TerritoryFord Australia Upcoming CrossOver vehicle discussion forum
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woohoooo, I finally experienced the AWD GHIA tonight.
Let me make it simple from the start, this car is sensational.. it's that easy.
I'll start off with the good things, and end it with just a couple of niggley issues i think need addressing.
We drove from South Yarra to Sandringham Yaht Club! Started off driving down Chapel St, obvioulsy not the place to test handling or performance as you can't get more than a 10 meter run before needing to stop for traffic, or a set of lights, but we found it was a great opportunity to test the Premium Sound System....fit into the crowd no problems too. The sound quality is OK, with a decent amount of bass from the Subby ( i wonder where they've hidden it)..
Once we were onto the open road, i was able to make a judgement about the way this thing goes, stops and handles.
Once she is pushed hard past the initial take off, it gets up and goes with no problem, remember the GHIA is hitting 2 tonnes, so i felt performance was more than acceptable for what it is. The stopping power impressed me too, now i don't know if the braking system has been changed, but the brakes had a nice firm, progressive feel, and no sign of "shudder".. the car had almost 11,000K's of hard km's, so it would've been apparent if it was still a problem you'd think. Seating position gave a very commanding view, that feeling of safety that many mothers look for in their 4x4... /sarcasm.. Handling was very impressive also, body roll was minimal even at decent speeds, and grip, well there's no losing this thing.
Overall, the dynamics of the AWD Ghia are fantastic!
The market research team have done a great job in identifying and implementing the small things that really will impress the customer i think. I mean the head clearance, it's absolutely HUGE, even for the talls, all the innovative compartments, and the rear tail gate mechanism is excellent. There are 2 buttons on the underside of the tail gate plate, one on either side, to release either the glass alone, or the entire rear gate. What i noticed was that it needed minimal effort to lift, the gas shockers did all the hard work and lifted the gate on it's own. The other great thing about the gate is that it extends up high enough to give excellent clearance, no need to worry about smashing your head... something that is a problem on the X5 and ML.
I also found that refinement was noticabley better than Barra's i've driven, the auto's (4 speed) shift was extremely fast and smooth, and the engine even felt smoother, with less driveline noise. A very quiet cabin.
I thought the suspension felt firm, yet plush, if that makes sense. Not much to comment really here. I did notice the steering is quite light and there was no rack noise that i've noticed on falcons, so hopefully the bugs are being ironed out, and we'll see these changes on falcons, if not already?
OK, some things i noticed (only a couple) that Ford might want to consider, the rear seat headrests, when in the down position, they actually dig into your back making it a little uncomfortable. The only gripe from the rear.
Overall, the interior is prodominantly plastic, this surprised me, especially for the GHIA. Panel fit and finish was good, but a little too much plastic IMHO. But i do understand that this is saving the $$$ and weight.
Well that's pretty much my experience with the Territory, i'm sorry for the long post, but i'm hoping to bring an accurate and realistic impression for those serious in the Territory and haven't yet had the experience for themselves.
Never long enough, remember the FF crew are info-junkies. Give us more!
Just kidding, well done JEM, good to see some first-hand impressions on the top model. Yes the brakes are different and exclusive to the Territory. Waiting to see prices although I don't think the good lady is too interested...yet! (I'm not giving up the ute)
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I had a look at one, sit in one, and generally crawled all over them at the Adelaide Motor show. I agree that compared with the falcon the interior is a little plasticky, but the versatility that this thing is going to bring...sweet jesus. With the wet/hard cover in the boot, the tie down clips (which are metal) compartments and shit this thing has to be a winner with the mums and dads of Australia. I was very impressed with what the Territory had to offer.
Most important of all was the headroom and overall room in general. I'm a bit under 6'4" and in the BA i have a problem with headroom. It's not touching, but you are aware of the roof being close. In the Territory I could wear my Akubra and be miles off the headlining. Leg room was grouse, even in the back, with the back seat forward!
This car is going to be a gamble for Ford. I think it will canibalise sales of explorer and escape, as both are lesser cars. Falcon wagon sales will be chopped up, but if thier research is right, the profits of BA and Territory will give Ford Aus the cashflow to develop the next all new falcon.
The more I hear about it the more I love it. I am a little worried about how you say the interior is a bit plasticky....I can't remember actually giving it an in-depth look at the MMS, even though I looked at the whole car inside and out. The perception by the public and journos of the plastic may bring it down a grade or 2. We'll see though.
Thanks for the report.
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