Terry: His first long trip & life with him after 3 weeks - Ford Forums

burnsi · 08-10-2004, 06:08

I've just completed my first longish trip in our Territory, and thought I'd share my impressions.

The vehicle: Territory Ghia AWD /lots-o-fruit / 7 seat option (a heavy bugger) / 771 km on the Odo at start of journey;

The trip: Canberra/Sydney/Port Macquarie and surrounds/Sydney/Canberra - all up about 1650 km - most of which was completed over two days;

The driving conditions: 85% of the kilometres were at 110 - 120 KMH / 75% cruise control usage / 60% hilly, undulating road / 2 adults + baby/ 150 KG luggage / moderate cross to head wind for 150 km return leg / moderate stop/start traffic through Sydney / 10 minutes of idling at a truck crash - with a slight back-track to go via Mittagong;

The fuel consumption: ICC displayed 12.9l/100 for the whole trip/ my calcs based on k's travelled vs fuel used (according to the bowser readings) give 12.75l/100. After all the reviews, I was expecting something much worse, and I expect that consumption will improve slightly as the engine loosens up. As a comparison, my Calais used to get no better than 11l/100 on the same trip - it was 400kg lighter, and we never carried that much stuff before;

The ride: Spectacular. The car handles highway speeds and conditions extremely well. The physical ride that the passengers/driver experience is great - more comfortable than my GTP! Road noise was the biggest surprise. For a car with a big cavernous body, and quite wide tyres that are biased toward loose surface traction, I was expecting much higher levels of road noise, which didn't eventuate. I am used to my GTP seats, and the support they offer, so I was a little dubious about the relatively flat surface of the Territory's seats - I shouldn't have worried. We arrived feeling as good as you can after driving 700 km, essentially in one hit.

The performance: The vehicle has ample power for the situations you encounter, it overtakes with ease, it climbs hills easily too. That said, I wouldn't mind droping a snail, or the GTP engine in though! I found the brakes to be quite good, but I'm used to the Brembos, so found I was consistently braking too late, then over correcting. The brakes can't be too bad, as they, and the DSC, saved us when the truck in front quickly changed lanes at about 70kmh, to suddenly reveal a break-down that we were rapidly approaching. Emergency braking and swerving into the adjacent lane did not phase Terry at all!

The cargo capability: Brilliant, enough said.

Life after 3 weeks:

3rd Row Seats: My brother visited last week from WA, and I got to try out the 6th/7th seat - 4 adults and 3 adolescents (all 16+) were carried with ease. I don't think I would want to travel any great distance in the 3rd row - purely due to leg room concerns, but for around town, or with smaller people - no problem!;

Day to Day use: Its height is just right. It's not a step up getting in, and getting out is a "swing the legs out and you're standing" sort of affair. Putting our baby in his car seat is at the perfect height - ie at torso height. The cargo area is at this height also. It's just a "get in and go" sort of car!;

Fuel around town: Have been getting (ICC displayed, which seems to be reasonably accurate - see above) 15 - 16 l/100, which is what I get in the GTP - so at least I'm conditioned to it;

What others think: My work colleagues want one. My inlaws want one. The Adventra driver I passed on the Pacific Hwy, he wants one! So does the Lexus RX330 with the bonnet up!;

Things I really like: All the stuff above. The auto-dimming rear-view mirror. The deep console. The rubberised cup holder in the console. The 3rd row seats. The tie down points in the cargo area. The seat position/heater settings memory via the key-fob (or seat buttons). The handy (but not designed-in) spot for your umbrella and window shade packets etc under the rear seat that can be accessed when you fold the main seat-back forward (you heard it here first!!). Reverse sensing. Adjustable pedals. All the airbags. The DSC. The Hill Descent Control - although it has more creaks and groans than the Titanic while it's operating. Sat-Nav. Being able to turn off the ICC display but still have audio, and the display re-appear when a change is made - to do this, press and hold in the volume knob for about 5 seconds, do the same to reverse it.;

Minor items I don't like: No electric passengers seat. No manual option, but the auto is a good change anyway. Sat-nav cannot be programmed (an address anyway) whilst on the move. ICC does not show "fuel used" as one of it's displays. The tailgate needs to be slammed shut - I am hoping this is just an adjustment, not a "feature".

Things I would like to see: A reversing camera hooked into the reverse sensing/ICC display - I saw this aftermarket set-up (on a Commodore) when getting my stone protection/tinting done in Sydney. The camera is about the size of a 5 cent piece and would get mounted under the tailgate lifting area, and "looks" down/out at about 45 degrees. The premium ICC can take an AUX video input (video source such as a DVD player, or camera!), so it would just be a matter of powering the camera when in reverse - easy!, and switching to the AUX input also - do know how hard this would be???.
A dipping LH side mirror when reversing - I believe this is now on some Falcons??.

Final thoughts: This is one thought-out car. Which is so practical, yet so much fun to drive.

Grunter · 08-10-2004, 06:58

Great review.

What does your wife/significant other think about it? Especially having to deal with a young 'un.

I'd be interested to show my wife what her thoughts are.

chevypower · 08-10-2004, 07:00

13L/100km babying it on the highway isnt that good - Gen 3 Caprice will get about 8 - A Suburban would get ya about 14 on the highway...

3Toed · 08-10-2004, 08:55

Awesome review burnsi! It's one thing to read journos initial test reviews but another to read an owners review of real world conditions. Thanks for that!

Blurter · 08-10-2004, 16:04

Thanks burnsi, I'll have to stop reading these reports they just keep whetting my appetite. Biggest problem I see is no manual.

TerritoryiAL · 08-10-2004, 16:23

Really good read Burnsi, thx for the for all your thoughts and opinions. The bits about the drivers of other competitors to the Terry is spot on. You see these people looking at you when you're on the road as though they are going to go home and kick the dog cos' they didn't go for a Territory.

blackout · 08-10-2004, 20:36

very good.

now to save the money for one:D

burnsi · 08-11-2004, 03:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grunter

Great review.

What does your wife/significant other think about it? Especially having to deal with a young 'un.

I'd be interested to show my wife what her thoughts are.

She was driving a VW Golf which she loved, but was too small for the baby seat and all the support stuff that you need to carry with a baby.

Having had the car now for 3 weeks, she loves the Terry, but still misses her Golf....she also still misses her 74 Mini which we had from 1990 - 2000!

These cars were built with families/kids in-mind, everything associated with kids, from putting them in, to carrying all the "stuff" is a breeze!

burnsi · 08-11-2004, 03:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevypower

13L/100km babying it on the highway isnt that good - Gen 3 Caprice will get about 8 - A Suburban would get ya about 14 on the highway...

Didn't say I was babying it. A Gen3 Caprice doing 8 - ya dreamin, maybe on dyno rollers! Even if you could squeeze out 8, it'd use 3 in oil!

TerritoryiAL · 08-11-2004, 04:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevypower

13L/100km babying it on the highway isnt that good - Gen 3 Caprice will get about 8 - A Suburban would get ya about 14 on the highway...

8L/100KM HEY A

QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH AND THE FIRST ARTICLE I FIND ON GEN 3, AT WWW.AUTOSPEED.COM.AU
STATES

"But if there's one major downfall of the engine it's in its fuel consumption. Despite people telling us how - for a big V8 - the fuel economy of the Gen III is good, we just don't see it that way. On test the Ute achieved an average of 18 litres/100 km - which can only be described as dismal. "

8L/100KM MAYBE DOWN A VERY LONG MINE SHAFT.