Road Test: Ford Territory Turbo

By Peter Maniatis - 13/Nov/2006

I’m a little perplexed at Ford's marketing for its powerful new performance SUV, the Territory Turbo. This is car that stands out from the crowd on so many fronts that it doesn't need to be portrayed as some sort of sports car serial murderer.

If you haven't seen it, the Australian TV advertisement shows the new 330 horsepower 4x4 'eating' Ferrari sports cars and other exotic vehicles, presumably for breakfast.

I know many people who have bought the Territory because it's a stylish AWD vehicle, it's super functional and it absolutely looks and drives like a car twice its price and pedigree.

I'm not sure how many people that are drawn to the Territory see themselves as wanting to drag off some joker sitting next to them in a Ferrari [That'd be me - Ed]. But you know what – the extra performance from the Turbo certainly makes you feel as if you are traveling around in something other than an ungainly 2-tonne truck, for the turbocharged 6-cylinder petrol engine is as muscular as it is smooth.

All that said, and Ford has done a great job of separating the market segment. Those drivers who would purchase the Territory Turbo – in fact maybe it should just have been called Territory Sport – will be pleased to hear what the new Turbo model gets on top of the standard vehicle. As well as the silky-smooth German-sourced 6-speed gearbox and the lustrous 245kW turbo intercooled engine, the new model gets unique interior styling and the suitably sporty fittings bode well for buyers who may be coming off the back of a German purchase and who are looking for more than just the poverty-pack model. The Territory Turbo may command a decent price premium over it's non-turbo family members, but it is a stylish and more sophisticated package.

I think Ford has done a great job of placing a premium on the Territory Turbo, and it certainly has a number of thumbs up from this reviewer:

Drive: 4/5

The Turbo Territory handles like a grunty wombat on steroids. Measured – yet feisty and nimble enough to run down the competition at a flick of the switch. Ford's pliable Territory is the kind of performance SUV that will demolish all but the most powerful V8 German SUVs in a straight line.

It makes 55 kilowatts more power than the standard Territory and generates a whopping 100Nm more torque. With its 245kW of power and 480Nm of torque, the burly vehicle can accelerate from 0-100km/h in about 7.0 seconds, which, as the Editor pointed out June, is a bit quicker than the Porsche Cayenne S in this benchmark, which costs more than twice the price at $129,900.

Standing start – and you can't fault it for its get up and go on a 2 tonne carriage. The drive-ability and feel, as across the whole Territory range, is very much sedan-like, which allows you to retain the road-holding confidence but with an elevated stance.

Performance is guaranteed with this vehicle, and because it uses a clever 6-speed automatic it's fuss-free to operate in almost any situation, and the four-wheel drive traction and slightly larger (18-inch) wheel rims and tyres bode well for manageable cornering and exceptional maneuverability in traffic for something of this size (4.85m long).

The ability to give the beast a kick coming out of corners adds to the sportier complexion of the Turbo Territory, and the the power delivery responds very well for an automatic transmission, with very little 'waiting' for the gearbox to kick down a gear.

And on the highway it's as relaxed as you'd want, with decent sound damping and barely a whisper from the smooth engine. The cruise control functions are on the face of the steering wheel, not on a stalk, and are really functional and easy to use. However, fuel consumption isn't the greatest: Ford quotes the combined city/highway cycle as 14.2L/100km, which although fairly typical for an SUV of this size, is still quite thirsty.

It has a 75 litre fuel tank that is 7 litres larger than that seen in the Ford Falcon, and the vehicle can tow up to 2300kg when optioned with the official Blue Oval heavy duty towpack and load levelling kit. Without this, towing capacity is still decent: 1600kg with a braked trailer (750kg w/out brakes).

This is a 4WD vehicle but given the size of its tyres, 235/55 R18, which are skewed more towards tarmac than gravel, Ford has deemed it unlikely to see much off-road action. But on unsealed roads this vehicle feels very planted, and though I didn't take it on serious 4WD tracks, I'd say that it's road-biased tyres and ground clearance of 179mm would work against it when tackling the unevenness of a bush fire trail or something similar.

When being driven in bad and wet weather on normal tarmac roads, the Territory Turbo feels supremely confident and very safe. As well as a full-time 4WD system (Acutrac Plus), the high-riding $53,990 wagon gets all the driving aids you'd expect of its European competitors, including Dynamic Stability Control (another name for ESP), plus traction control, larger front disc brakes (than normal Territory models), plus ABS and Grade Logic Control, which helps slow the vehicle when going down hills by automatically switching to lower gears.

It's hard to see how any other performance vehicle could compete with this - it's impressively equipped, safe, has good levels and ride and handling and has such a strong and effortlessly powerful feel when you give it a boot full, and all for under $60,000? Though I can't vouch for it's longevity, as we only get to test these things for a seven days, everything else about this car and the way it drives is hard to beat.

Engine: 3.5/5

Powerful engines will always help to sell cars, especially in Australia where the V8 rules supreme, but increasingly brute strength is not enough to make a truly exceptional engine. These days the pinnacle of engine design lies in good drivability (usable torque, which this engine has in spades), and good fuel consumption (which this engine doesn't do quite as well).

Power from the turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine is undeniable – it gives and then it gives some more and can take you to very high speeds, as you come to expect from this turbo engine, which is all but a legendary motor having served the Ford Falcon XR6T and FPV F6 exceedingly well.

The strong surge of torque that builds as soon as the car begins moving (under full throttle) is like a huge wave building in speed and size and height, and all this before 2000rpm.

And then when the engine reaches 2000rpm, that's when maximum torque arrives - all 480Nm of it - and this is what gives the vehicle such a powerful feel.

The 245kW of power is not insignificant, which hits at 5250rpm, but it's the rush of torque that is available so low that makes this engine such a special character, and it gives the Territory such a brawny feel as to make it's TV advertising campaign almost tolerable.

All turbocharged Territory's come with the recently-introduced 6-speed automatic transmission, which is also used in various BMWs, Jaguars and Audis, but is tuned for this specific application and AWD functionality.

The new 6-speed transmission certainly comes across a lot smoother and much more refined than the old 4-speed auto that is still used on some models. It's very quick to change gears when left in 'Drive' mode and the tip tronic feature is one of the best I've used. Normally I don't even bother with these 'sportshift' features, but this one is much more responsive that most systems, and this adds another sporty element to driving the Territory Turbo.

Smooth, refined, powerful and all-round impressive, the engine is thirsty, consuming 14.2L/100km on the combined cycle. But because it's got a 6-speed transmission, you can get some decent figures on the highway and if you don't rev the engine too hard. The thing weighs 2075kg, which is why it drinks more fuel than than the Falcon XR6 Turbo, and if it was a bit more frugal it would have scored much higher, because everything else about this advanced engine is virtually impossible to fault.

Exterior: 3.5/5

For mine the single bonnet scoop (that denotes the top-mounted intercooler) and 18-inch tyres don't differentiate the Turbo Territory enough from the outside to make me feel that I have an extra-special car above the standard. Maybe there were other styling queues that I missed – but I was somewhat expecting a significant difference to show off my extra $10K spend on this sporty model.

And while I think there's not enough differences (new front and rear bumper mouldings would have been nice, perhaps slightly wider wheel arches as seen on the new VE Commodore) between this new Turbo model and the less powerful Territory models, it doesn't mean that the Territory has no visual appeal. It's a smart looking vehicle, with solid proportions and a strong 'face' or front end presence.

It's neither too 'out there', yet isn't so dull that you'll look right through it. Some extra bodywork wouldn't have hurt it though. The front fog lights go part way to addressing this, and help add a touch more sportiness to the car.

Interior: 4/5

Although the interior of the Territory Turbo I drove was different to non-Turbo models, I wasn't wowed by the difference, although I have had a peek inside the Ghia Turbo and was totally impressed with the piano black centre console and sports-minded look, which makes the car come across as far more modern and sleek.

The Ghia model, while more than $10,000 on top of the standard $53,990 for the model on test, gets more airbags, a leather interior, reversing camera and proximity sensors among other things. But don't think of this model as the 'budget' Territory Turbo, because the interior is still more luxurious than the standard entry level non-turbo Territory model, the rear-wheel drive TX model.

The front seats are nicely sporty and communicate to anyone who jumps on board this car that this is no simple people mover, with strongly bolstered seats finished in a charcoal-coloured cloth material with soft suede inserts.

Fit and finish is pretty good - not quite up to German luxury standards - but very good nevertheless. All the parts of the cabin that you're going to be touching the most are of a good quality: the steering wheel feels great, and the new 6-speed shifter is compact and very luxurious. The switchgear is nice and the centre console controls (such as the radio, heating/cooling etc) are good to touch and are laid out using sound judgement - everything is where you expect it to be.

Stardard features like the dual front airbags, CD stereo, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, auto headlamps and more than 30 storage areas increase the vehicles appeal, as do cost options such as the Hill Descent Control feature and the optional seven seat layout, that adds another two seats in the cargo area. It's got a good sized boot as well, with a 1153 litre capacity (with the 5-seat layout) and Ford offers a truly massive range of accessories and extra features, from in-car fridges, to DVD/videogame systems.

Overall: 4/5

I really like the Turbo Territory – it makes the business of driving a large SUV or 'people mover' much more effortless than any other SUV I've driven and gets you out of the "who's got the biggest" syndrome as you plant your foot. I noted quite a few surprised owners of luxury European SUVs who weren't expecting to be disgraced by an Aussie car from a standing start.

But do you really think a Ferrari owner cares if you keep up with it for four seconds? I’d really like to see some greater differentiators in this car's styling and the braggadocio marketing could be tweaked to be less conceited. Maybe Ford could start with giving the car a more sophisticated marketing push to make prospective owners feels as though they are getting a great value-for-money car, while not needing to fork out twice as much to burn around in a Porsche Cayenne - because that is what this vehicle does, and it does it exceedingly well.

If you're not a performance lover, I'm not really sure the extra $10,000 for the Territory Turbo compared to the non turbo is worth it, as the standard models with 190kW of power are very capable vehicles. But that doesn't mean this performance SUV is overpriced, it's not, and against vehicles like the V8-powered versions of the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90, it's makes for a very attractive buy.