Territory XR7 overdue

As Ford addresses local production hiccups blamed for falling Territory sales, the real issues remain unaddressed.

Younger parents who have just left sporty hatchbacks are choosing the sportier driving feel of the Holden Captiva and Mazda CX-7 over the softer, more compliant feel of the Territory.

In a shift that mirrors the rejection of the standard Falcon for the Falcon XR series amongst young drivers and keen older drivers, the Territory is in even greater danger of being associated with an older generation. The conservative Territory Turbo and ongoing absence of an FPV version are contributing to this.

Compared to the Holden Captiva's firm, sportier feel, younger buyers especially women are interpreting the Territory's handling sway and soft ride as an unwanted byproduct of the Territory's extra size. In many cases, this is leading them to conclude that the Territory is less fuel-efficient because it feels heavy and lumbering.

In reality, there is little difference between the two in fuel economy when the Captiva's smaller engine has to work harder.

The Mazda CX-7 has also capitalised on its sportier, firmer feel which creates the impression that it is also lighter and more agile. As buyers have found, the CX-7's fuel consumption can be worse than its bigger six-cylinder rivals when the CX-7 is no lightweight and forces its turbocharged four-cylinder engine to work hard.

As from next year's Orion Falcon range, the Territory and Falcon sedan suspension design will be identical. Ford has already shown with its current Falcon XR6 that its engineers could almost immediately build a lighter, more agile feel into the Territory with little decline in ride quality.

The widespread buyer acceptance by younger drivers of the Captiva's firmer locally developed suspension tune is in direct contrast to the criticism that it attracted from senior industry commentators when it was launched last year.

At the time, Tony Hyde, Holden's highly experienced chief engineer who is ultimately responsible for everything that wears a Holden badge in Australia, expressed some surprise over this criticism when his younger engineers assured him that it was the correct way to go.

The growing acceptance of the sportier Mazda CX-7 and Holden Captiva is now showing that as the family SUV market matures, it is attracting several generations with very different requirements.

A Territory XR7 would allow the current refined, cosseting Territory suspension tune to continue unchanged while providing younger buyers the choice of a Territory that responded with less body sway and felt more connected to the road. Although the XR7 badge was first seen on a version of the Mustang-based Mercury Cougar, it is a good fit for this segment.

If a sportier Territory XR7 suspension tune was backed by typical XR improvements including sportier seats and trim, XR instrument graphics, sportier alloy wheels and tyres, extra body and grille detailing, sports steering wheel and separated quad headlights, it would give the current Territory a second wind.

A six-speed automatic transmission on both RWD and AWD XR7 variations would be enough to add a sportier dimension as well as better economy to the standard engine. The XR7 badge would then allow the current base Territory Turbo to be better positioned as the XR7 Turbo.

As a bonus, the Territory XR7 would also go some way to addressing the lack of a Falcon XR6 station wagon, a model that continues to generate huge loyalty despite the absence of such a model for over a decade.

Our sources tell us now that the next Falcon is locked in, the Territory is next to receive the attention it has been missing over the last 18 months. A sportier entry model such as an XR7 as well as a diesel is believed to be on the list of priorities. 

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