Holden Adventra v Ford Territory 2005 Comparison

This is going to be a challenge, no question. It's steep. There are ruts and patches of broken, loose stone. At regular intervals there are high-humped spoon drains, the usual anti-erosion measure on forestry access tracks such as this. And it's raining. Not hard, but enough to make the bare clay bits treacherously slick.

For a traditional, old-fashioned 4WD wagon, negotiating a track like this would be simple. But for the Ford Territory TX AWD and Holden Adventra SX6 it will be a stern trial of their modest abilities. They don't have the ground clearance or the crawler gearing or the chunky-treaded tyres that make this kind of driving easy. There's little doubt that both these all-wheel drive wagons will make it to the bottom. Whether it's a comfortable and controlled experience or not is another matter. And as for being able to make the ascent to return to the starting point...

MOUNTAIN LION
Such a contest was inevitable from the moment that Holden launched V6-powered versions of its Adventra early this year. The jacked-up, Commodore-wagon-based crossover was launched, with V8 only, way back in the closing months of 2003. Initially, prices were $61,000 for the luxury LX8 and $53,000 for the CX8. In July last year, to stimulate demand, Holden chopped $4000 off the price of both models, and mailed cheques for this amount to the 1300 or so customers who had bought Adventras at the original price.

It was no coincidence that this initiative came soon after Ford's launch of Territory. Now, with the arrival of the V6-powered Adventra range, the CX8 has been deleted from the line-up, leaving the $57,000 LX8 as the sole V8-engined model.

All three V6 Adventra models have the high-performance 190kW version of Holden's new, Australian-made 3.6-litre engine. In Commodore it's reserved for the sporty SV6 and sports-luxury Calais. As in Calais, Holden's European-sourced five-speed automatic is the only transmission offered.

Starting from the top, the Adventra V6 range consists of $53,000 LX6, $47,000 CX6, and $41,000 SX6. All are priced to undercut equivalent Territory models. For the obligatory and inevitable comparison test we chose the most affordable version in each range.

The $43,000 TX AWD may be $2000 more than the Adventra SX6, but the Ford does include some standard features the Holden lacks. Mainly, they're thoughtful touches that contributed to Territory's 2004 Wheels Car of the Year win. Stuff like the wet storage well beneath the reversible (carpet one side, tough, ridged plastic on the other) cargo compartment floor, the lockable sliding drawer hidden beneath the driver's seat, and the electrically-adjustable accelerator and brake pedals.

The Holden, adapted from an existing model that's effectively eight years old, cannot hope to compete with the fresh Ford's multifunctional modernity. Still, the standard equipment list advantages of the Adventra SX6 do make a fairly persuasive value case.

Crucially, the Holden includes standard driver and passenger side airbags as well as the usual pair of frontal-impact airbags in steering wheel centre and dash. The SX6's basic price also includes cruise control, HDC (hill descent control), a cargo compartment cover, five alloy wheels, and reverse-parking-sensor system. Since the Adventra is well over five metres long, and 190mm longer than the Territory, these are a very helpful aid.

The Ford, in contrast, has only a pair of frontal-impact airbags standard, although curtain airbags to give added head protection for front-seat and outboard, second-row-seat passengers are an affordable $800 factory-fit option in the Territory TX AWD. Cruise control, HDC, cargo-compartment cover, alloy wheels, and reverse-parking sensors are also optional. To add all of these extras to the TX AWD, to align it with the standard SX6 price will cost another $5000 on top of the $2000-higher base price of the Ford.

Holden's low-price, high-equipment strategy is tacit recognition of the Ford's intrinsic appeal. It's tough to put a dollar value on the Territory TX AWD's better driving position, markedly more comfortable second-row seat, great range of storage options, superior visibility, more attractive interior materials and higher levels of craftsmanship. No matter what you pay, you can't add these features to an Adventra SX6.

For performance and fuel efficiency, on the other hand, the numbers are the whole story. Territory TX AWD weighs 190kg more than the Adventra SX6, its 4.0-litre engine produces 182kW, eight fewer than the 3.6-litre Holden V6, and the Ford's four-speed transmission has one ratio less. Naturally enough, it's the Adventra that accelerates harder. The Holden romps vigorously from a standing start, where the Ford is handicapped by its additional mass. Jumped at the start, the Territory falls further and further behind. In the ‘overtaking' 80-120km/h rolling-start acceleration test, the Holden is again quicker. The Ford isn't sluggish, by any means, but the Holden is noticeably more energetic.

At the petrol pump, it's a close run thing. Over the course of this comparison, during which each vehicle was refuelled three times, the Territory averaged 15.8L/100km, or four per cent more than the Adventra, which averaged 15.2L/100km.

COVERING MORE TERRITORY
While both quicker and more fuel efficient, the Adventra is soundly beaten by the Territory in one rather important respect. Engine refinement. The Holden V6 is plenty smooth, but it's damned raucous, with a blend of mechanical thrash and exhaust blurt at middling revs and above. It often sounds rude and uncultured, even though its technical specification is suavely modern. Perhaps Holden's engineers had a tight deadline and low budget for development of the engine installation.

Ford's big in-line six is impressively muted in Territory, and gives away nothing to the Adventra engine for smoothness. It's obvious that substantial engineering expertise was lavished on quelling noise and killing vibration. The Ford's transmission, with its wider gaps between ratios, can't quite deliver the shift smoothness of the Holden five-speeder, but the noticeable difference in engine refinement more than overshadows this shortcoming.

For chassis refinement, it's the Territory again. Although its Goodyears are slightly wider than the Holden's Bridgestones, there's a little less tyre noise in the Ford. Its more sophisticated suspension is also less audible.

It's not only quietness that gives Territory a comfort edge. Its seats are better, front and rear. Especially rear. This wide 60/40 split seat is simply one of the best in the business, both for roominess and support. Also, the Ford's rear seat features a trio of adjustable head restraints. There are none in the Holden, although it matches the Ford in providing lap-sash seatbelts for all three rear-seat passengers. The final blow for the Adventra is the Territory's suspension. It absorbs the pitter-patter of tiny road irregularities better, yet feels disciplined and controlled over larger humps and hollows.

The Adventra's ride is not bad. The Holden has way more wheelbase - 105mm - which is a big help. It absorbs the big hits with equanimity, but is just a little more busy in the vertical plane than the Territory on smoother surfaces.

For handling, too, the Ford is a more polished act. Its steering, in particular, is markedly better. The Adventra lacks assistance at low speed. It takes real muscle to manoeuvre into city car parks, for instance. Territory is beautifully and consistently weighted. With its tighter turning circle, shorter length, and just-right assistance levels, it's a much easier and more pleasant thing to drive in tight situations. The steering also delivers better feedback at higher speed. This, in combination with the car's excellent suspension front and rear, makes it a more fluid and fluent thing to drive on winding blacktop than the Adventra.

On dirt roads, both the Ford and Holden feel right at home. Both have excellent manners, backstopped by the latest generation of Bosch electronic chassis-stability systems. Territory's system has obviously been calibrated to intervene earlier than the Adventra's. Consequently, the way it arrests the development of slides, whether understeer or oversteer, is smoother and less intrusive. The Adventra lets more attitude develop, then clamps down harder. Equally effective, if less suave. In both the Ford and Holden the chassis-stability electronics can be switched off.

Back at the top of the steep, rain-slicked forestry track, the first move is to activate the electronic helpers. Namely HDC. While standard in the Adventra, as mentioned earlier, it costs more than the advertised $865 to have it added to the Territory. This is because HDC can only be had in combination with cruise control, price $660. Cruise is needed to utilise the Territory's HDC speed-variation feature. The first versions of HDC, which appeared in Land Rover and BMW models in the late '90s, had a single set speed of descent, usually 4km/h or 5km/h. Both the Territory and the Adventra have the latest system that allows the driver to speed up and slow down the set HDC speed using the cruise control buttons or wand.

VIEW FROM THE MOUNT
First, the Territory TX AWD. Its HDC is impressive, quick-acting and very effective. Ground clearance is sometimes marginal. Despite carefully straddling ruts and picking the best route through the rocky sections, the Ford's underbelly sometimes scrapes. Nothing serious, just enough to let you know that attempting to drive anything rougher would be damned foolish. Driving back up is only a little more difficult than driving down. The traction-control system is as well calibrated as the chassis-stability system and the HDC. The Territory sometimes scrabbles briefly for grip, but with the Bosch brainbox clamping the brakes of the spinning wheels, the Ford always finds grip.

Now for the Adventra. First thing you notice is that the Holden HDC system in action is considerably noisier. Rather unrefined, in fact. Second thing you notice is that it doesn't work as well. It has a slower reaction time and doesn't seem to be as vigilant in adhering to the set speed. More troublingly, and unlike the Territory, the Adventra slips sideways a number of times during the descent, despite the HDC's best efforts. But the Holden, which has a 22mm ground-clearance advantage, isn't noticeably less prone to dragging its giblets. The Adventra actually has a tougher time climbing back to the top of the track than the Territory. As with its HDC, the Holden's traction-control system seems a little dozy and slow-acting in comparison with the Ford's.

For potential Territory AWD and Adventra V6 customers it's unlikely steep-forestry-track ability on a rainy day will be the primary priority. But the differences between the two in this particular exercise point to a general contrast between the pair.

The Ford feels finished. You can sense the effort put into its development. It's quiet, smooth, capable, comfortable. It may cost more, but you feel the difference every time you drive it.

The Holden, on the other hand, feels rushed. The Commodore wagon provided an expedient basis for the company to gain a toehold in the booming SUV segment. But while the Adventra SX6 has strengths - its price-to-equipment ratio, strong performance and slightly superior fuel consumption - it's not the winner of this comparison. If Holden is to seriously challenge Territory, they really need to start from the ground up.