Ford Territory Diesel: Engine, problems, towing and price

When the Ford Territory was introduced in 2004 it allowed Ford to extract the most from the Falcon platform while riding the growing SUV wave.

It had a rather large problem, though. The extra weight added to give it its SUV shape and raise it up made its 4.0-litre straight-six ‘Barra’ petrol engine thirsty.

Ford sought to overcome the issue by introducing a 2.7-litre V6 ‘Duratorq’ single-turbo diesel engine along with the launch of the second-generation SZ range in 2011. These Territories are easily identified by their ‘TDCi’ badging on the rear.

Diesel Territories have Ford's TDCi branding on the rear.

The new diesel Territory proved to be a hit with buyers, surging to 72 per cent of Territory sales within a year of its launch.

As a result, the Territory had turned its fortunes around from declining sales in 2011, to surging sales in 2012. Truly, one of the last Australian-built success stories before its sales tapered off to its inevitable demise.

The final Ford Territory SZ II (a silver Titanium) rolled off the line in October 2016.

Throughout the SZ Territory’s life, it was available in three spec levels in diesel, the TX, TS and Titanium. The diesel proved popular helped by the fact it was the exclusive engine choice for AWD variants.

Seven seats were standard on the TS and Titanium or a $2500 option on the base TX. They could also be removed from the TS and Titanium at no cost.

Premium paints (everything except ‘Winter White’) came in at $500 and a factory tow pack cost $550 (giving the Territory a towing capacity of 750kg unbraked, 1600kg braked).

A ‘heavy duty’ tow pack could be fitted, boosting the max braked towing capacity to 2700kg.

The ‘Duratorq’ 2.7-litre engine produced 140kW/440Nm and was developed by Ford’s European division to serve in various Land Rover, Jaguar and Citroen models since 2004.

The engine was manufactured by Ford in Europe, but made mainly for other brands.

The 140kW version employed in the Terriotry also served in the Land Rover Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport.

The V6 diesel Territory has a timing belt instead of the timing chain available on the 4.0L petrol variants, making for an expensive service to replace it every 80,000km.

For common problems experienced by V6 diesel-engine Territories, check out our Ford Territory problems page, although many major Territory complaints had been rectified by the time the diesel engine had launched in the SZ.

After a quick sift through there and various owner’s forums it seems the most common anecdotal problem reported by owners for diesel models is the occasional failure of the ZF-sourced six-speed torque converter auto.

There were also several recalls issued for sensor issues, so if you’re considering a used Territory diesel, ensure that work has been completed.

Diesel Territory used prices are estimated to be around $25,100 - $36,400 according to industry body, Glasses, although models with higher than average kilometres have dropped well below $10,000 according to a search of used Territory diesels for sale on Autotrader.

Ford Territory diesel specs

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