REVIEW | Ford Territory is an average family steed

As a motoring critic one strives to approach all cars with the same open-mindedness and objectivity.

We report on the good, back and downright ugly. But some products are harder to gel with others.

Some cars have a person wanting to spout vitriol from a sharpened quill. The Ford Territory is not one of those per se, as it has some good going for it – but there were moments during the test period that had me wondering if it could be recommended in good faith to anyone who asks.

My feelings were balanced after driving the car at launch earlier this year, from Gqeberha to Knysna, down the smooth and flowing N2 freeway past wonderful scenery.

Overall the view was that the Ford was good but a bit middle-of-the-road. The brand representatives themselves noted how varied the field of competition is – with over 30 products on the radar in the size and price arena that the Territory plays.

Of course, the room full of motoring journalists did not miss an opportunity to pose tough questions. That included asking about how Ford has dealt with the legacy of the last C-segment product it fielded, the Kuga.

During my week with the Territory in Titanium guise (the most expensive one); there were a few issues that crept up.

My first one was with the infotainment system, which kept wanting to engage Android Auto wirelessly via my smartphone – even though I hit “cancel” when prompted. I would click the “forget connection” option on my device, even turn the “auto reconnect” off and yet, every single time I got into the Ford, it wanted to take over. It was like the system was possessed.

Then there were the niggles of basic infotainment operation. The fact that you lose interface in moments when the camera system is doing its thing, for instance. Ford’s own systems are generally brilliant – but you'll note that the setup here is not labelled as part of the familiar SYNC family. Remember that the Territory was conceived in partnership with Chinese firm Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC).

At crawling traffic speeds, the transmission of my car exhibited a noticeable clunk. With around 10,000km on the odometer it had obviously seen its fair share of use. The piano black inlays looked as if a stray cat had been in the mix at some point.

And there seemed to be a strange acoustic interference which I attributed to the lane-keep assistance function: there was no chime, but you could tell something was happening, because the radio volume kept dipping.

With those frustrations out the way, let me move on to some of the nicer aspects of Ford’s family-sized offering.

It looks attractive, in a vanilla-flavoured kind of way. Clean, uncluttered lines and a confident posture lend the Ford a classy air.

The Territory is a sizable offering, with a length of 4,630mm; height of 1,706mm and width of 1,935mm. Boot space is fine, at 448l with the rear seats up and 1,422l with them folded.

While some aspects of the cabin (those piano black bits) leave much to be desired, the finishes on the door panels and fascia exude a sense of quality.

You can tell they did not skimp on the insulation materials either because the Territory is nicely hushed when cruising at freeway speeds and is a pleasant way to cover mileage.

Ground clearance of 190mm ought to be sufficient for most light gravel exploits.

Power comes from a 1.8-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged-petrol unit which is linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The transmission shifts smoothly for the most part, save for those clunky traffic sensations noted earlier.

Producing 138kW and 318Nm, the engine can make a bit of a din when you kick-down for an overtake or when keeping the tachometer needle up while tackling uphill, suburban routes.

The long-term fuel average fuel consumption of our tester was 10.7l/100km. Driving the Terrritory on the open road at launch, we achieved figures around the 8l/100km region.

Ford engineers said specific developments for our market included focus on towing capabilities, with a braked capacity of 1,310kg.

Pricing kicks off at R576,000 for the Ambiente, the middle-range Trend costs R632,600 and the Titanium we had is priced at R707,000.

The standard warranty is a four-year/120,000km offering, while service and maintenance plans cost extra.

At the launch, Ford executives said that the model offers a value proposition on par with certain Chinese options – but with the added confidence of the Ford brand, its long-standing presence on the market and established dealership network.

Whether buyers see it that way is another story, because for the same money, you can have some truly impressive picks from the far east.

Products like the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro come to mind, which also has the benefit of three-row seating, similarly priced to the Territory and with a more upmarket constitution.

But even if you are not yet sold on the imports from China, you cannot overlook those proven C-segment favourites. Think of those Japanese contenders, the Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4 – as well as the sharp Korean cousins, Hyundai’s Tucson and the Kia Sportage. Volkswagen's all-new Tiguan is also quite a strong contender.

In the Ford ecosystem, it is positive that they finally have a product to offer their customers seeking a medium-sized SUV, who were not catered for since Kuga’s departure.

But if you are not loyal to the blue oval badge, there are other, more compelling options that stand out in the category.