chevypower

The Discovery 3 (comes out end of yr) is built as a true 3 row seater, unlike todays Discoverys, it will be very similarly laid out to the Explorer. If you found the current Discovery to lack room in the 3rd row, you will hate the Territory, so i would put it between Discovery 3, Explorer and Prado if I were you...

Also my step mum tows an average sized twin axle dual horse float, and EMPTY it is over a tonne (people dont realize how heavy they are for a strong chassis) and average warm blood horse is 400-600kg each as said... go the true 4 wheel drive...
Have a serious look at the Discovery 3, it is at the Sydney Motor Show, and hopefully it will be at the 4X4 Show in Melbourne, late October.

http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring...discovery2.htm

 

chrisb128

Hey Ianoz,

My fuel figures for towing with the territory are a guess. I use to get around 21L/100km from the falcon so I am just adding on a bit for the extra weight, awd and different diff ratio. It may work out better/worse but I think it is ball park. I went for the 05 GLS Pajero with side airbags and 2500kg tow pack and got it for a price that was between the Ghia and TS price. For me the Exceed is not worth the money and the Ghia is a similar spec but 10k less. I am not into the leather thing with woodgrain so both the exceed and ghia were off the list. For me the list was 1. Has to be a solid tow vehicle. 2. Has to be reliable for > 5 years of semi hard work. 3. Has to have realistic fuel economy. 4. Did not want a truck. 5. Needed a 3rd row of seats. 6. Had to be good ride. Territory could only tick some of them. My other concern was max torque at 3250 rpm since I will be towing mid heavy things. I asked ford many times to provide the torque level at 2000 rpm and they would not do it so I went with the Pajero and could not be happier. I also know a diesel pajero will hold its value but not so sure about the territory. That was another point.

I also had a look at the Disco and the 2.5 litre diesel did not really cut it. It was flat out trying to push the car let alone tow anything. The newer model does look better but the weight of the car is just insane. I think the top spec is around 2700kg?? More than a landcrusier. The new 2.7 liter 6 diesel looks good but would want to look at it a bit closer. To get those type of torque and power figures out of 2.7 litre engine they must be pushing a bit of air into it. That could mean a bit of turbo lag which is bad for towing but I will wait and see. It maybe a good engine for the territory??

Good luck with whatever you pick. If you want to research more about pajeros go have a look at the http://www.pajeroclub.com.au/ forum.

Steve_T

This may not be appropriate but something to think about (probably financially unrealistic if you have a certain budget)...

If you could get a Territory optioned with an XR6 Turbo motor (or get a similar aftermarket setup done) - the XR6T's maximum torque kicks in at 2000rpm and I think it ramps up to it in a somewhat linear fashion from lower revs - would make for a great towing engine I would think. (?)

Just a thought :)

Steve.

chevypower

Interesting to point out that Ford rate the XR6 Turbo automatic at 1600kg, instead of the 2300kg as on the rest of the Ford Falcon range (except FPV)

ricthewheelie

Whats this the Discovery / Pajero / Prado thread ??
My suggestion is to see if you can borrow or hire a terry load it up and check it out.
The driveline is designed (and I think made) by the same mob who did the AWD for the Adventura and Cross 8, and they've got more power and torque than the ford 6.
As for torque you'll find with the DOHC VCT that it makes 80% of max torque at 1500rpm.

__________________
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Old car = AU Futura, Galaxy blue, IRS, 16" mags, DBA Slotted rotors. Pity to see it go, very good, under- rated car, RIP

johnydep

The BMW X5 also used the same set up on thier petrol & diesel 6's, 8's & turbo's.

Ianoz

Thanks for the comments guys.

Chevy,
Didn't realise you meant a new model before. Had a look at the link (thanks) and it looks like a good piece of kit (440Nm at 1900 rpm - ).

Had our local fleet guy do some chasing - and it looks like it won't be on general sale until April-ish next year, so it's probably too late for me. There's also going to be a significant $ jump above the current model for all the smarts Unfortunately it won't be at the Melbourne show, only the Sydney one (I'm in Melb).

The kids issue was mainly the way the wheel arches cut into the 2nd row door opening - making climbing in awkward even for them. The photos of the new model look like the wheelbase is longer, so that might not be a prob now.



ChrisB,
Our requirements are very close. I'm not so worried about the 3rd row, and coming out of an SS anything's got a softer ride, but the rest is spot on.

The Territory goodies-bag has been nicely worked out to make the choice difficult though... I take take or leave the leather, but the mix of climate control with rear-seat vents, curtain airbags, and memory seat with power pedals at the price makes things tough.

Pity Ford don't pubish pwr/torque curves (or not that I've been able to find), but the Territories i've driven don't seem to have that much grunt off the line.



Steve,
Unfortunately modifications are pretty much verboten (lease car etc). Several people here at work have the XR6T and I'd say it would probably make a good tow engine, but it is de-rated to 1600kg towing. Ford aren't saying why - but we're guessing it's because of the heat load in the engine bay when working hard. Presumeably it would be the same if they brought it out in a Territory?


Cheers
Ian

Ianoz

That's useful to know. As far as I know the Adventra hasn't had any tranny dramas yet, so it sounds positive for the Territory. Not that there's all that many Adventra's out there...

burnsi

Getting horse shite off leather rather than cloth trim has gotta be easier????

I think I have have read somewhere the de-rating was due to ride height and body kit issues???

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Blood Orange GT-P
Zest Territory Ghia AWD

Organza

My bet would be almost certainly that it is restricted to 1600kg to ensure reliability of the auto transmission rather than engine reasons. But that's just a guess ...