Ford Territory News

Bill Ford will deliver the keynote address to the 2012 Mobile World Congress on February 27 in Barcelona, Spain, outlining the company's future vision for smart transportation and personal mobility.Mr Ford will be the first automotive leader to deliver a keynote address to the Mobile World Congress which is among the world's most influential mobile technology events.He will discuss how technology and innovation can enhance personal freedom and mobility despite increasing vehicle populations and rapid urbanisation.The address follows announcement at Detroit motor show that Ford will invest a further $103 million in clean technology and additional upgrades across the locally-produced Falcon and Territory lines.The investment could enhance the competitiveness of Falcon and Territory by further reducing CO2 emissions and improving Falcon's safety profile. The upgraded models will be launched in 2014 and will take Falcon through to at least the end of 2016.

Hundreds of new and updated cars arrive in Australia each year but only one is good enough to make the honour role for Carsguide COTY.This time around the prize fight is tougher than ever, with new arrivals for 2011 covering every size and price class, from the ordinary Chery J1 from China to the exotic Ferrari 458 Italia from Italy. Neither of them makes the COTY cut, but that's another story ...The reach for COTY 2011 contenders actually stretches back to the final months of last year, to include a couple of cars that just missed the 2011 cutoff, and this time around the newcomers must have hit showrooms by December 1.So, unfortunately, the all-new Toyota Camry is a non-starter. It's the same for the make-or-break four-cylinder Falcon.But the class of 2011 covers all the bases, from affordable mini cars through family and prestige cars to a hot new coupe. The hopefuls come from Europe, Asia and Japan, as well as right home in Australia.Setting the field for 2011 was not easy, particularly with the outgoing champion - the Volkswagen Polo - still casting a considerable shadow.But each of the COTY judges, who cover the Carsguide contenders and drive them in all conditions from coast to coast, has called up their personal favourites from Alfa Romeo through to Volkswagen to help guide the selection process.Then it is the final cull by the COTY veterans to produce the top 10 for a gruelling two-day shootout to consider everything from design and safety through to value and their driving ability on a wide range of roads from Ford's You Yangs proving ground to freeways, suburban streets and gravel roads on the outskirts of Melbourne.The field is set, the race is about to be run, but we cannot get ahead of ourselves.So here are the 10 COTY contenders ... now it's over to the judges: 

Few cars polarized Carsguide opinion like the Ford Territory turbodiesel.Comments for the big SUV were all over the road, from "dated, but effective" to "it's a bus".The 2.7-litre engine takes a moment to overcome more than two-tonnes of mass either from standstill or when accelerating around town. Get it up to speed, though, and it's hard to criticise the ride.There's some body roll when it is pitched into a corner ... but few drivers are going to drive the seven-seater that hard with their family on board. The SZ range also has an anti-rollover function linked to the stability control, so tipping the Territory should take some doing.The features in the Titanium model are extensive, from a hi-res touchscreen for the satnav, sound and Bluetooth functions to an Alpine DVD player with a pair of headphones for the first row of rear seat occupants.There are more efficient turbodiesels on the market but you will also pay more for them in this segment.The Territory is the grand old lady of the Ford fleet and continues to defy its age (it was launched in 2004) by selling strongly. That appeal earned it a spot in the field, but it couldn't keep up with the smart young things it was stacked up against.Ford Territory Titanium AWDPrice: $63,240Engine: 2.7-litre turbodiesel, 140kW/440NmTransmission: Six-speed automaticThirst: 9.0 litres/100km, 236g/km CO2.

In its report into running costs of cars in 2011, the combined automobile clubs - including the NRMA, RACQ and RACV - says the new Ford Territory seven-seat diesel 4WD costs $265.83 a week to own and run - only $16.79 a week more than a Holden Commodore Omega. The report refutes much of the myths about 4WDs in city conditions, including being "gas guzzlers" when it comes to fuel economy. The Territory gets a more frugal 8.8 litres/100km compared with the Commodore's 9.1 L/100km. People who complain about the size of an SUV may not be aware that the Territory is 20mm shorter than the Commodore. It's one of the reasons why 4WD sales are still bucking the 2.8 per cent slide in the overall vehicle market and is the only sector of the industry to post a gain - albeit a small 0.8 per cent - in year-to-date October 2011 data published last week by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. In the calendar year to October, 22,913 4WDs have been bought by Australians compared with 45,314 passenger cars. The outlook for 4WD - including SUVs - sales remains strong, says accountancy group KPMG in its "Global Automotive Executive Survey" of 2011. "With rising oil costs and fears over future supplies, it's no real surprise that fuel efficiency is considered to be the single biggest factor for consumers when buying a vehicle, although its importance has declined significantly relative to the 2009 and 2010 surveys," the survey says. "Interestingly, despite a heightened focus on the `green agenda', less than a third of respondents cited `environmental friendliness' as `extremely important', suggesting that buyers are driven more by their bank balance than their conscience." To civil engineer and Mercedes-Benz owner Murray Dixon, his new Ford Territory diesel is "the best car I've ever driven". "For driving enjoyment, power, torque, comfort and just the general feel of the car, it's outstanding," he says.  "It's really my wife's (Valerie) car. We bought it because we have 10 grandchildren and, of course, we don't have them all in the car at the same time but the three rows of seats gives plenty of room and, when they're not being used, we can carry a lot of cargo." Mr Dixon says he and his wife looked at other SUVs - "My wife was keen on a BMW" - but he says the Ford was the right balance of price and features.

Ford has taken out three of the six categories in the CarsGuide People’s Choice award.

Married with a daughter (who is also a Ford fan), Mr Watson currently has an FPV GT 335 sedan, the latest in a long line of Ford products."We have had around 20 Fords - various models, not just Falcons - after some Holdens. We have had many Fords, one has followed the other ever since and we have no plans to change camps," he says.Mr Watson looks at the red versus blue rivalry as something that is now generational. "When it started it was Moffat versus Brock and has grown since then to have people either red or blue, now we're talking second and third generation fans as children follow their parents," he says.The family has had an FPV GT since April - the supercharged 335kW version - and now wouldn't have anything else. "I absolutely love it, the supercharged V8 has plenty of power - we use it for normal road work, not track days, we don't push it that hard, but it has plenty of poke for overtaking," he says."We're also restoring an old XB Falcon - a full bare-metal restoration - with 393 stroker V8, that will sit proudly next to the new GT," he says.A big shed and a tolerant wife are two key ingredients to Daryl Leaker's impressive stable of Holden product. The 1998 HSV Senator Signature 220i shares garage space with a number of Holden, HSV and HDT machines."I've got a very big shed for them all, I've always liked Holdens because my father was a Holden salesman so it is in the blood I guess," he says.Mr Leaker hasn't always just owned Holdens - a Mitsubishi Pajero replaced a Ford Territory recently, but there balance of power has always been to the General, harking back to his formative years with a Holden salesman for a father."It was great when Dad was selling Holdens, I got to drive GTR XU-1s and 327 Monaros when they were brand new," he says. "When I turned 21 I bought myself an HQ GTS coupe and got some discount through my father, I wish I still had that car as well."The HSV shares shed space with a VN SS Group A and an HSV Statesman, as well as a HDT VK Brock Commodore SS in silver and an HJ Monaro four-door."I'll always be a Holden fan - I think I'd die of shock if the missus came home in an FPV GT," he says.

The campaign targets models sold between June 2011 to July 2011. The recall is for a defect that allows the fuel return pipe fitted to the vehicle to separate and allow fuel to leak under the vehicle. Ford will write to owners of affected vehicles. Owners are advised to contact their authorised dealership for inspection and rectification. For further information, contact any authorised Ford Dealer or Ford's Customer Relationship Centre on 1800 503 672.

Huge demand for the popular compact resulted in it outselling the benchmark Holden Commodore, Australia's favourite car for nearly two decades, with a record 4212 deliveries last month.

..has cleared some of the storm clouds swirling around Ford Australia. Dismal sales of the flagship Falcon and its SUV twin the Territory since the start of the year led to a backlog of more than 3000 unsold cars at Ford's Broadmeadows manufacturing facility, as well as questions about the future of the plant itself. But the newly updated family SUV is finally gaining traction, with official industry sales figures, due later today, expected to show that Ford sold more than 1500 Territorys in June. The Territory figure is the best in several years and well ahead of the 480 sold in May, while the Falcon sedan has also found renewed support with buyers. Overall, the official sales figures for June are expected to show the compact Mazda3 was Australia's favourite car, with an estimated 4000 deliveries enough to trump perennial sales leader the Holden Commodore for top spot. Mazda's June performance saw it recover much of the ground lost since the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March, which disrupted supplied to many Japanese brands, including Mazda. But total sales are still down on the same time last year as a result of softer consumer confidence. The Ford effort will be trumpeted as a major success for the blue oval brand, which was relying on the updated Territory, with a much-needed diesel engine finally under its bonnet, to reverse the bad news since the start of the year, when sales slumped to just 1157 cars. Since then the Falcon has only averaged around 1250 sales, less than a third of the rival Commodore and below the number needed to keep Ford Australia's Broadmeadows car making plant viable. Company chiefs believe local sales could have bottomed in June with the Territory now on the upswing and many buyers going for high- profit top-end models, while Falcon numbers also rallied to more than 1750 cars. With a new LPG model back on the books for Falcon next month, and a visual freshen also coming in the third quarter, the local large car is also set to benefit from Ford's announcement of capped-price servicing from the start of July. Apart from Ford and Mazda, the showroom results for June will also show a significant improvement for Honda, which more than doubled sales of its baby Jazz model off the back of a price cut and value boost during June.

…car makers at this year’s show are bringing out their brightest, biggest and newest to amaze and delight. Here are just some of the highlights: BMW VISION ED: The headliner at the show is a technology hero first, but is also a great looker that points to the future design direction at BMW. FORD TERRITORY: There are plenty of SUVs at the show, and Holden and Mazda have concept utes, but the Aussie wagon is the one to see. It shows Ford’s new design direction and brings an efficient diesel to local car making. HYUNDAI VELOSTER: Fun is returning to the Korean brand, thanks to a compact coupe that looks great and should be better to drive than earlier two-door Hyundais. LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR: Outrageous, outrageous, outrageous. The new Italian stallion looks wicked and has the V12 engine and all-wheel drive to convert show to go. MERCEDES-BENZ SLK: A bright new convertible to wipe away the winter blues. The third-generation SLK is being previewed with the C-Class coupe. TOYOTA FT-86 II: The countdown to Toyota’s make-or-break sports car is into the final stages, with the FT-86 concept now in its second generation. It could wear Celica badges when it hits the road in 2012. SUBARU XV: It could be the next Forester but it’s not. Instead, the XV previews an all-new – and much more youthful – direction for a baby SUV that will be built from the basics of the new Impreza, also at the show. PORSCHE CAYMAN R: The lighter and faster pocket rocket in the Porsche family. The Cayman has been tweaked for speed and hogs the spotlight while Porsche prepares for its all-new 911 this year.