Ford Territory SX Vehicle Review

Screen Shot 2016-04-20 at 3.41.21 PMThe Ford Territory single handedly proved that Australian 4WD consumers are more interested in owning and driving a pumped up four wheel drive “looking” car rather than having a car actually capable of doing 4WD work.
The Ford Territory when introduced to the market was available in both Rear Wheel Drive and Four Wheel Drive. The market mostly opted for the rear wheel option with sales of the Rear Wheel Drive almost five times greater than the 4WD option.
The Territory is basically the Ford Falcon on Steroids. With most of the same running gear including engines and transmissions, Ford took what was already a rather harsh vehicle when it came to fuel consumption, beefed it up and added several hundred kilos in weight. Then stood around wondering why the Territory is one of the harsher cars on the market when fuel consumption is in question.
Only an automatic option was ever made available, but it was the first SUV style vehicle to hit the Australian market with side curtin airbags in the luxury options.
Screen Shot 2016-04-20 at 3.42.39 PMAt the time of release the Territory was pretty impressive. It even took out the Wheels Magazine Car of the Year in the early 2000s. However, now with a few more years on them and many kilometres, some common faults are surfacing making them a vehicle that is far less desirable.
Keep your eye out for some of these common issues. Front lower ball joints, rust in the tailgate and the front brakes are far too small for the weight of the car causing them to give a sensation of a shudder through the brake pedal. This is caused by the disc rotor overheating and going out of round, a trait that plagues the Falcon and the Territory, as Ford felt it was wise to use tiny rotors for such heavy cars.
Ford territory ReviewThe Territory is a fuel guzzler with many owners complaining of high fuel consumption. Finally, the early model Territory proved to the world that plastic is not fantastic. Many interior components appear to be made by Duplo and have been known to break at the drop of a hat. Indicator stalks, window regulators, door handles and bonnet release leavers all just crumple in your hand without a moments notice.
However it does need to be said that the Territory has got 5 baby seat anchor points which is a plus for some. If your planning on breeding like rabbits the Territory is one of only a couple of cars with that many anchor points.
Overall these cars are somewhat average, they are not horrendously bad but are not the top of its game either. If your budget allows for it, we advise looking at the Toyota Kluger or the Honda CRV as better alternatives.

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