/ 14 October 2005

Top Territory from down under

Okay, so they lost the Ashes and were thumped in the Tri-Nations by their next-door neighbours, but the Aussies can build a good SUV.

That was my impression after spending a week driving Ford’s latest offering, the Territory Ghia AWD. The permanent four-wheel drive cruise from down under impressed in almost every department.

Besides the abundance of space, it has some neat innovations, such as the power adjustable pedals that can be moved forward or back via a button on the steering column. This allows occupants of all shapes and sizes to assume a more comfortable driving position.

Then, there’s the rear flip glass that allows you to place items in the rear cargo section without opening the tail gate. A button on the left-hand side opens the entire tailgate, and one on the right opens the window portion only.

Finally, there’s a silky smooth straight six motor that propels the Territory 4,0 Ghia. About 3 984cc of air volume is displaced by the six cylinders and, at a mere 3 250rpm, a healthy 380Nm of torque is thumped out. The 24-valve motor’s kilowatt ratings are good too, and with 182kW on tap, is enough to propel the Territory to 100kph in a claimed 9,5 seconds. Top speed is a claimed 180kph.

The four-speed tiptronic gearbox is reasonably smooth, and hunts little thanks to great torque, while the gearstick can be shifted to the left, which allows the driver to shift gears manually according to the conditions.

The interior of the Territory is luxurious, and has every mod con. There’s cruise control for the longer trips, and the standard CD/radio shuttle pumps out good quality audio.

Leather seats abound, and there’s dual climate control with a pollen filter. Stowage space for odds and ends is vast, and the rear seat can be folded into almost any configuration depending on passenger and baggage requirements.

While the Territory features well off-road, highway and city driving is a breeze. There’s park distance control, which prevents you from bashing the vehicle behind you when parking in tight spots, while power- steering on the reach-height adjustable steering is mandatory too.

The Territory runs on 17-inch 235mm rubber, and through corners it’s a lot firmer than some other SUVs I’ve driven in the past. The suspension set-up of virtual pivot control link with stabiliser bar upfront and an independent control blade also with stabiliser bar at the rear certainly does the business.

The Territory’s safety list is lengthy, and in short consists of anti-lock braking, dual front and side airbags, fuel cut out switch, three point safety belts for the seven occupants if so configured and smart airbag sensors.

Probably the only area where the Territory falls down is its affinity for unleaded, but then most vehicles in this calibre do have extreme thirsts. The Territory yielded a rather high 16 litres per 100km in the urban cycle, though this drops to the 13- litre mark on highway routes, which is a bit more palatable.

The Territory is covered by a three-year/100 000km warranty, and there is a standard five-year 100 000km maintenance plan in place for your R389 500 investment.