It’s been almost 10 years since the last Ford Territory rolled off the production line in Australia, ending a 13-year production run which gave local buyers their first true taste of an SUV built for Down Under conditions.
The name has continued on since, having been affixed first to a Chinese-market SUV built in a joint venture, before being applied to exported versions of China’s Ford Equator Sport.
It’s the latter which has now been updated in Brazil and Argentina, receiving a facelift three years after making its debut. Built in China, the new Territory has received exterior updates to align it with other Ford products.
This includes new L-shaped LED headlights (reminiscent of the design on the North American Maverick ute), a reprofiled black and chrome grille, and refreshed bumpers at the front and rear. A new-look set of 19-inch wheels fill the guards, though 18-inch alloys are also available.
Inside, Ford Brazil claims the Territory offers “the largest space in the category for rear seat passengers”, and has now gained an improved finish as well as grey and brown seats.
Brazilian examples are powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, which develops 124kW and 250Nm, driving the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Argentinian versions of the Territory get a 1.8-litre engine, stepping up to 136kW and 320Nm.
Measuring 4630mm long, 1935mm wide and 1706mm tall, the Territory is about 310mm shorter, 12mm narrower and sits 135mm lower than a Ford Everest, which has become the de facto successor to the Australian-built Territory locally.
More than 5000 examples of the Territory were sold in Brazil last year, with prices for the sole pre-update grade starting from R$215,000 (A$60,265). In Argentina, the updated Territory will be priced from P$41,700,000 (A$55,140) to P$48,600,000 (A$64,266).
For context, the Australian-built Territory had list prices ranging from $38,490 to $57,740 before on-road costs in 2016, with buyers given the choice of a rear-wheel drive 4.0-litre straight-six petrol engine (the Barra), and a rear- or all-wheel drive 2.7-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.
Between its introduction in 2003 and the final examples departing showrooms in 2018, Ford Australia delivered 178,213 examples of the Territory locally, while it was also sold in New Zealand, Thailand and South Africa.
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