FORD TERRITORY: The perfect getaway vehicle

FOUR hundred and twenty-eight days. That is how long I’ve been locked down in my room. If I had to go outside, it was limited by an area that measured about 300 sq. meters. I’ve had many opportunities to get out of this self-imposed bubble, across the corner store, or to the bookstore.

Nowhere father than 15 kilometers, perhaps and no more than a few hours–three at the most. And only 7 times since March 15. This is the eighth.

So when I heard that my sister, youngest brother, and parents were plotting a Father’s Day weekend by the sea, I decided that a break from my desktop, away from the self-imposed, armchair-hermit state I was in, as soon as I heard I heard the word “beach.”

For Father’s Day, Ford Motors Philippines lent my dad a Territory, and he, in turn, asked his friends from Batangas for a weekend in a private beach house, along the shores of Barangay Pagkilatan in Batangas.

“Hey guys, I asked a friend for a simple beach nearby and she gave me a recommendation,” my father said as he was inspecting a tent he intended to bring. We weren’t that excited knowing that stepping outside may bring us close to infections from COVID-19. But when he said, private and no one else in the four-bedroom beach house, my siblings and I agreed.

The beach house is a truly cozy, intimately private house, about 50 meters from the beach. It faced Mindoro to the East, Verde Island on the right side, and Marikaban Island on the left. The beach was rocky but it didn’t matter, the salty air, mild breeze, cool waters made up for the lack of white sand.

Going to the beach was liberating–not the “on to the next” kind, more like a “getting out prison” liberating. And it felt that the Territory was just the perfect “getaway vehicle.”

The Ford Territory is a Chinese-American intermarriage. Daddy’s blue eyes but Mommy’s chiseled features.  I first saw it on YouTube and drove it very briefly when my mom and dad went to watch a drive-in movie.

At first glance, it was very “un-Ford” in its looks, the rounded, radiused corners and, tall beltlines that I was so used to with the Blue Oval was not there. I felt that in the looks category it fell in line with what the Chinese marques offered–a “robot-esque” and sleek exterior, defined by chiseled not sanded-down edges. It was in that mold.

Was that bad? Not at all.

A few weeks back Ford released a press release about the Ford Territory. Of course, it was full of glowing comments about the car by owners. I am not an owner, and the purpose of this test drive was to evaluate the car. I used it as a basis for this review. So here it goes. (The italicized statements are from Ford.)

1. It’s spacious and comfortable.
   “You will be impressed by the Ford Territory’s spacious interior, allowing you to travel with everything you need, whether for work or for a weekend road trip with family or friends.” 

   CONFIRMED. Inside, there is a lot of passenger space. Rear passengers get a lot of headroom, leg, and shoulder room. It is really a well-managed use of space enlarged even more by the panoramic sunroof.Going to the beach entails a lot of bags and the cargo area was tested well because of 5 passengers and 5 pieces of large cargo, boxes of food, and two 10 gallon containers of water. With the rear seats down the spec sheet says 1,000 liters of space with it up, it does about half of that–420 liters of space, which as I mentioned as fully packed because my dad decided to bring his eight-person tent.

   

2. It’s safe.
   “Safety will always be a top priority when getting an SUV for yourself or your family.” 

   CHECK. I used cruise control for the length of the 24 kilometers from Sto Tomas, Batangas exchange all the way to the Batangas tollgate, shutting it down only twice. The first at a merging lane caused by road construction and second when we helped a distraught driver fix a flat.Very likable in the Adaptive Cruise Control (as I experienced in the Raptor too) was the Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking which my dad said he tested in an afternoon drive.

   It kept its distance from the cars in front. Repeated tests of the Lane Departure Warning along the Balete-Lipa Road proved its worth in keeping the car straight and true.  I tried the Active Park Assist with parallel-parking and the segment-first perpendicular parking but couldn’t resist holding the steering wheel but the 360 Degree Around View Monitor Blind Spot Information System was truly helpful in navigating the tight roads of Batangas.

   On the way to Batangas Bay–which was just 1 hour 50 minutes from Laguna via the Star Tollway, a Kia Picanto, on the road shoulder, its front tire shredded from a blowout at the uneven portions of the carriageway. We stopped to help because the car needed two jacks to lift it as it was resting on its rims, the wheels decimated from running a few meters from blowout point to the road shoulder. Naturally, we had to empty the cargo hold to get to the tools but every compact SUV would had given the same experience.

   (Note to self: in the next road trip pack all nonessentials in the hold that keeps the spare tire and tools and always keep these readily accessible.)

   Oh, and it does not have a rear tow hook. On the way back an L300 with a busted radiator needed some help but we could not tow it to a nearby radiator shop just one-and-a half kilometers down, as there was no appendage or receptacle to connect a tow line. Instead, we dropped by the radiator place to ask for a mobile mechanic to help the discombobulated owner and his van.

   Quoting the Territory’s bible: available driver-assist technologies standard in both variants are Electronic Stability Control including ABS, EBD and Traction Control, Hill Launch Assist, six (6) airbags, rear parking sensors (front and rear parking sensors available on the Titanium+ variant), and Tire Pressure Monitoring System with individual tire pressure display. Both variants are also equipped with High Mount Stop Lamp and Child Seat ISOFIX Anchorage Points.
   

3. It’s an eyecatcher.
   “Style is an important aspect of owning an SUV. Sleek, modern, and bold are standout characteristics of the Ford Territory’s design.” 

   YES IT IS! It is distinct among Ford’s line-up in its looks and that’s fine. The quirkiness actually is part of its appeal. For example, the shape of the rear hatch is roundish like a helmet visor. The front headlights and grille run across the face, like a slit in the headgear of Boba Fett.And unfamiliar to me, yet very familiar to my dad are the set of buttons, front and center behind the gearshift lever. My dad said it’s like an old cassette player. I said it must be really old because his Denon cassette deck, which I fiddled around with as a young boy had push-button controls.

   Standard design elements include LED headlamps, LED daytime running lamps, LED tail lamps, auto on/off headlamps with follow me home feature, front and rear fog lamps, panoramic moonroof, rear spoiler, and roof rails.

   I am however so against the fake rear exhaust ports. But that’s it.

4. It’s powerful yet efficient.
   “For many SUVs, power may be a given, but not fuel efficiency.”

   

   ALMOST DID. The drive was satisfying–the Ford Territory is equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine mated to a CVT transmission with Sport mode. It outputs 141 hp@4,500 rpm with a turbocharger. That sounds fascinating.

   In the real world the turbo didn’t spin up as quickly as the word turbo brings to mind, but that is really no issue. Along the hills that define the zig-zaggy ride to Brgy. Pagkilatan, the balance of the turbocharged engine and the CVT did very well even in the most challenging uphills.

   I still had fresh in my memory a ten-kilometer drive on a Chery Tiggo 8–which though is a heavier seven-seater– sported almost the same engine specifications and suffered from a laggy transmission. The Territory felt more assured and quicker. I think the correct comparison should be with the Tiggo 7 which is its actual apples-to-apples competitor in its home market.

   There so much to say about the Territory and so little to nitpick. I just need to say two things. I measured fuel economy at 8 kilometers per liter on this combined highway and byway trip, good enough, I guess.

   My dad, however, took it to about 11 kms per liter running both sides of the STAR expressway end to end.

5. It’s smart.
   “If you’re digitally-savvy and perennially connected to the world, then the Ford Territory is your best bet for an SUV…” 

   CHECK WITH NO EXPLANATION. Let’s just say; 10-inch touchscreen with adjustable quad view, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto four USB ports, one is a real 5 amp for powering and multiple speakers and wireless charging.

My sister, normally a carsick person, was amazingly composed on the trip. It could be the sunroof which we kept open in the morning drive. Or the suspension which was firm and not bouncy. It could also be the really sedate way the car leans into corners, precise but no over-reactive. Even in sports mode, where there is normally a neck-snapping acceleration, the Territory remains smooth, the level of throttle response subtle rather than brutal. So the whole trip was not marred with sudden movements left and right.

The Ford Territory 1.5 EcoBoost Titanium+ CVT is an impressive ride given its P1.310M price tag. The list of features is long and packed, and like any Ford came with the backing of a service and parts network that was not only comprehensive but also responsive.

Father’s Day weekend ended in the afternoon of Sunday. The drive home was completely chill–no traffic, no lines at the tollgates, and no car sick passengers, all because, this was a Territory.

The Ford Territory starts at P1,179M for the Trend and P1.31M for the Titanium Plus (which we test drove). According to Ford, as an exclusive offer, customers availing of the Ford Territory Trend will get a free 5-year scheduled service plan (SSP) for a worry-free ownership experience.