Ford Territory 2006 News

What have been the most significant Australian cars since January 1, 2000 so far? With the first 25 years of the 21st century now out of the way, we rate the 10 most important models that left their mark, or came into their own afterwards.

And it's nearly ready for the road, judging from these shots of a car undergoing testing in regional Victoria.  Alert Carsguide reader Dave Fairley spotted this test mule at a service station in Bright and was quick enough to snap a few frames before it could drive off. The car bra camouflage can't mask the new front and rear styling, complete with projector-style twin headlights.  "The guy driving it wasn't too upset by me taking photos, but he wouldn't confirm or deny what it was," Fairley says. The Territory had a minor makeover in February with the release of the SY Series II, but that was primarily a mechanical tweak to revise the suspension — and address owners' complaints about excessive ball-joint wear. This version promises a major overhaul, inside and out. Ford has already announced it will fit a Jaguar-sourced 2.7-litre V6 turbodiesel.  The diesel engine's output should be comparable with the turbocharget petrol model, but fuel consumption should drop to around 8 litres for 100km, well down on the petrol's 11.6litres/100km. Ford's production communications manager Neil McDonald says the dealers are desperate to get the new model into showrooms.  "There's a lot of expectation about this car, especially with the diesel engine," he says. "It will keep typical Territory buyers happy and should open up a new market for us."  The Territory has been the backbone of local production for Ford after the Falcon suffered from the move away from large cars. It has recently been overtaken by the Captiva in the SUV sales race, but sales will surge when the new model goes on sale in March or April next year.

Ball joints are under the spotlight with a promise that suspect parts will be replaced, free of charge, if there is significant wear.  Ford Australia stresses that the new move is not a recall, or a pointer to a recall, but comes as it continues an engineering investigation into customer complaints about front-suspension failures.Every Territory built from early 2004 until the introduction of a revised model at the start of 2009, which has a different ball joint design, is covered. "If anyone has concerns they should take the car into a dealership for inspection and, if necessary, the ball joints will be replaced free-of-charge," says Ford spokesperson, Sinead McAlary."This is so we can manage the wear. Obviously, if a new part is fitted there will not be any wear for some time." The difference with the new deal is there is no cost.  "Previously, if the car was under warranty it was covered, and if it was out of warranty it was taken case-by-case with a contribution of 50 to 100 per cent."  Ford has been investigating ball joint troubles on the Territory for more than a year and following a major campaign by the Carsguide on behalf of worried owners.The company says there is no recall but it is continuing its work on the problem.  It has been monitoring the Territory parts for some time on cars coming to dealerships for routine service work."This is not a recall. What we’re doing is making a lot of progress on our studies," says McAlary."We are getting to the root cause and looking for the long-term solution."But Ford now admits there is a significant problem.  "Ford is aware that some customers have experienced wear-and-tear issues with the ball joints on their Territory. The majority of instances of excessive wear on the ball joint have been discovered and rectified by Ford dealers during routine servicing," McAlary says."However, as a result of significant wear on the ball joint, a small number of customers have experienced ball joint separation while undertaking low-speed, high-steering-effort manoeuvres. This will only take place if the ball joint in question has worn to a significant degree."McAlary says a long-term solution is close and Ford is committed to doing the right thing by Territory owners.  "We take the safety and ongoing peace-of-mind of our customers very seriously and are undertaking a detailed engineering investigation to determine any potential root cause to the issue that has been reported."We have an engineering team working on the issue as quickly as possible and are investigating the issue thoroughly."

Q: Who does this recall affect?A: Owners of all non-turbo Ford Territory vehicles built between February 1 2004 and December 31 2008Q Why did Ford make the recall?A: Following Carsguide reader letters to Ask Smithy guru Graham Smith complaining about brake failures in Territory and Falcons Carsguide contacted Ford. Ford began an investigation and has now decided to recall the Territory.Q: What if I own a Falcon?A: While they are not part of the recall Graham Smith and Ford have advised concerned owners of 2003-onwards Falcons to contact your dealer and have your car checked overQ: What should I do if I own a Territory?A: Contact your nearest authorised Ford dealer to make arrangements to have your vehicle rectified. The front brake hoses will be replaced free of charge by Ford. Ford Australia will be contacting customers via mail and advertising in daily newspapers in order to reach all customers.Q: What is wrong with the cars?A: Ford says it has determined that under certain conditions it is possible for the vehicle to develop a front brake fluid leak, which can result in reduced braking effectiveness from the front brakes. It says the rear braking system will still stop the car. And it says that a warning light will appear on the instrument cluster to alert the driver that the vehicle's braking system requires attention.Q: Will I lose all braking control?A: No, Ford says that under Australian Design Rules the front and rear brakes are independently controlled. So if one fails the other will stop the car.Q How many cars are affected?The recall affects 83,534 Territorys in Australia, 7739 in New Zealand, 3612 in South Africa and about 60 in Thailand and Brunei.Related stories: Ford Territory recall - carsguide.com.auFirst look: 2009 Ford TerritoryToyota Kluger Vs Ford Territory GOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR CAR? - Carsguide Car Advice

The recall affects 83,534 Territorys in Australia, 7739 in New Zealand, 3612 in South Africa and about 60 in Thailand and Brunei.Details of the defect were uncovered by Carsguide after more than 15 customers reported brake failures to our Ask Smithy guru, Graham Smith.Ask Smithy, Daily Telegraph, March 27, 2009.Carsguide answers your questions about the Ford Territory recallThe recall affects the bulk of Territorys on the road, built between February 1 2004 and December 31, 2008.Territory Turbo, Territory Ghia Turbo and the FPV F6X are not included in the recall.Ford Australia spokeswoman, Sinead McAlary, said the problem had affected less than 2 per cent of vehicles but the company was recalling most Territorys to replace the hosesMcAlary said the issue was isolated to the Territory and did not affect Falcon models.The problem relates to the front brake hose, which can wear through, leading to leaking brake fluid that could render the brakes almost useless.Ford is fitting all Territorys with replacement hoses that are stronger and longer, McAlary said.An official Ford statement said that the the rear braking system will still bring the vehicle to a halt within Australian Design Rule requirements. If the vehicle continues to be operated in this condition, a warning light will appear on the instrument cluster to alert the driver that the vehicle's braking system requires attention, the statement said.McAlary said that a Ford investigation had shown that a combination of high mileage on the vehicles, along with frequent cornering at full steering lock, could lead to a problem with the brakes.She said any customers with concerns are advised to contact their nearest Ford Dealer to make arrangements to have their vehicle rectified.The front brake hoses will be replaced free of charge.Related stories:First look: 2009 Ford TerritoryToyota Kluger Vs Ford TerritoryGOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR CAR? - Ask 'The Guide'

There has been a rash of locally developed high-performance off-roaders such as the Ford Territory FPV F6 and Toyota's HiLux TRD. Now Holden Special Vehicles is looking to get in on the act.

Monday's announcement that Ford would reduce output from its Broadmeadows plant was not an excuse for the company to cull its workforce, he said."It hasn't been determined that there need be any jobs cut," Mr Jones said. "Some voluntary redundancies are likely but we'll be working to see that anyone who needs a job can keep a job."Ford workers would meet next week to approve the company's enterprise bargaining agreement and discuss the threat to jobs, Mr Jones said.Co-ordinating rostered days off so that the plant could be shut down, taking accumulated leave and adopting a nine-day fortnight were all measures the union would be proposing to minimise actual job losses."We haven't even started talking with Ford about those yet," he said.On Monday, Ford announced a slowdown of its assembly line to reduce output to 360 vehicles a day from 450.It is the second time this year Ford has responded to falling demand for its Falcon large sedan and Territory SUV, after slowing output from 520 vehicles a day in February.Ford Australia president Tom Gorman said the company was looking at other cost-saving measures, but some jobs would have to go."We haven't announced numbers but I want to stress it is not a linear thing," Mr Gorman said. "If our production capacity is coming down 20 per cent the workforce reduction would not be similar. We're working through all our alternatives and not taking a slash and burn mentality."We are still evaluating all other cost reduction initiatives. It will take two or three weeks before we can finalise those and we aren't in a position to discuss them at the moment."Ford's plan to develop and export the next model Falcon, due in 2008, would not be affected, Mr Gorman said. The business case for the car, codenamed Orion, had already been based on a smaller market share for locally made large cars, he said."When we look at our next round of models we've already adjusted. We had a certain set of assumptions for volume and we have adjusted those already."I don't think large cars will ever again be a 20 per cent plus segment. If it's in the neighbourhood of 15 per cent you have a marketplace where you can make something of it. Add exports and you have a viable business," he said.The catalyst for the cuts came when large car sales did not recover as much as anticipated in August and September despite the arrival of the new VE Commodore and Toyota Camry.Mr Gorman said Ford had been looking forward to the VE regenerating interest in the large car segment."When people get interested in a segment they go out and do comparative shopping — and that suits us because we've got a very competitive product," he said.Large cars sales could still recover if petrol prices stabilised."I still think it's too early to say it's not going to bounce back. I don't know whether it's a residual effect of petrol prices. Clearly petrol prices have backed up quite a bit — which is good."

1. What does the Territory Turbo, which you have just unveiled, bring to the Ford brand?"It meets a customer demand for a top-of-the-end performance derivative of the Territory."It also has a high level of luxury with a sports orientation, and delivers that in a refined way."2. Is the Territory doing the job for Ford?"We expected the Territory would be successful in the marketplace because we were delivering a product the customer really asked for. We spent a lot of time understanding what the customer wanted, in a cross between a car and a sports utility vehicle."We were confident that we understood what they wanted from us. The marketplace has decided that we have met the epxections and we're really happy with the sales."3. How has the success of the Territory helped Ford Australia, on the global scene?"It has continued to demonstrate to the larger global Ford organisation that we have full product development capabilities in Australia and can deliver great products."So it is a further demonstration of our capability in Australia."4. The successors to the current Falcon and Territory have just been approved. How important is that?"It is clearly really important to secure the future of Ford Australia and its employees. And that continues to secure the future for the short and medium term. "So it's also good for Ford and also for Australia."5. Is there still a future for traditional Aussie family cars, despite the sales slide we have seen with the rising cost of fuel?"Absolutely. It will continue to be a really important segment for the Ford Motor Company."The share that large cars achieve of the total industry has fallen over time, but because the industry has been growing the volume has been pretty constant. "It is still hard to say is we are seeing a major shift over the last six to eight months, or just an abberation."In any case, clearly we expect the large car segment to be a really important segment."6. What should we read into the approval for a left-hand drive program with future Falcon and Territory?"We don't have approval for left-hand drive, but we have reached agreement with the Federal Government for research into left-hand drive. We don't have corporation approval."Clearly it's something we're putting engineering resources into and it's something we hope to get approved in the future."

Call me nosy – as a journalist I prefer curious or inquisitive.With the advertising for the Territory focusing on how unlike a truck it was – I was initially dismayed, I wanted the truck – I wanted to be sitting higher and able to look down.First things first – I wanted the mums at school to check out my rig and give me envious looks.Monday morning and the household student had a first-class ride through the school gates right up to the office – no bus for her. Private schools are not the best place to employ this tactic – there are luxury cars and 4WDs everywhere so I didn't stand out too much.We did stand out at the airport, though. After collecting our visitor, piling her luggage into the 4WD was never an issue.Neither was fitting anything else in – the Territory has more than 30 storage spaces and mega-room with the optional third row of seats down – there are storage solutions to rival Ikea.The problem lies with the fact I am not known for my fantastic co-ordination – and the split tail-gate did nothing but highlight this. Push a button on one side and you can split the tail opening rather than opening it as a whole with the button on the opposite side.So, the top pops up – and Sam wears a crack in her head as she tries to work out what's going on. Nah ... really it didn't hurt ... much, because I am a tough almost-truckie now.I say almost because it really is like driving a car. The steering isn't heavy and it doesn't take two days to hit 60km/h with the six-speed auto.You almost don't think about how big it actually is while driving along until someone points it out – or it slaps you in the face. I never had to worry too much about tree branches in my low-to-the-ground regular car, so I didn't think too much about driving with the windows down while being so high up.Until I did get hit in the face with a few leaves and a twig large enough to sting a little.As passengers laughed, I used the steering-wheel controls to turn the music up to drown out my hoarsely whispered cursing.I didn't realise just how roomy the Territory was inside until sitting in the car parked outside a friend's place.As I sat in the passenger seat for a different perspective, I could almost have been in another room.Reverse parking was the only real issue I had with the Territory – and there was no pain involved.While manoeuvring into a parking space, there are a couple of blind spots, but you are kindly helped out with the reversing sensors that bleep when an object is near.Reluctantly handing the keys back – I knew I was going to be one of those who needs to keep her own car clean as the other nosy 4WD-ers look down on me at the traffic lights.I also managed to hit my head getting in and out of my own car – not having the extra room.LOVE IT LEAVE ITFord TerritoryPrice: $51,330LOVE ITBeing able to peer down on everyone.Not feeling speed bumps.Surprising fuel economyStorage – a place for everything.LEAVE ITThe reversing alarm sensitivity.Blind spots.Split rear tailgate.

Seen as a crucial gap-filler for GM Holden's line-up and a head-to-head competitor with Ford's market-dominating Territory, the Captiva is a mid-sized machine, which will launch with a 3.2-litre Holden V6 engine.It is expected to be on sale in Australia in the second half of this year with diesel and four-cylinder engines on the horizon.Details of the local Captiva are still a little sketchy, but GM Holden confirms it will be available as a five- and seven-seater with an "active" (part-time) four-wheel-drive system, which feeds on-demand drive to rear wheels.GM Holden chairman Denny Mooney says there was extensive Australian input into the Captiva project that "covers the outside, inside and underneath to ensure it looks, feels and drives as a Holden should"."This has been a missing link in our product line-up," Mooney says.The Geneva show was the launching pad for new models ranging from production-ready family cars to exotic concepts.Saab stole a good deal of the limelight with its Aero X concept, which not only shows a new life in the Swedish manufacturer's design department but also highlights a new direction for green technology.Fitted with a BioPower turbo V6 engine that produces 298kW, it is being trumpeted as a hero car for the bio-fuel movement.The Aero X is also a looker and Saab has tapped its aircraft roots to add a fighter-style cockpit canopy which does away with doors, opening windows and even windscreen pillars. "It represents our vision of what a high-performance car from Saab could look like," says Anthony Lo, the director of advanced design for General Motors Europe. The Concept A on the VW stand is a good example of an idea getting very close to a production future.Rumours abound about a Golf-based small SUV under development at Volkswagen and the Concept A fits that scenario to a T. The concept combines a sleek coupe-style silhouette with the raised stance of an SUV.The drive train is VW's tried-and-tested 4MOTION system while the engine is at the cutting edge of the company's combined use of turbo and supercharger technology. A production schedule for the Concept A could become reality in months.Kia's sleek SUV concept, the Cee'd, is based on the company's C-segment passenger model which start production in Slovakia in December. European Design Centre chief designer Gregory Guillaume says the concept was "the starting point for the new design DNA for Kia". Cee'd incorporates a mixture of designs from the Sorento SUV to the small Picanto.On the more extreme end of the SUV scale sits niche Dutch manufacturer Spyker's D12 Super SUV. Powered by a W12 engine the Spyker retains the marque's trademark sportscar lines but sits on seriously puffed suspension. Staying in a luxury vein, Rolls Royce has again produced an "experimental" car in the 101EX. The car has been hand-built to "explore a potential design direction for a future coupe model".The 101EX uses the same lightweight aluminium construction that was developed for the Phantom, although the body is shorter by 240mm.Ferrari has unveiled its replacement for the 575M Maranello in the shape of the 599GTB. The Modena maestros have not spared the horses in the sleek-bodied 599 using the 485kW 6.0-litre V12 derived from the Enzo supercar powerplant and already in use in the 612. With its lightweight aluminium chassis and body, the 599 GTB promises to be an absolute rocket. It will be on sale in Europe about the middle of the year.GM has shown it hasn't given up on the idea of a successful soft-top model with the unveiling of the Opel GT. There is no indication of how far through the GM family the GT will spread but indications are that it will remain left-hand drive only.Mazda has revealed its Mazda3 MPS, following the success of its Mazda6 MPS and continuing on its promise to have a performance car in every model.Unlike its larger sibling, the 3MPS will not get an all-wheel drive platform, and will stay front-wheel drive. That should make the promised 186kW output an interesting test for Mazda's suspension engineers.It hasn't taken long for Alfa Romeo to follow up its Brera sedan with an even more delicious spider version of the car.The Brera Spider will be in production before the middle of the year.