Making its return to South African shores, the 2024 Ford Territory slots neatly into the brand's SUV lineup, positioned between the compact Puma and the larger, adventure-oriented Everest. Available in three distinct trim levels – Ambiente, Trend, and the range-topping Titanium – this five-seater family SUV enters a highly competitive market segment.
We spent time reviewing the Titanium derivative to get a feel for its design, interior space, technology, and driving dynamics, evaluating how it stacks up against key rivals and whether it offers a compelling package for South African buyers.
Ford first launched the Territory SUV locally in the mid 2000s and it was sold here until 2008. Since then it was replaced with SUVs like the EcoSport, Everest and Kuga, but the Everest is now the only one of these three that is still sold new in South Africa.
Now the current generation Territory has arrived on local shores. From a model perspective, it slots between the Puma and Everest in the local line-up and is available in three trim levels – Ambiente, Trend and Titanium. We are currently reviewing the Titanium derivative for an extended period.
Rivals
With the SUV market being one of the most congested, there are plenty of offerings for customers to choose from. We've selected some of the makes and models (along with their starting price) that go toe to toe with the Territory in SA.
Hyundai Tucson - R598 900
Kia Sportage - R602 995
Toyota RAV4 - R705 600
Volkswagen Tiguan - R651 500
The starting price of the Territory is lower than that of all of these rivals except for the Tiguan.
Marking its Territory
There’s virtually no difference where aesthetics is concerned between the derivatives, although the Titanium comes fitted standard with 19-inch alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof. Additionally, there are seven body colour options available, all at no additional cost. The Territory’s front-end features what’s known as a coast-to-coast front grille combined with LED daytime running lights.
The Titanium comes with two-tone leather seats as well as a 12.3-inch high-definition digital instrument cluster (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity). The Ambiente and Trend trims get a 7-inch TFT cluster with analogue gauges.
Ford must be commended on the amount of interior space and rear legroom available to passengers. Sections like the door panels, storage lid and dashboard trim are all soft to the touch, finished off with the blue ambient lighting (in the Titanium only).
The drive
Powering the range is a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine that produces 138kW and 318Nm of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) sends power to the front wheels, while Ford claims a fuel consumption (in a combined cycle) of 7.0-litres per 100km.
In terms of fuel consumption, the best figure we returned was 8.6-litres/100km, with most of the driving done in Normal mode. It must be said that short trips around town don’t do the 1.8-litre engine any favours, and it's on longer stretches of road where it becomes more frugal.
The Territory possesses most of the things that customers want in an SUV: a spacious boot, an efficient engine and a good inventory of features. There are significant price gaps between each of the derivatives, and we see the Trend as being the popular one of the three.
The SUV performed faultlessly, but we think that the speed of input from the rotating gear selector dial when switching between Drive and Reverse could be improved. Also, the automatic stop-start activated when the car hadn’t fully come to a complete stop on a couple of occasions.
In addition to six airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system and emergency brake assist, the Titanium model gains additional safety features including a blind spot information system, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, lane change assist and automatic emergency braking.
Pricing
Territory Ambiente – R590 000
Territory Trend – R646 600
Territory Titanium – R721 000
Included as standard is Ford Protect, comprising a four-year or 120 000km mechanical warranty, four-year or unlimited distance roadside assistance and a five-year or unlimited distance corrosion warranty. Additionally, customers have the option of purchasing an extended Ford Protect Service or maintenance plan that can be extended up to seven years or 200 000km, while the Roadside Assistance can be extended for up to two years.
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