Living with the Ford Territory: A month in, here’s what stands out

Motoring journalists are accustomed to receiving test vehicles from car manufacturers for a period of seven days, and occasionally a long-termer (a car under review longer than the seven-day period).

The long-termers can be with a journalist from anywhere for a month, three months, or six months. This allows a journalist to drive the car for more kilometres and get a better feel of a vehicle.

In this period, more problems are also more likely to pop up that wouldn't over a shorter period. For example, an infotainment screen might start glitching and become less responsive as time goes on.

My aim with this long-termer is to help bring the quirks, positives and negatives to light, and by light, I mean you, the reader. Let's move on. Ford has kindly allowed me to take on the Territory for half a year, as previously mentioned.

The choice of vehicle for me is sublime as I'm a family man with three small kids and a wife that I drive to and fro whenever needed. The thought of cramming them into a cabriolet or a two-door coupe for such a long period on a daily basis is haunting (it would be a challenge worth taking on, though). So I'm blessed in this regard, and what makes it even better is that Territory does not lack interior space.

This, at the moment, is one of the pleasing features I'm finding with the Territory thus far, as it suits one of my needs as a car buyer. While there are other cars that have bigger cabins and more seats, it's all about pricing and competition in the segment, but I'll touch more on this later in my reviews (I'll be writing five more reviews on the Territory).

But what is a Ford Territory?

The new Ford Territory was launched in South Africa last year, and I think it launched at a great time for Ford South Africa.

The name of the game in the auto industry at the moment is value for money, and prior to the Territory's introduction last year, the half-a-million rand Puma was the brand's cheapest offering.

Therefore, the Territory's position by Ford locally is a great move to help negate the change in purchasing behaviour as a result of price-conscious consumers. An interesting fact is that it is built by Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC) in China.

The Territory is offered in three flavours: Ambiente, Trend, and Titanium. On test, I have the Titanium model in white.

This Territory can be seen as a replacement for the infamous Kuga. Therefore, its size puts it up against some tough competition in its segment, both from Chinese SUVs that are taking over and from other players such as the Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Toyota Rav 4.

Driving it

I've driven the Territory Titanium previously for a week. My impressions at the time were that it didn't handle the best on wet roads and that it lacked sturdiness, but I noted that it is a front-wheel-drive car.

My sentiments are similar now after spending a bit more time with it, but it does its job sufficiently for a comfortable drive. I do a school run every morning and afternoon, and the Territory is handling the lower-gear driving environment as superbly as the last time I tested it.

It does, however, have a heft to it, which is more noticeable on an incline when its 1.8l petrol engine and seven-speed DCT work in tandem against the force of gravity.

The Territory offers four selectable drive modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, and Mountain. I've found comfort in Normal mode, and I'm saving the rest of my testing period for the other modes, particularly Eco mode, as I'd like to see just how frugal the Terriroy can really be with me on my daily routes over a long period.

So far, the Territory sips between 9l and 10l, which is a bit higher than when I tested it before. Admittedly, I haven't been conscious of my driving behaviour this time (as most people would with their daily driver).

The Territory is packed with more features that I'll be focusing on in my next reviews. For now, I'd like to report that the Ford Territory is an excellent vehicle for a family because of its abundant space, but that the power and handling in certain environments could slightly improve.

Also, nothing has gone wrong with the car during my first month with it. Overall, I'm happy with the Territory's performance so far.

Stay tuned to find out more about my time with the Ford Territory...