There's a Reason the Ford Territory Has Already Sold Over 8,000 Units in the Philippines
Ford had high hopes for the Territory when it launched it in the Philippines in August 2020. For a brand that already has quite a full slate of SUVs (from full-sized like the Expedition to mid-sized like the Explorer and the Everest, and the mini-SUV with the Ecosport), the Territory filled in a gap in the market with another “small” SUV that responds to the needs of buyers increasingly becoming hungry for these types of vehicles.
“The Territory slots just above the EcoSport in terms of price and features,” Ford Philippines marketing director Ryan Lorenzo told Esquire Philippines last year. “If you look at the Philippine segmentation of vehicles, it will be in the upper level of mini SUVs. We will participate in this ‘white space’ or ‘super segment,’ which is comprised of the minis and small SUVs. And that’s around 11 or 12 percent of the industry.”
Fifteen months later, Ford very happily reported that it has reached a milestone for this particular model: selling 8,000 units, which, during a year when most people spent indoors, is a figure that’s nothing to sneeze at.
But what exactly makes the Territory so popular?
Territory features
Car nuts will nitpick incessantly over technical features, but for a vast majority of vehicle owners, the only two questions they need to ask are: does it look nice, and does it run well?
I’m happy to report that, at least on both counts, the Territory gets top marks.
More than anything else, the Territory is a no-nonsense and capable SUV. When one thinks of primary elements required when buying a new vehicle, the Territory ticks off pretty much all the boxes. It’s spacious and feels premium inside; it’s equipped with modern conveniences such as keyless entry, push-button start, speed-sensing door locks and a rearview mirror that has an auto-dimming feature. And you can’t beat that moonroof that adds even more pizzazz to a pretty neat package.
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Under the hood, the Territory is powered by a 1.5L EcoBoost engine mated to a CVT transmission with Sport mode. It can deliver 143PS and 225NM of torque. While it comes in two variants—Trend and Titanium+, both come with features like LED headlamps, LED daytime running lamps, LED tail lamps, auto on/off headlamps with follow me home feature, front and rear fog lamps, panoramic moonroof, rear spoiler, and roof rails.
Having driven it for a few days, I can say I’m satisfied with the entire experience. My only comment is that the multimedia systems could use a few improvements. For someone whose music (or podcasts) is an important part of the driving experience, the digital display system was a bit complicated to operate and fell a bit short of expectations. But the sound system is okay, at least, so once you get the hang of connecting your device and figuring out the settings, you’re pretty much good to go.
Driving the Ford Territory
I invited a couple of friends to a quick drive out of the city, to another friend’s farm in Cavite, and the Territory couldn’t have performed any better. We brought some supplies that easily fit in the back and the 360-degree camera system was especially useful while going through some pretty tight roads in some of the towns and cities we passed. We also reached a respectable 15 kilometers per liter along the expressways, which went down to about nine kilometers per liter within towns and cities.
At the farm, my other friends were curious to know more about the Territory and were impressed to find out that it costs just over P1 million (P1.17 million to be exact for the Trend variant, and P1.299 million for the Titanium+ variant). For anyone looking for their next vehicle and have a set budget, it’ll be hard to say no to the Territory, even if it is slightly above the million-peso mark. But there’s a reason at least 8,000 buyers were convinced over the past year and three months. All things considered, the Territory offers real value for your money, and that’s really what we’re all looking for, aren’t we?
