Territory v Adventra v Kluger

They are the new station wagons – mid-sized soft-roaders with city manners and Aussie buyers can't get enough of them.

CarsGuide took three of the best away for a shakedown and put them through their paces on Sydney city roads, on highways, back roads and on the dirt.

For the first time Ford's brand-new Territory was tested head-to-head with its only Aussie-made rival, Holden's Adventra, and the one-most-likely to wear an Aussie-made sticker before too long, Toyota's Kluger.

With a huge disparity between aspects of the cars – the Adventra LX8 is V8 only, Territory Ghia sports a 4.0-litre straight six, while Kluger's CVX powerplant is a high-tech 3.3-litre V6 – raw figures were never going to provide a level playing field.

Instead, we have attempted to rate the performance of the three models on real-world standards; their strengths and weaknesses in areas where a buyer would most likely be interested.

Each of the testers was asked to rate various aspects of the vehicles out of a possible five points. Each vehicle was left with a score out of a possible 330.

The dynamics of the vehicles – driveability in various conditions, ride, manoeuvreability, NVH – were scored out of a possible 105 points; the interior aspects – design, functionality, quality of materials, comfort, fit and finish – were worth 75 points; safety earned a possible 60 points; with drivetrain, wheels and tyre choices and exterior presence and design making up the balance.

DYNAMICS

Territory 88 | Kluger 85 | Adventra 79

Territory scored high marks for its city behaviour and manoeuvreability with sedan-like handling and turning circle. It also rated well on open roads but lost some ground with NVH, mainly through tyre roar.

Kluger set benchmark NVH levels and also scored well for life around town with light steering and a comfortable and compliant ride without giving up on handling.

For Adventra there were some big mark-downs with heavy steering and poor manoeuvreability in the city but the car came into its own on the open road and particularly on unmade and broken surfaces. The Adventra is very much a country lad.

INTERIOR

Territory 62 | Adventra 60 | Kluger 59

Territory touched out the opposition here through consistency rather than any special feature – although the 32 storage nooks and crannies were hard to beat. Lots of clever ideas, mid-range quality not likely to offend.

Holden's feel-at-home interior scored strongly for the Adventra as did the comfort of the big seats. Most controls were well placed and the general layout of the interior was good. Could lose the dash-mounted tilt gauges.

The Kluger interior is very Toyota – inoffensive and generally well laid out. Some centre console controls are a little difficult to reach. Overall it is something you could live with and there are a few nice touches spread through the cabin.

SAFETY

Territory 56 | Adventra 53 | Kluger 53

The inclusion of curtain airbags, a full-functioning dynamic stability control and an adjustable pedal box gave Territory the leg up.

Adventra and Kluger both rated well for general passive safety but Kluger lost a little ground with a less-than-convincing brake-pedal feel. The optional safety pack for Kluger – curtain airbags and stability control – was included to bring the mid-spec CVX up to par with the other pair.

Overall an impressive performance.

DRIVETRAIN

Territory 36 | Kluger 36 | Adventra 36

The three contenders scored well here but in some markedly different areas.

Adventra's power and torque gave the Holden major credit points but it lost more than a few of them when the fuel figures, a tad over 20.0l/100km average, came in.

Territory also scored well for the flexibility of its straight six while its 16.6l/100km average was better than Adventra but not brilliant.

Kluger kicked a goal at the petrol bowser with a 13.4l/100km average. The V6 is a very nice unit and coupled to the five-speed automatic it provides a very useable drive.

WHEELS/TYRES

Territory 29 | Adventra 29 | Kluger 29

All three should be commended for including a full-size spare on an alloy rim. Tyre choices were middle-of-the-road with tread patterns leaning towards a life in the city but with enough versatility to make soft-roading a viable option. Kluger's drop-down storage of the spare wheel made getting to it a little easier when the boot was loaded.

EXTERIOR

Territory 13 | Adventra 13 | Kluger 12

The Kluger suffers from being the oldest of the three, having been launched overseas in 2001.

Adventra's familiar Commodore wagon lines cannot be hidden under the extra plastic bits and raised ride-height.

Territory's edge is that the look, while generically a 4WD, is all new and works. On the road the car is eye-catching with a rear three-quarter profile to envy.

Both Territory and Adventra won praise for the lift-up rear glass giving the option of dropping shopping or small items into the rear without having to open the tailgate fully.

THE VERDICTS

Ford Territory

Price:
TX RWD $38,990
TX AWD $42,990
TS RWD $44,790
TS AWD $48,790
Ghia RWD $49,290
Ghia AWD (model tested) $53,290

Engine: 4.0-litre in-line six
Power: 182 kW@5000 rpm
Torque: 380 Nm@3250 rpm
Fuel consumption on test: 16.6 litres/100 km
Transmission: Four speed automatic
Ground clearance: 178mm
Dimensions: Length: 4856mm; Height: 1676mm; Width: 1898mm
Wheelbase: 2842mm

CARSguide team verdicts
Kevin Hepworth: Go straight to the top of the class. Versatile, stylish and displays the benefits of taking longer and getting it right.

David Fitzsimons: Tough, solid vehicle that looks like a small 4WD. Performs well on the highway and on the dirt. Bold BA Falcon interior.

Jaedene Hudson: Very tough off-roader, handles like a more sophisticated 4WD on the rougher terrain. More pockets and storage compartments than you'll probably ever use.

TOTAL TEST POINTS: 284 (1st)

Toyota Kluger

Price:
CV $45,990
CVX $48,990 (model tested)
Grande $58,990

Engine: 3.3 litre V6
Power: 172kW@5600rpm
Torque: 328Nm@3600rpm
Fuel consumption on test: 13.4 litres/100km
Transmission: 5 speed auto
Ground clearance: 184mm (Grande 187mm)
Dimensions: Length: 4690mm; Width: 1825mm; Height: 1735mm (CV 1680mm)
Wheelbase: 2715mm

CARSguide team verdicts

Kevin Hepworth: Nice lightweight performer showing a little ageing around the edges. Hits the mark in the normal day-to-day driving that will dominate this style of car's use.

David Fitzsimons: Lighter ride, softer, smaller and much quieter inside than its competitors. Nonetheless it handles all conditions well. Interior dashboard arrangement is looking a bit tired.

Jaedene Hudson: The quietest of the bunch. Nice light ride and steering but still handles the terrain without any fuss.

TOTAL TEST POINTS: 274 (2nd)

Holden Adventra

Price:
CX8 $52,990
LX8 $60,990 (model tested)

Engine: 5.7 litre V8
Power: 235 kW@5200rpm
Torque: 460Nm@4000rpm
Fuel consumption on test: 20.0 litres/100km
Transmission: 4 speed auto
Ground clearance: 200mm
Dimensions: Length: 5036mm, Width: 1934mm, Height: 1654mm
Wheelbase: 2948mm

CarsGuide team verdicts

Kevin Hepworth: Launched in a flurry with tough, Outback images to the fore. Has some issues with city living but out in the big country it is hard to fault - pity that is not where the majority of these cars will operate.

David Fitzsimons: Looks like a beefed-up Commodore wagon, has a great V8 sound and loves the open road and long dirt stretches. However the level of road noise is annoying and it is thirsty on fuel.

Jaedene Hudson: Dirt roads are what the Adventra was made for and it shows. Nice comfortable ride. Noise interruption on the open road is intrusive. Overly heavy around town and to manoeuvre.

TOTAL TEST POINTS: 270 (3rd)

Which car would you buy? Let us know in the comments below.