more than 10,089km travelled — was as simple and stress-free as it gets.
As such I have no hesitation recommending it to anybody looking to garage a C-segment SUV. Though it is a jam-packed playing field with numerous machines vying for your money and attention, the Ford Territory has in my book proved itself a worthy contender.
2024 Ford Territory 1.8 Titanium | Update 7
ODOMETER ON DELIVERY: 5,654km
CURRENT ODOMETER: 15,7431km
AVERAGE CONSUMPTION: 8.71/100km
PRICE AS TESTED: R721,000
PRAISES: A practical, comfortable and good-to-drive SUV that's remarkably easy to live with. Despite Chinese roots, build quality outshines that of European-built Puma.
GRIPES: Fiddly infotainment lets the side down. Ride can be choppy. Brake and stop-start system could do with some recalibration. Engine not as efficient as promised.
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