Blue Oval’s plush SUV gunning for Chinese brands after outperforming heritage rivals.
After performing better than expected by its own admission in its first year, the Blue Oval hopes the newly-introduced Dark Edition derivative will help the Ford Territory gain further ground in the cut-throat SUV domain.
The Territory was heaven sent for the American carmaker who had no footprint in the local C-SUV segment after dropping the ill-fated Kuga from its portfolio. It has not only outperformed rivals from fellow heritage brands in the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, VW Tiguan, Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4, but also taken the fight to the Chinese SUVs. Which is ironic, seeing that the Ford Territory is sourced from China.
Ford Territory gets new top dog
The Ford Territory Dark Edition has been introduced as the line-up’s new flagship at the expense of the Titanium. It comes at R733 000, which is a R13k premium over the Titanium. The other two derivatives, the Ambiente and Trend, are kept unchanged.
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Based on the Titanium, the Dark Edition features styling enhancements and more tech upgrades, but no changes under the bonnet. Up front, the 1.8-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol engine produces 138kW of power and 318Nm of torque sent to the front wheels via seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
While the Titanium’s styling was easy on the eye, the Ford Territory Dark Edition makes a strong statement. It features a gloss black grille, roof rails and mirror caps along with black wheel arch cladding, black finish at the base of the bumpers, black front skidplate and black Territory lettering on the tailgate. Completing the attractive package is 19-inch ebony alloy wheels and a contrasting black roof.
A touch of class
The spacious interior features black perforated leather seats along with leather trim on the dashboard and doors and black roofliner. Ford is quick to point out the Cyber Orange stitching and seam on the seats, doors, dashboard and steering wheel are reminiscent of the popular Ford Ranger Wildtrak hue.
Making its debut on the Ford Territory is a 360-degree surround-view camera system. It is part of an impressive specification list which also includes dual 12.3-inch displays with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and eight-speaker sound system. Also standard is a wireless smartphone charger, dual-tone panoramic roof, electric tailgate, ambient lighting, electric front seats, front and rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitor, rain sensing wipers, automatic LED headlights, keyless entry and push-button start.
A wide array of safety systems include advanced features such as: Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring and Traffic Jam Assist.
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Out on the road, the Dark Edition is a comfortable and spacious ride. There is enough power on tap for your everyday needs and you don’t need any more in a family mover. And using it for that purpose is exactly what we did during the launch drive from Lanseria to Gold Reef City. After a day of family fun, the comfortable back seats meant the exhausted children was in dreamland in no time.
Ford family promise
As The Citizen Motoring has reported, the brakes are rather sensitive, but nothing you can’t get used to over time. Throttle calibration, like on almost all Chinese cars, are also no perfect.
And speaking of the Chinese brands, Ford is on an active mission to remind customers of its comprehensive family promise when weighing the Territory up against more affordable like-for-like SUVs. The Ford Family Promise is made up of 21 components which include anything from mobile servicing and two-year guarantee on spare parts to comprehensive insurance.
The Dark Edition is a solid package with the right looks and tech to take the fight to its rivals. Expect bigger things from this plush SUV.
Ford Territory pricing
- Territory Ambiente 1.8L EcoBoost 7AT – R593 500
- Territory Trend 1.8L EcoBoost 7AT – R650 500
- Territory Dark Edition 1.8L EcoBoost 7AT – R733 000
*Price includes a six-year/90 000km service plan and four-year/120 000km warranty.