Once upon a time, sedans and hatchbacks were Ford’s bread and butter. That’s no longer what most buyers want, though — especially in our region. So the Blue Oval brand has morphed into a purveyor of primarily SUVs and pickups; the Taurus and Mustang are the only exceptions in its UAE line-up.
Ford’s SUV range has been further fortified in recent months by the addition of the all-new Territory, which is not to be confused with the model of the same name built and sold by Ford Australia from 2004 to 2016. The newcomer shares nothing with its defunct Antipodean namesake as it’s manufactured in China and underpinned by a front-wheel-drive platform, unlike the rear-drive-based Aussie.
The new Territory fills the void left by the discontinued Escape, and its mid-sized dimensions and pricing (which starts at Dh111k) puts it up against the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail and an ever-increasing number of Chinese SUVs.
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In case you have any preconceived negative notions about Chinese-built cars, you can lay them to rest as the Territory is impressively well screwed together, and it’s hard to fault its fit and finish. What’s more, Ford Middle East put the vehicle through exhaustive heat and durability tests locally before bringing it to our market.
Ford ME says the Territory prototypes coped well with harsh climate conditions, but upgrades were made to the air-conditioning system, as well as the power train to ensure it could maintain a high-speed cruise in scorching temperatures without any issues. The infotainment system was also revised to cater to local customers.
Visually, the Territory is as generic as it gets. If you removed the Ford badges, it could be an offering from virtually any manufacturer. The National’s test car looked particularly anonymous in its fridge-white paintwork. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though, as many buyers prefer to fit in with the norm.
The Territory’s propulsion is provided by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo EcoBoost motor that’s hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Although it might seem a small engine for a vehicle of this size, the 190hp/320Nm power plant serves up decent acceleration, and it’s well complemented by the smooth-shifting dual-clutch auto.
More impressive still is how well the Ford’s suspension has been calibrated. Contrary to expectations of slightly soggy dynamics, the Territory has crisp steering and it stays commendably flat even when flung through corners at much higher velocities than most owners are ever likely to replicate.
The Territory’s dynamic competence doesn’t come at the cost of ride or refinement levels, as it cruises in relative silence while its all-independent suspension (comprising MacPherson struts up front and a multilink set-up at the rear) soaks up most road-surface imperfections.
The Territory is offered in a choice of three trim levels — Ambiente, Trend and Titanium — and we sampled the mid-spec version, which gets 18-inch alloys, partial leather trim, front and side airbags, virtual instrument gauges, a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen, six-speaker stereo, rear parking sensors, rear-view camera, LED headlights and taillights, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist.
The cabin has a welcoming ambience as the cockpit is attractively laid out and there are soft-touch materials wherever the gaze falls. Even the shiny plastic surfaces on the centre console look OK.
The driver’s seat has adequate adjustment and rear-seat dwellers have loads of space to sprawl out in. Even taller occupants are likely to find knee and headroom to their liking. Luggage space measures a respectable 448 litres (enough for two large suitcases), although it can be extended substantially by folding down the rear seats.
As is the norm with most vehicles in this category, the Territory isn’t really designed to go off-road. Although it has reasonable ground clearance (190mm), there’s no all-wheel-drive version — the Territory is offered solely in front-drive configuration — so the Ford is conceived more for the school run and inner-city schlepping.
All in all, there’s not much to dislike about the Territory. It’s a capable, well-built crossover that ticks most boxes for what buyers in this segment want. Yes, the looks are a bit ho-hum, but that could be alleviated to some degree by choosing a colour other than white. The other bugbear is the Territory’s Dh111,195 entry price, which seems a bit steep when all its competitors start below Dh100k.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SCHEDULE
Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice
Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying
Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
Results
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The five pillars of Islam
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Naga
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Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Rating: 1/5
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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