Comments on: 2009 Ford Territory Review

By: Ozzie

Ozzie — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:10:05 +0000

Steze, 450Kg trailer is not issue at all. Guy I sail with used a 4WD terry to tow a 1.3 tonne trailer sailer . I crewed with him up the coast and we came back down the free way at 130kph ( I didnt say he was smart!) with no issues up the big bridge dips, though fuel usage was pretty high at near 19-24l/100km .
The reverse camera is worth it for reversing up to the tow ball, it works very well. Torque wise the RWD will haul a boat easily, the AWD (NOT a 4WD!- no low range) is possibly better for hauling a boat out on a slippery ramp, but other wise teh RWD is all you would need. Go for it, I doubt you will be unhappy.

By: Ozzie

Ozzie — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:49:04 +0000

We went looking for a car- ANY car, ANY brand with the following criteria – had to seat 4 teenagers and two adults comfortably, had to have enough power to travel up Mt Ousley with out revving its guts out at full load of kids, adults and box trailer full of push bikes, dinghy and other holiday paraphernalia (450Kg). Had to be decent around town handling wise, and easy to access as my partner has issues because of diseased leg muscles. We tried Klugers, looked at Captivas, vans and people movers galore. Came across a 7 seat Terry and my GMH loving partner just went -’yes, finally’ . A bit more hunting and we got a 2010 7 seat Limited Edition terry, added in the Alpine DVD and we are happy. Fuel economy – I expected it to be high after all the reviews, but in real life it averages 14.7 around town and 13.9 on a long run down the coast.
By the way, the Captiva is too narrow and tall body wise, and it felt like it wanted to fall over. Taragos are OK until you put the kids in, and then it is too gutless, plus the one we had for a weekend showed an average fuel consumption on th ecomputer of ove r16l/100km, because we were working the engine so hard to get the pig to move.

My opinion is that the terry needs the liquid phase injected LPG kit fitted as standard. Why Ford dont fit that kit to all the i6 engines as standard has me beat- they would kill every one else in the market if they did.
By the way, we did try a dismal terry and the lady decided the fuel stank, was greasy to handle and she would only have that model if I filled the car every time as the smell of deisel made her feel sick.
So far the car has proven to be all we wanted. Such a big car, plenty of room, all the power we want and the fuel economy is what we expected. And 3rd row of seats that adults up to 5ft 9″ can get into and sit in for 200kms .

By: Steze

Steze — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:18:54 +0000

Thinking of buying an 06-07 territory AWD. Will be using it for family driving around metropolitan areas and towing my 4.5 fibreglass boat down the south coast of NSW. My choices in car included the 03-04 landcruiser prado, the kluger, territory and subaru out back. Performance wise I haven’t driven any of the vehicles so I really don’t have an idea. You seem to get so much more features in the ford territory, seems like better bang for my buck compared to the other models. I wanna know how it tows and also are there any common issues when reversing boat down the ramp etc.

By: TMC

TMC — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:59:21 +0000

I drove a 2006 TX AWD territory from Brisbane to Cairns. I expected high fuel bills. We at times cruised on 140kph and got a beautiful 9l/100km. I couldn’t believe it. The thing handled like a dream, motor was quiet. In fact at one point using the Tiptronic my co-driver accidentally left it in 3rd and cruised for 20min at 120kph with the engine doing 5500rpm. It didn’t complain. The thing revved round to 6500rpm without complaining. Now I’ve driven a 2006 Kluger. What can I say. The thing has no torque below about 3800 rpm. Use cruise control through hilly country and watch the gearbox switch backwards and forwards through the gears like a yoyo, even back to 2nd at 110kph!!!!! You always think the thing is going to bounce off the road at any curve or bump. It has no space and drinks like an Irish alcoholic that runs a pub. Towing is a chore with the gutless VVTI V6. The fly by wire accelerator has a half a second delay in operation and your passengers just think you’ve floored the thing as it finally responds. Klugers are buckets of shear crap with a Toyota badge stuffed on the front. Next week, I’m buying my first territory.

By: robert

robert — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:34:01 +0000

you like the look , you like the way it test drives , you feel good in it , you buy it . There seems to be alot of slinging going on but only lifes experiance can make your mind up one way or the other .Not manny cars/suv dont have minor problems when they get going but we have good in both ford and holden and ausie built cars and imported ones .Its nice to read about peoples real problems with any cars but a good company should bend over and fix it no matter what .We are the number one in that position and after buying a house a car is the next dearest thing we by .Shouldnt we enjoy what we have .

By: deborah

deborah — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:58:57 +0000

I totally agree with you, I could have been in a serious car accident six months ago , as the suspension went on my car. Facts are i took it for registration check and told the dealers in about the shaking car and terribly grating sound and they let me drive away without any help.
I bought the car new on 2004, have had a previous car accident and am disgusted with Fords assistance, and the fact that i will now probably get back tuppence for a $50,000 car I bought with my R.T.A payout, By the way I had a hip replacement at 27 yrs old and find this car very smooth to travel, but the negatives outway the positives…..

By: deborah

deborah — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:40:44 +0000

I have a 2004 territory, whatever you do do not buy one , before 2009, and even then ask questions.My whole right hand suspension went, and if we had not turned of the highway into a quieter road, we would have had a bad accident.I love my territory did consider upgrading as I thought the suspension was better, but I

By: somerandom

somerandom — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 07:03:55 +0000

says the man who contradicts him self and continues to throw his spade and pale in a sandbox fight.

By: somerandom

somerandom — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:57:03 +0000

The ball joint recall you speak of has been blown out of proportion. I wont argue that they start failing at low K’s but it takes some one who is oblivious to their car not to realise something is wrong before it reaches critical. Also yes it has been a known problem for a while and little could be done about it besides replacing them under warrenty… which doesnt happen when you go to small or comercial workshops which then leads to the problem going un noticed. every ford tech worth his money will be straight onto that problem.
Now there has been a recall sent out to the public regarding this matter and the ball joints are being replaced. when these joints fail they develop excess free play that causes a thump in the suspension over rough roads/speedbumps/driveways. if ignored it hammers its self to pieces over time. some have been known to fail fast but by large most take a while and are useually spotted during service. The SY MKII has revised ball joints that eliminate this problem.

By: somerandom

somerandom — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:47:34 +0000

First and foremost i have to say that the kuga being released in australia is probably not going to happen. this is because the market just doesnt exist, the focus’s c platform its based on alone is not a good seller over here and the cost of it completely defeats the point of having the esacpe… some what dated but still serves its pourpose as a cheap entry level SUV. the territory on the other hand still offers some impressive features for its price and it is dated and from what i see the upcoming model is not that big of a face lift BUT you will find it does offer diesel and it does offer many features that the public want. but in my opinion the diesel wont be too big of a seller. the cost of it vs savings will repen most buyers except those who seek a “greener” car. i think the market now exists for a ford diesel suv where previously it was niche. just remember there is no logic in sales… just facts and figures