Ford explores new territory

Eventually, every serious Australian carmaker will be running a vehicle like the Territory down their assembly lines, all aiming to use a "blue sky scenario" to fill a growing gap between traditional big-six family cars and the motoring needs and dreams of the 21st century.

Holden has already had a dabble with the Adventra, and Toyota is working on a Camry-based all-paw family wagon, but Ford is there first.

It spent $500 million and four years to hit its target, after winning approval for the program direct from blue-oval headquarters in Detroit, with a vehicle that's built side-by-side with the Falcon at Broadmeadows.

It has done an impressive job of pumping and fluffing the BA Falcon into a flexible family machine that looks like a four-wheel-drive, drives like a car, can carry seven people and still costs less than $40,000.

If you want all-wheel-drive it is available for $4000, but Ford has also built the Territory with a traditional rear-drive package, which it says will be the first choice with about 40 per cent of customers.

The importance of the Territory is obvious, even if its father – former president Geoff Polites – was promoted to Europe weeks before its unveiling.

"It is critically important to us," says Polites' replacement, Tom Gorman.

"We want to get two home runs in a row. It shows our ability to do something beyond a large family car."

The Territory is shorter, taller and wider than a Falcon but still has obvious ties to the family Ford.

It has the same six-cylinder engine and (outdated) automatic gearbox, the same dash and the same basic mechanical package, though Ford has developed an all-new "virtual-pivot control link" front suspension system and the all-wheel drive package, which uses intelligent control of the anti-skid brake sensors to force drive to the wheels with the most grip.

But everyone sits higher by more than 150mm, the tail end is much more flexible and the list of gifts in the Territory includes twin airbags with an optional side-curtain system, aircon, CD sound, electric windows and power seats with power-adjustable pedals.

There are more than 30 storage compartments and the seven-seat cabin, complete with a fold-flat rear bench, costs $1500 with fabric trim and $1700 in leather.

There is a massive list of options that includes everything from a $175 fridge and a $100 waterproof seat cover to a $3285 DVD entertainment system.

What the choices mean is that it's easy to build a Territory Ghia all-wheel-drive with a price tag of more than $50,000, even if the TX starter price is $38,990.

There are also plans, not yet confirmed by Ford, for a sporty Territory with a turbocharged six-cylinder engine from Ford Performance Vehicles. It should be out before the end of the year.

There are no plans for a manual version.

"The punters told us they don't want a manual. It's not even on their radar," product development vice president Trevor Worthington says.

The on-sale date for the Territory is June 1, though the advertising buildup will begin soon and vehicles will be available at dealerships for test drives from mid-May.

Ford has set its sales target at 2000 vehicles a month but admits it can, and will, build more than 2400 Territorys if the vehicle goes as well as it hopes.

And it is easy to get enthusiastic about the Territory, even with all the build-up hype and the competition it will face from the Adventra, the Toyota Kluger and all the other potential rivals.

It is easy to argue that the Territory is the most-significant Australian-developed car since the original Holden 48-215, if only because it is the first genuine local response to the influx of imported four-wheel-drives.

It also offers the benefits of all-wheel-drive, with only rear-drive if you want, and it can be an affordable people mover without the stigma of driving a bus.

The Territory is heavy, it is thirstier than an equivalent Falcon, and the automatic gearbox needs to be replaced, but there is plenty to like.

On the Road

We expected the Territory to be good. We didn't expect it to be as good as it is.

It tackled a huge range of roads and tracks in New Zealand, and did it with the comfort of a passenger car. A little nicer than a BA Falcon, to be honest.

There was little to pick between the two and four-wheel-drive versions, and we would advise most people to pass on the all-wheel-drive pack unless they intend to get serious in sand or dirt.

The Territorys we drove had the sort of minor glitches and squeaks you expect from pre-production vehicles, and we're reserving final judgment until we get a production car on home ground.

But the only real shortcoming was the four-speed automatic gearbox.

It is nicer than the auto in the rival Adventra, but still off the pace for this sort of vehicle and a new contender.

One big advantage over the all-paw Holden is the Ford's driveline refinement, which comes thanks to dynamic balancing of the driveline.

It also has the sort of cabin flexibility you usually expect from a people mover.

What's to like about the Territory? Almost everything, from a tight turning circle to suspension that makes driving enjoyable on twisty roads but also defeats all sorts of bumps without rattling your teeth.

The Territory, like all the best big vehicles, shrinks around you after a few kilometres and leaves you to get on with enjoying the ride and the view.

We'd have preferred to turn the benchmark new Ford into the Outback, but the run on the South Island gave us everything from a suburban shopping centre to country runs and testing tracks over rocks, stones and grass.

The Territory was stopped only once, when an all-wheel-drive model needed a longer run-up on a grassy hill.

There will be a fuel penalty to Territory ownership – about 2 litres/100km, taking consumption to a claimed 13.5 litres/100km from 11.5 for a Falcon – but the increased flexibility will be compensation enough for most people.

It's easy to gush after a few days, particularly with beautiful scenery on near-deserted roads.

But the Territory deserves a gush and will be a hit. No question.