Something happened to the Ford Territory, and it wasn’t just another facelift. With the first generation, we got affordable, well-equipped, and a respectable enough drive. With the success of the nameplate in the country now, the model has exceeded expectations and has gone on to be one of the Blue Oval’s best-sellers.
Coming up with a sequel, Ford delivered the Next-Generation Territory, and it looked good when it was first launched. However, as a follow-up to the popular crossover, we came into this review with a few expectations, and we expected more thanks to the fact that Ford has priced up the Territory going from the previous iteration to the current iteration. We wanted to review the top-of-the-line Territory, the Titanium X, but at the time of our outing with it, Ford was able to give us the base Titanium. Bearing the “Titanium” name, however, it was still far from basic, and more than enough. Let’s explain.
Expectations go with the price
As mentioned, the higher price of the Territory begs the question of if it is any better. At the time of making this review, the base trim costs P1,335,000, which is P264,000 away from the Titanium X. Being that far apart in terms of price, and with only two variants in the lineup, we sort of expected this base trim to be a lot more basic, but it wasn’t. Pleasantly surprised, and as far as our first impressions of it went, we thought that maybe this would be the better deal. Ignoring the differences between the standard and the X.
Pinned as the volume mover for Ford, this base Titanium sits in the same price bracket as the previous generation’s top-of-the-line. In actuality, the last-gen Titanium trim sold a lot and the Trends needed a push. For this generation, the Titanium (not the X) will be the one to push the numbers sitting at about the same price that the last generation’s top-spec variant sat. It looks like Ford upped the price a bit here, but the question of whether it was worth jumping an entire bracket will be answered in the verdict later on.
So much better on the outside
The exterior of the Territory got a huge refresh. The LED headlights are so much nicer in design compared to before, and it now looks like a Ford. Akin to the other Ford crossovers in Western markets, the new Territory doesn’t look so out of place anymore. Ford amended its design direction with the Territory, making the design a lot cleaner and a whole bunch nicer, at least with regard to cohesion.
On its own, we’re getting what we usually do with the Territory. If anything, this model looks very similar to the top-spec trim save for the wheels. Monotone aluminum alloy wheels are on the Titanium and they’re 18 inches in size. The Titanium X comes with 19-inch alloys, which are just bigger with no fancy finishes on top, so you might not even notice this change from this variant to the next. This generation grew a bit in terms of its body and wheelbase so you’re getting a bigger car which is a trait shared between the X and this one. The dimensions of this crossover sit at 4,630mm long, 1,935mm wide, and 1,706mm tall, which makes it a hair bigger than the previous generation on all fronts. The ground clearance is 190mm, which is about what you’d expect (if not a little more) than other crossovers in the market.
Apart from that, there are some lights that Ford decided not to include plus a few small trim pieces. The puddle lights are noticeably missing on the Titanium, but that’s minor. Everything else on the exterior is pretty much the same and we didn’t find ourselves cursing Ford for leaving out a few features. In fact, if you didn’t know what you were looking at, you might be hard-pressed to tell the difference between this and the Titanium X.
Bigger exterior, bigger interior
Considering the practicality of the rear first, we were able to fit a good number of balikbayan boxes at the back. The cargo area on paper measures 448 liters with the second row up which is enough for one balikbayan box and smaller bits of cargo like a backpack. However, the space expands if you ditch the rear seats and the number grows to 1,422 liters, allowing you to fit two more balikbayan boxes comfortably and then some.
Space is also expanded at the rear seats, again, thanks to Ford bumping up the Territory’s dimensions. The effect is that you get a ton more headroom and legroom which was more than enough for Caco, and comfortable for Jack plus his bags. It’s also good that we get rear air vents and also a single USB-A charging point. While you may fight the other passenger for a charge, you get one and that’s pretty good on its own. On the more mundane fronts, and with Ford being an American company, the bottle holders and the cup holders are rather spacious, being able to fit a standard insulated bottle, but not big enough for anything bigger. While Caco was happy to be able to bring water on his trip, Jack was a little miffed that he had to set his bottle down away from the clutches of a secure cup holder.
However, what managed to grab our attention was a bit ironic because the Titanium comes with a dark blue interior. Eye-catching it was, but not as much as the all-white of the Titanium X. The blue is a nice surprise for this base trim and it is also clad in leather which makes it all the more interesting to look at. The seats are formed well and the leather isn’t too stiff. The wood trim was a hit with only some members of the team, but when not picked apart from the rest of the interior, it was a nice and warm contrast to the cool of the blue leather.
One thing that we cannot get enough of, however, is the dashboard. It looks great, we’re not going to lie. Ford did a remarkable job of improving the look of the dash. We like how there is a ton of storage space, still, and we like how the interior is very simple yet elegant at the same time. The gauge cluster and the infotainment share a single pane of glass which makes it look so clean and so much better compared to the units that Ford had on the previous generation. In addition, the model also comes with a new set of controls for the driver. The rotary dial is novel and new for the Territory, and the steering wheel is in a more dynamic flat-bottom shape compared to before. What we do like is the dial, but we did wish that it had a stopper. You also get a volume control knob near the gear selector which is good so you don’t have to worry about digging into the infotainment, but the panel that these dials are on is covered in glossy plastics which did attract a lot of fingerprints.
Overall, fantastic minus a few nitpicks here and there. It’s a remarkable upgrade from the last generation and it's probably one of the strongest reasons to get the next-gen Territory aside from its looks.
All The Important Features
On the feature front, most of what made the Ford Territory such a great value for its buyers back then is still here. You get digital screens, enough plugs, and sockets for your devices to pair and charge, plus convenience features that might make you wonder why the heck this is a base model.
With a seven-inch gauge cluster and 12-inch infotainment screen, you might get wowed for your first few drives out with this car. The resolution of these displays is quite good, and the refresh rate is great, it comes loaded with all the information you need and then some. On top of that, Wireless Android Auto and Wireless Apple CarPlay look phenomenal on the infotainment screen which only adds to the Territory’s value proposition as a daily driver. You get automatic climate control here, but the air controls are touch-sensitive which may be finicky for some people. On our end, the piano black on the air controls was a little annoying to look at after a few smudges and fingerprints stuck so there’s that. However, one thing that we thought we got cut from the spec list is the 360-degree camera, and this Territory still has it which is great. If the 360 camera was the feature that you once paid more for, this time around it’s not the case and you can drive off with this base model being able to see everything around you.
Onto what’s missing, you don’t get adaptive cruise control, just the standard stuff which is fine for most people, but if you are as spec hungry as some consumers out there, then that might be a dealbreaker for the Titanium and a deal maker for the Titanium X. Onto other niggles, we found that the drive modes were too buried in the infotainment system. We sorta wished that Ford would have put a dial or a button so we could select what mode we wanted to be on on the fly instead of having to dig through the infotainment system.
Otherwise, we’re not feeling like there is a lot missing here. What percentage of your drive will be with adaptive or even just cruise control? How often will you find yourself using the 360-degree camera? It’s a bit of a numbers game that Ford ran with the features here wherein the most used stuff were the ones that they stuck with for this iteration of the Territory. You don’t get a panoramic sunroof, you don’t get ventilated and heated seats, you don’t get a larger infotainment system, and you don’t get more driver tech, but we don’t find ourselves with a model that has everything that you really need already, for a lot less. “Do you need more,” is the question.
A Standard Drive
Performance
When it came down to driving the Next-Gen Territory, we had to compare it to our experience with the old one, and our review said that it wasn’t too bad, nor was it epically good. We still feel the same way about this one, but we cannot deny that there have been some improvements in this generation.
We now get more power at 158 hp and also more torque at 248 Nm of torque compared to the last generation’s around 140 horsepower mark. It’s a good improvement, and the Territory feels more willing to get up to speed. Torque is also quite good out of the 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbo engine on this crossover, however, we did find that the seven-speed was a bit lacking in terms of its response. Now, while the Territory is up there in power and torque in relation to the rest of the competition, the transmission feels a little muddy and sluggish. Stop-and-go traffic felt like more of a hassle, but the returns happened on the highway when the transmission was engaged as the drone was a lot less compared to the CVT in the previous generation. We ended up putting it in eco mode to help smoothen things out in traffic since the dual-clutch unit in this model was a little overzealous when it came to engaging the engine.
As far as handling the Territory went, Ford still likes their light steering. The Territory is no exception to this in which we were able to effortlessly turn lock to lock. On the highway and in a more dynamic driving situation, the response was good enough, though not great. This leads us to conclude that this car is geared a lot more towards the everyday driver who wants comfort above feel and performance. This is also true on the suspension front where things were plenty comfortable and with this car having fully independent shocks all around, even on roads like EDSA or C5, the quality of the ride was more than just acceptable.
Fuel Economy
As for fuel economy, the Territory didn’t fare too well in this regard. It’s not like the old model had a lot going for it, though. During our review, we were able to achieve eight to 8.5 km/L. We didn’t mention it in the video, but we were able to achieve about 14.5 km/L with the Territory later on. We expected a bit more but given that Ford has added a couple of kilos to the automobile, it’s just about expected.
Verdict
As far as being a volume-seller, the Territory seems like a great deal. Considering that you can get used to the drive as we mentioned in the video. However, we didn’t feel like we were missing out on a lot. Now, what we see here is Ford providing the best it could at a given price point with a new design and face to boot. The model does well to give off the appearance of a more expensive variant on top of being equipped enough.
If we were to buy a Ford Territory, however, this might be it. The Titanium model has enough and will be good enough for most people. You might not have all the bells and whistles that the Titanium X has, but you will have more than enough to get you going all day and every day. Add to that the good looks, and the fact that it is the most affordable way to get into a Ford Territory, and you have yourself a potential best-seller. Will it outsell the Titanium X this time? It might just do so this time around.
Specifications
Engine
1.5 LFuel Type
GasolinePerformance
158 hp @ 5,400 rpmTransmission
Automatic-
Summary
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Name Ford Territory 1.5 Titanium Body Type Crossover Price ₱1,335,000 Transmission Category Automatic -
Engine
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Engine Size 1.5 L Displacement 1,500 cc Number of Cylinders 4 Number of Valves 16 Transmission Type 7-speed Automatic Transmission with Rotary E-Shifter -
Performance
-
Drivetrain Front-wheel Drive Max Output (HP) 158 hp @ 5,400 rpm Max Torque (nm) 248 Nm @ 1,300 rpm *Acceleration Rate (0-100 km/h) n/a Top Speed n/a *estimated -
Economy & Environment
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Fuel Type Gasoline CO2 Emission n/a Fuel Capacity 60 L *Fuel Consumption 8.7 L/100 km *Range 690 km *estimated -
Dimensions
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Length 4,630 mm Width 1,935 mm Height 1,706 mm Wheelbase 2,726 mm Turning Circle n/a Ground Clearance 190 mm Wading Depth n/a Trunk Capacity 448 L Max Cargo n/a Number of Doors 5 Number of Seats 5 -
Safety & Security
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Driver's Airbag Front Passenger's Airbag Side Airbags Curtain Airbags Knee Airbag Auto Brake System Electronic Brake Distribution Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) w/ Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
Immobilizer Security Alarm Stability Control Electronic Door Locks Speed Sensing Door Locks ISOFIX Lane Departure Warning System Blind-Spot Detection System -
Features
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Cruise Control Front Parking Sensors Rear Parking Sensors Leather Upholstery Push Start Button Wheel Size 18 in Wheels Metal Type Alloy Airconditioning System Dual-Zone Electronic Air Temperature Control Entertainment System 12” Colored Touchscreen with 6 speakers Connectivity AM/FM, Bluetooth,USB, AUX, Voice Recognition, AppleCarPlay, and Android Auto Navigation Ready Warranty 5 Years (150,000 km) Keyless Entry Roof Rack Sunroof Electric Adjustable Seats Power Steering Power Windows Power Outlet Steering Wheel Audio Control -
Technology
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Active Park Assist Hill Start Assist AWD Modes n/a Tire Pressure Monitoring Heads-up Display Power Liftgate Start-stop System
Colors
Recently Added Promos
Ford AutoHub Manila
Ford Manila Bay
Ford
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