The Ford Territory SUV offers more features than the Ecosport and thus can be an ideal rival to the Creta SUV with increased interior room
Ford has resurrected an old Territory nameplate once again which was previously sold in the Australian market. The new Ford Territory which is actually a compact budget SUV will go on sale in our neighbouring country China soon. However, the Ford Territory which was unveiled recently in China is not the second generation SUV which was once sold in the market of Australia.
This particular SUV was co-developed by Ford and their local joint venture partner, JMC (Jiangling Motors Corporation). Keeping the booming SUV market in mind, there is a fair chance that it might also be launched in India as well to rival the likes of Hyundai Creta. The reports state that although this SUV will be sold in the Chinese market initially, later it will make its way into the Latin American markets as well. It is making public debut at the 2018 Sao Paulo Auto Show in November in Brazil as part of that.
The new SUV is built on JV partner JMC’s low-cost platform and to cut the overall expense, this is the same platform which also underpins the JMC Yusheng S330 crossover. The JMC Yusheng S330 is a compact crossover which debuted at the 2016 Beijing Auto show and was also launched in the same year.
Under the hood, the Ford Territory gets a 1.5-litre EcoBoost turbocharged petrol engine which generates about 142 PS (105 kW) of peak power and 225 Nm of torque. The engine is paired to a CVT transmission. Ford also has plans to introduce a 48V mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options later.
The Territory SUV features plenty of luxurious features including an all LED headlamps towards the front, 18-inch alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof on the outside. Inside the cabin, the SUV will pamper the Chinese customers by offering ventilated and heated seats, 10.25-inch virtual instrument cluster alongside a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
The Ford Territory SUV will go on sale in the Chinese markets by early 2019 and there is a fair chance of making it into the Indian market as well sometimes in the near future. If it does then Ford will position it above the Ecosport SUV to compete directly against the Hyundai Creta.