Just when it seemed like Ford was coming close to abandoning the passenger car market, along came two new SUV players to help fill the large void beneath the large Everest.
Although there is some price overlap between the Puma and Territory, the two have completely different buyers in mind and they could not be any more different in concept.
Whereas Hungarian-built Puma is compact and fun-to-drive crossover package with Fiesta genes, the Territory is a family-sized Chinese-built contender resulting from Ford’s joint venture with JMC. Not quite “True Blue” like those old Ford ads used to say.
The difference becomes apparent from the moment you hit the road in the new Territory. Its steering feels woolly and artificial, a far cry from the Puma, or even the old Kuga, in which I had a surprising amount of fun pushing through some twisty sections of the Midlands Meander a few years back.
But let me stop myself right here because the steering criticism is virtually irrelevant these days. I bet 99% of potential buyers in this segment don’t care about trivialities like that. But in the unlikely event that you do, I just thought I’d let you know..
What the Ford Territory really excels at is being a family car.
It’s an agreeable looking SUV in our humble opinion, and offers reasonable value for money, with the 1.8T Ambiente base model costing R576,000, at the time of writing in June 2024, and the range-topping Titanium commanding R707,000.
Although it’s not quite in the same bargain bin as other Chinese rivals like the Haval H6, which starts at R491,150, the oriental Ford is very competitive against similarly sized rivals like the Hyundai Tucson (from R598,900), Nissan X-Trail (R685,900) and Toyota Rav4 (R705,600).
All versions of the Ford Territory come with a 1.8-litre turbopetrol engine, from which you can expect 138kW and 318Nm. Power goes to the front wheels only via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which shifts so smoothly and unobtrusively that you might never even notice that it exists.
The engine is a smooth operator in its own right, with little in the way of discernible lag even at altitude, and the engine has no trouble pulling the Territory’s 1.6-tonne shell at a comfortable pace. It can get a bit thirsty in town, with our car’s on-board readout showing as high as 13 litres per 100km, but on the highway it consumed a more reasonable 7.6 l/100km.
The ride is really comfortable too, with very little shock transmitted into the cabin even over those large boulder-like speed humps that you find in parts of Joburg.
Apart from the aforementioned vagueness of the steering, it’s an agreeable driving experience all round. Except for the brakes. They bite really quickly and take some getting used to.
A great family car
The cabin is somewhat impressive too. It’s really big and rear seat occupants have plenty of leg-stretching space. The back of the cabin also has ventilation and there’s a single rear USB slot for the young ones to fight over.
The boot looks bigger than the 448 litre capacity suggests, and ready to gobble your holiday luggage.
Moving to the cockpit area, the Territory’s Chinese origins become all too apparent, and not necessarily in a bad way.
There’s a huge dual-screen panel jutting above the dashboard, but this vehicle isn’t too OTT on the digital front as the screens are supplemented by a rotary dial and additional buttons (such as home and return screen shortcuts) located on the centre console, and there are also physical controls for the fan speed and demisting.
All models ship with a 12.3 inch (31.2cm) central touchscreen infotainment system with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. An identically sized digital driver instrument display features on the range-topping Titanium, while the Trend and Ambiente make do with a 7.0-inch (17.8cm) TFT unit.
Click here to see the spec differences between the three Territory models
Interestingly, the Territory’s gearbox is operated via a rotary dial on the centre console. While it’s not as convenient as other shift-by-wire units, as ‘park’ can’t be activated at the touch of a button for instance, one does get used to the set-up pretty quickly.
VERDICT
I’ll say it again. The price-overlapping Ford Puma and Territory could not be more different. The former is fun and entertaining, and the latter specialises in comfort and practicality. Judging by the sales figures the Territory is more in tune with what South African buyers want nowadays. Even though it doesn’t feel like a traditional Ford, it is a very welcome addition to the range.