Ford Territory review: Capable crossover for those who play by the rules

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.

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.