new2ford

Power Ford is where we got ours. We went round a lot of dealers and they were the best - offered by far the best deal and also very attentive and candid. Recommended.

 

badsac

I can't overstate enough how important an experience like this with a dealer is for me when shopping for a vehicle. I think I might have to go out of my way to give these guys a visit.

Paulv

Next update...

Finally was able to put together some time to do a test drive. Because I wanted to do it on a weekend I was only able to get about 1 and a quarter hours in the vehicle but that was certainly enough to get a good feel for the vehicle.

Bad bits...
Suspension not as good as raves suggests. Possibly could do with some more rebound damping. That said, a good set of shock absorbers would fix that.

The Clunk - got 1 clunk front right suspension over 1 speed hump - not sure about a fix for that.

Fuel - the avg fuel was showing fairly high - 18l/100

C/D pillar visibility not high - could create blind spot problems

Brake feel - depends very heavily on the booster to stop which creates non-progressive feel. Needs premium brakes really.

Good bits... Just about everything.
Front seating is excellent, good seats for my size 6foot1. Easy to get comfy even in the TX that I drove.
2nd Row seating is excellent with massive leg room (nearly statesman/fairlane sized).
Front visibility is awesome.
Power adequate - turbo would be phenomonal.
Internal functionality - extremely good. BMW could learn a lot from Ford. There's no need for the stark interior that BMW are using these days or the i-drive. The Ford bits were all intuitive and felt good to use.
Practicality - amazing use of space just about seals the deal for me.


Other interesting notes... The guys at Power Ford had a reasonable number of prospective buyers on the weekend - nearly ALL were looking at or test driving Territories. Obviously Ford has hit the target with this vehicle, but at the expense of interest in BA's, Escapes, and Exploders.

new2ford

I don't perceive any of those bad bits but it could often boil down to what you are used to. I've seen a number of comments on the brakes that intrigue me. I drove cars with very good brakes for many years and find the Terri's stopping power excellent for an SUV. Absolutely stops on a penny. But then again my last car was a Commodore.....!

The fuel economy improves greatly with running in.

I hardly wonder why everybody is looking at the Terris. When I was at Power Ford waiting to pick up mine from service the other day I went and sat in a Falcon for a while and found it terribly claustrophobic and cramped. Considering only a few dollars difference if you want a good family car why would you want a Falcon - or a Commodore/Magna/Camry for that matter?

Paulv

That has very much been our impression as well. The round turret design really limits the amount of space around your head. So even if there's plenty of elbow room in a BA it always feels tighter because the roof and front window are so close.

I also drove the VZ SV6 last week (with the intent to purchase the Calais if we went Holden) and that was better inside than the BA (for me anyway). When you compare functionality and ease of use the Territory kills any sedan. There seemed to be lots of confirmed sales happening of the Territory as we watched.

Another note to all viewers - the TX is available in substantial numbers as the build mix was wrong. I would certainly suggest that anyone looking for a good sedan or 4wd replacement should get their bums into the basic Territory and note that it's not all that basic. It's a good vehicle and the dealers will sharpen their pencils on stock that they are holding. I personally am steering for a TS (after noting how hot the leather gets - I've got little kids) which I may order within a couple of weeks.

Organza

Hiya paulv

Liked your thread and the comments you've made. Interesting to have read your thoughts.

Can I make a couple of comments?

• I'd really implore you think about the aftermarket leather before you do it. Why? If its cost effective, there will be a reason for that, one which you won't like down the track. You will get zero residual benefit for it at trade in time. This is a guarantee. I also question the fit and finish despite whatever the Dealer or supplier tell you.
• Please explain to me why you are even contemplating an VZ SV6 or Calais. DONT DO IT .... :-) .... sorry that's the GM hating bit in me. Love to hear your reasons why its good for you particularly c/f a Falcon. I'd love a chance to counteract your good points with a whole pile of "why not's" .... on this dinosaur of a car.

• Personally, I disagree with your view on the rebound dampening. Compared to a Commode or even a BA .... it's beautifully controlled without being soft. Can I suggest that the tyre pressures you run at in a T has an enormous effect on the way it feels. No idea obviously what the demo car was running, but possibly too low.
• The clunk. It's a common feature on BA and Territory coming from the front double wishbone suspension and only appears at low speed when turning or over occasional bumps. If that's the price you pay for a considerably better quality steering and handling car .... I'm more than happy to pay for it. Once you know it's there it is not a problem and has no deleterious effects on the suspension whatsoever. Give me the T's front suspension over a Commode's and Subaru's McPherson strut anyday ... these were designed for lightweight front wheel drive's ... not heavy RWD's or grossly overrated NRMA beloved Subarus ....
• 18 litres per 100 k's. I reckon anyone could get 18 litres or more per 100 k's when the car is used pretty much for relatively low speed demo drives incl. getting in and out of caryards. Countless experiences of ppl in this forum state that they normally get 13 - 15 litres per 100 k's on average. You can get worse of course, under some driving conditions. Trust me ... don't worry about the fuel thing ... It's irrelevant for anyone buying this kind kind of SUV (T, Prado, Kluger, Pajero, Adventra (LOL))... a two tonne wagon is going to X litres of fuel ... no matter whether it has a blue badge, a red badge or erm ... a Toyota circle.
• Brakes --- interesting thoughts. Personally, I reckon they are considerably better stoppers than on BA and then, both BA and Territory eat the Commode's brakes for dinner .... Progressive feel. Not sure what you're wanting to feel there in a brake pedal ... unless you mean that the stronger you push the more you want to feel the brakes working through the pedal??? .... Me, I quite like how the T's brakes have an initial bite in them and then maintain that effort even at full brake pedal push. I've never experienced brake fade, no squeaks or noises and in the one emergency braking situation I've done (to avoid a roo) the car pulled up brilliantly and was very easy to control .... in this sort of situation you can actually feel the anti dive the control blade rear end produces.

For me the biggest winner in Territory which I notice you haven't mentioned, and I understand why coz its not sexy ..... is safety.

If you can find a car in this price range .... be it Ford, Toyota, Holden ... whatever ... with approximately the same safety package please let us know ....

Intelligent Safety System (Australasian Engineering Award Gold Award winner), dual stage front airbags, curtain airbags, traction control, double wishbone front suspension, premium design front steering rack which effectively decouples the steering and suspension efforts, control blade IRS, latest Bosch version 8 ABS with EBD, Dynamic Stability Control, three point seat belts in ALL seats, pretensioners, seatbelt height adjusters, decoupling pedals and steering column ..... the list goes on and on ....

No comparable SUV, the Commode, Outback or even BA offer you all that ....

Paulv

Thanks for your constructive comments Organza...

As per my later post the leather is off the list - too much chance of burning the kids skins. I saw an aftermarket leather in a Terri and it looked very good - no perforations either to trap dirt. It seemed to be a VERY professional looking install. The person who had that leather chose a slightly darker colour - grey - and it looked very good with the other colours in the car.

The Commodore option was due to company discount - I can get a Calais on the road for 40k so it was certainly valid as a family car option.

I'm still a bit uncomfy about a clunk that everyone is living with. That suggests a component moving around in a joint somewhere. Something like a control arm. If it clunks often enough then there's got be an issue with wear eventually.

The test car's brakes had moderate retardation initially then as you pressed harder you could feel the booster increasing the pressure beyond your own foot pressure level - so that it actually overbraked. Obvioulsy you can get used to it and that was nit-picking at that stage.

My Offshore TS Terri should be ordered in the next week - so I'll see how fast Ford can bolt one of these together :-)

RATT

Easy there Paul! We're not all that bad. hehe j/k

Good choice of cars to look at there, and I'm glad the Territory came up high in your preference.

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BF XR6 Turbo

Paulv

Hey RATT - since you're from Peter Warren - why would they have quoted $359 ex GST for the sump guard when it should be $195inc (this was on their quote to Esanda)? Everything else was 100% right in the quote.

I have nothing against Peter Warren - it's just that they are not local to me - even if they might be Esanda's preferred dealer. Power Ford have been really positive and are my closest dealer which is important for warranty work.

burnsi

I faced this as well, not at quote time, but at a scheduled service when I elected to fit this part.

Website says $195 fitted, my dealer agreed to fit for $135 (I buy a lot there!)but Ford parts system said $395'ish fitted when they were doing up the invoice! They still did it for $135, but it got entered manually on the invoice.

There seems to be a disconnect between the marketing and the parts systems. I haven't actually crawled under and had a look at it yet, so I don't know if it's $135 - $195 "worth", or it should be dearer, as per the parts system.

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Blood Orange GT-P
Zest Territory Ghia AWD