New Ford Territory SUV coming to South Africa – What to expect

The new Territory SUV is heading to South Africa and is penned in to arrive in the second quarter of 2024 among a slew of new Ford vehicles on their way to the country to beef up the automaker’s local portfolio.

The Chinese-built Territory hasn’t been on sale locally since the early 2000s and promises to be one of the most spacious and advanced options in its segment, said Ford.

The company has revealed a few key details about the five-seater such as its powertrain and headlining equipment, but has remained tight-lipped about other aspects including the number of specifications that South Africa will receive, as well as pricing.

However, the Territory is already available in other third-world countries such as Argentina and the Philippines, in which it has the same motor and standout features as what’s been confirmed for South Africa.

Thus, these markets give us a good indication of what the new Ford SUV might offer once it reaches local roads.

Breaking into new territories

In Argentina, the Territory is available in SEL and Titanium specifications, separated by their looks and equipment only.

The base model wears full-LED lights, silver longitudinal roof bars, and 18-inch alloy wheels, whereas the range-topper is further treated with 19-inch alloys, electric side mirrors with courtesy lamps, and chrome appliqués on the door sides.

The SUV then occupies a footprint of 4,630mm long and 1,935mm wide, and it stands 1,706mm tall with a ground clearance measuring 190mm – lending it a boot capacity of 448 litres.

The differences continue inside the cabin with the Titanium being on the receiving end of more high-end hardware than its more affordable sibling, though both derivatives leave little to be desired.

The SEL version comes with black cloth upholstery, a 7-inch digital driver’s display, a urethane multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry and start, rear-seat air vents, and a 12-inch central infotainment unit supporting wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Moreover, standard kit includes six airbags, an electric handbrake with auto-hold function, and Ford’s “Co-Pilot 360” semi-autonomous driving assistance technologies which take the form of blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, stability and traction control, hill-start assist, a tyre-pressure monitoring system, and ABS with electronic emergency brake assist.

As for the Titanium, this version of the Territory brings electric front seats with heating and cooling covered in two-tone perforated leather, and it is completed with a 12-inch instrument cluster, panoramic sunroof, leather-wrapped steering wheel, wireless charger, electric tailgate with hands-free operation, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, and interior wall lights in “wood colour.”

Furthermore, the flagship variant adds autonomous emergency braking with forward-collision alert, lane-change assistant, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go, front parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera programme to the equipment roster.

Ford South Africa has confirmed that the Territory in the local market will get a 1.8-litre, turbo-petrol motor delivering 140kW and 320Nm to the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission.

This setup is identical to the Latin American version of the SUV, where it reports a combined fuel usage of 6.3l/100km. It’s worth noting that the local fuel standards differ from those in Argentina so this efficiency stat may not be the same in South Africa.

Both variants provide four selectable drive modes, too, including Eco, Normal, Sport, and Mountain.

Slotting in below the R848,300 Ford Everest and above the R569,900 Puma, the Territory will undoubtedly be targeting the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota RAV4, and VW Tiguan.

In view of these rivals, we expect the fresh-faced Ford to be priced in the region of R700,000 to R800,000 in South Africa.

When taking into consideration the fact both the Everest and Puma were only available in two trims at their respective launches in South Africa, it’s likely that the Territory may also mimic the two-option range of the Argentinian model when it eventually lands in the country.

More information on the new Territory, such as its official pricing and model line-up, will be revealed closer to its launch date.

Ford Territory