Will this Chinese Ford make its way to Malaysia?
Some might remember Ford Malaysia used to sell a CR-V competitor in the form of the Ford Escape and Kuga mid-sized SUVs. These SUVs though, although pretty good in its own right, were no match sales wise to the Japanese or even the Koreans. This new Ford Territory mid-sized crossover might be a different story.
Positioned above the jacked up Fiesta that is the Ecosport and is dimensionally equivalent to the likes of the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5, this may be Ford’s next attempt at trying to crack the local SUV market, if it ever comes to Malaysia.
Not to be confused by the Australian Ford crossover of the same name, this Ford Territory you see here is actually a joint venture between the Jiangling Motor Corporation (JMC) and Ford. Ford has made it pretty clear that the two bear no link whatsoever.
Much like how the Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo is American by name but European by nature, the Territory that would most likely make it to our shores is American by name and Chinese by nature.
On the outside, the Territory looks like a shrunk down version of the American Ford Edge crossover. The front of this mid-sized SUV is unmistakably Ford with the hexagonal honeycomb grille flanked by LED headlights.
The rear meanwhile borrows some styling cues from the Range Rover Evoque. A large chrome bar runs across the tailgate with the Territory script above it, and either side of the bar are angular LED taillights. 18 inch wheels, plastic body cladding all around and front and rear metal-like skid plates completes the chunky look of this pseudo off-roader.
Powered by a 1.5 litre Ecoboost turbocharged four cylinder mated to CVT gearbox, the new Blue Oval crossover is set to make 140 hp and 225 Nm of torque driving the front wheels only. More importantly for buyers of this segment, Ford also claims that the new Territory with this engine could achieve up to 15 kilometres per litre under mixed driving conditions, with the possible 48 V mild hybrid or the rumoured all-electric variant achieving even better fuel economy. No all wheel drive variant is on the horizon for this crossover though.
Continuing on the inside, this 5 seater crossover from the Blue Oval is much like others in its segment, with leather and wood interlaid with some chrome plastic trim. The dash design is nothing special but it does come with the usual conveniences like a 10.1 inch infotainment system with voice command, TFT instrument cluster, wireless charging, FordPass Connect for 4G connectivity, leather seats with front ventilated seats and a panoramic moon roof.
The Territory also comes with the usual safety acronyms as it comes as standard with Ford’s CoPilot 360 safety suite. This brings with it a 360º surround view camera, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Assist, Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Information System, Lane Departure Warning, Hill Start Assist and Active Park Assist for both parallel and perpendicular parking.
Already launched in Brazil and Argentina, with an upcoming launch in the Philippines, this new Ford Territory might also make its ways to our shores. Furthermore, with Ford’s global shift away from the compact car and sedan market towards trucks and SUVs only and Ford Malaysia only selling the Ford Ranger pick-up at the moment, this Ford Territory does seem like a good fit in the local line up.
And to those who say that this will be a repeat of the Escape or Kuga sales story, it may not necessarily be the case. As thanks to its Chinese nature, the Territory starts from only 109,800 yuan (RM67,000) to a more reasonable 164,800 yuan (RM100,000) for the top spec model. Even with the inevitable import taxes and duties, this new Territory might be a serious alternative to the Hondas, Mazdas and VWs.
