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By
EWAN KENNEDY
1 January 2007
There has been a lot of movement in the seven-seat market in the
last few months, particularly in the 4WD field. Jeep launched the
Commander, then Audi its Q7 and very recently the Mercedes-Benz with the
GL-Class has arrived on our local market. All are huge vehicles that not
only offer comfortable seating for seven, but also provide decent
luggage room at the same time.
So it made sense to look at our home grown seven-seat vehicle,
Ford's Territory to see how it performs in the extra-seat stakes.
Territory can carry seven adults in reasonable comfort, but like
most seven-seaters, whether they be 4WDs or people movers, it’s
much more comfortable if you have four adults and three children
on board.
The climb into the back seat of the Territory is fairly
difficult, certainly not one that’s going to be welcomed by
anyone on the wrong side of 60, but the little darlings will love
it back there. The further they can get from their parents the
happier they are…
Part of the problem with getting into the back seat of any of
these vehicles is, obviously, that you’re going through the door
in front of the seat, not beside it. But the biggest hassle in any
4WD based seven-seater is the high floor, something that’s
needed for good ground clearance.
So, why have not have a two-wheel-drive vehicle instead of a
4WD? Something like a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Tarago which are
lower set, easier to load and considerably lighter. The answer is
simple, the market loves 4WDs and insists that the makers supply
them. Ford has gone part of the way to solving the problem by
providing a two-wheel-drive version of the Territory.
Interestingly, this 2WD Territory has outsold the 4WD variant,
but Ford's marketing gurus are well aware it would be financial
suicide to produce a vehicle that didn’t sit high and look tough
on the road.
Territory does an excellent job of providing extra seats
without being excessively large. It’s actually shorter than a
Falcon sedan, let alone a Falcon station wagon. So despite its
apparent size Territory is relatively easy to park. Which isn’t
something that can be said about the aforementioned vehicles from
Jeep, Audi and Mercedes. Interestingly, the soon-to-arrive BMW X5
is almost identical in length to the Ford Territory.
Ford Territory has been market leader in its segment virtually
since its arrival just over two years ago, in September 2004. It’s
offered in a variety of models, all of them powered by a
six-cylinder engine, a straight-six in an era when most others
have gone in the V6 direction (the major exception being BMW which
also does its sixes in a straight line), Ford can provide the
six-cylinder engine with or without a turbocharger.
All engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission of
German origin that mates beautifully with the powerplant.
We recently spent a week with a Ford Territory and were again
reminded why so many people have fallen in love with it. The
combination of ease of driving and parking, good interior space
(it’s sold as a five-seater if you don’t need seven) with
plenty of handy stowage compartments and sensible, though far from
exciting styling, obviously appeals to a large number of buyers.
Ford Territory is priced from $39,490 for the 2WD SX, to
$65,490 which buys an AWD turbo Ghia, and is on offer in these and
several other formats at your local Ford dealer now. Sales slowed
somewhat during the high-priced fuel crisis of 2006, but appear to
be picking up again so it may pay to move quickly before the
special deals slip slide away.
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Marque Publishing Company
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