The new Ford Territory is today’s family car

Do an online search for the world’s best road trips and, more often than not, SA’s Garden Route, is on the list. The epitome of SA’s truly beautiful and diverse landscapes, the Garden Route is so lush and so green that it feels like it was deliberately landscaped. It was the perfect route to experience Ford’s new mid-size SUV, the Territory.

With the five-seater Territory, Ford is firmly jumping back into the C-SUV segment following the discontinuation of the compact Ford Ecosport and the Ford Kuga. The Territory is essentially replacing the Kuga.

The company has had much success with its bakkie, the Ranger and all its versions but, with the mid-size SUV segment of the South African car market growing fast, the launch of the Territory is timely. It fits nicely between the smaller, more compact Puma and the larger seven-seater Everest. It is positioned to be Ford’s third volume pillar after the Everest and the Ranger as “Today’s Family Car”, as per the launch campaign.

There are three models of the Territory, namely the Ambiente, Trend and Titanium but they all share the same 1.8l four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine with a seven-speed automatic transmission, churning out 138kW power and 318Nm torque.

The Territory’s cabin is spacious, both in the front and the back, ideal for a family of four, with luggage space listed at 448l of luggage space. The back seats fold down to provide even more space. The interior is well constructed with quality materials, cocooning the driver and passengers comfortably. The Titanium has a panoramic “moonroof” that opens up the cabin in an interesting way.

The “gear lever” is a rotary dial that sits in the centre console, with the electronic handbrake, and the volume knob for the sound system and is easily accessible. There is ample storage in the arm rest as well as a “tray” beneath the centre console with access to a USB and a USB-C charging slot.

Before pulling out of Gqeberha’s Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in the Trend, the first order of business was deciding on the soundtrack for the drive. The 12.3" touchscreen infotainment system has a slightly different feel to Ford’s traditional SYNC but was as easy to connect to. The home screen has both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which, when connected, impressively mirrors your smartphone on the touchscreen. And there is a wireless smartphone charging pad below the screen and air conditioning controls as well as a USB charging port in the rear.

The instrument panel is also digital, 12" for the Titanium and 7" for the Ambiente and Trend with two design themes. Overall, with the infotainment screen, it gives the dashboard a very modern, sleek feel.

When it comes the drive, once I got used to how well the brakes stop you, when you are looking to simply slow down, it was smooth sailing, especially once we got out of Gqeberha onto the road to Knysna. It was a leisurely drive with a couple of stops along the way, including for coffee, lunch and the Birds of Eden sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay, providing ample opportunity to try out the different Driver Assist features, knowing that we were also protected by the six front, side and curtain airbags.

Driver Assist and safety features include Lane-Departure Warning, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Rear-View Camera, Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Hill-Start Assist, Electronic Stability Control, Emergency Brake Assist, Door Open Alarm and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System.

On the drive back to Gqeberha in the Titanium, we stopped at the Bloukraans Bungy and walked across the Bloukraans Bridge on the Skywalk, 216m above the ground. My knees were a little wobbly for a bit and the Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Mitigation System ensured that I could both keep up without staying too close. The Territory also has four drive modes, namely Normal, Eco, Sport and Mountain, which are accessed through the touchscreen, as opposed there being a physical button or knob, which did throw me off a bit. I spent most of the drive in Sport, just because.

The Territory is built by Ford’s partner in China, the Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), with one vehicle body coming offline every two minutes. It is designed to “look like it is moving even when standing still” born out of the long crease lines down the side with a presence that is both athletic and commanding. The front grill is made of honey-comb-shaped meshes with Ford traditional logo prominent in between the headlights, which include LED daytime running lights.

While the competition in this segment is extensive, having experienced the breadth of what Ford is offering, it is safe to say that there is a place for the Territory.