Saturday, Mar 08, 2008 at 21:33
Hi all, found this very interesting thread by chance, and no other Territory owners have come forward so far... So here's some info :
I have owned an AWD Territory, middle of the range TS, the current model SY with the 6 speed auto since Feb 2006. It has clocked up 89000km with no problems.
Sorry to be a pain to any die-hard 4wd owners out there who think this is a pretend 4wd. Maybe it is, maybe it doesn't have a full chassis or low range. But I have moved across from owning old school 4wd's and won't be going back any time soon ! It is all a matter of looking at what you want to do with the vehicle and knowing the vehicle's limitations and planning accordingly.
Off road - for a start the Ford is great in soft sand, there is plenty of grunt from the DOHC Falcon inline 6. You just need to turn off traction control and use manual mode to use the power. Hop in and drive in sand with the default traction control setting and you won't move, due to the torque reduction to any wheels that are spinning. Turn it off and you get the benefit of the full rev range... Just take the time and effort to drop your pressures.
Muddy tracks seem fine with traction control and stability control left turned on, there is obviously less wheelspin with the electronic assistance on, but you still have the option of turning DSC and traction control off. For example, the new 4wd park just out of
Beaudesert has some nasty slippery clay tracks that would
test any vehicle. I had much more control in here with traction control left turned on and the vehicle went just fine.
Steep rocky tracks are great going up, a pretty low first gear in the 6 speed auto with plenty of torque, just watch the wheel placement. There are two ways to go here, first you can use the default traction control setting and crawl your way up any very
rock or difficult slopes. Or, turn it off and use momentum +/- wheelspin to get up the slope. I prefer to let the electronics do the work. For example, a washed out and rutted track might see a front wheel lift up, the traction control cuts in and you will hear a loud grinding noise from the ABS system. The computer reduces torque to the spinning wheel(s) and applies the brakes to any wheels it needs to, and then the vehicle moves forward...
Take the average joe in the street, they may never use the vehicle off road and probably have not even read the manual. If they went up a steep slippery track in the vehicle with the default traction control setting on and suddenly hear a loud grinding noise, what do they do ? They back off and think there is something wrong with the vehicle. There isn't, you just need to know how the stsme works, and how to make it work for you. On a really hard bit of track it may take 4-5 seconds before the vehicle regains forward momentum once the ABS and traction control system takes over.
Going down steep tracks without '
hill descent control' needs concentration. being a petrol engine it tends to run away so you need to work with the ABS and control the speed properly.
Snow and ice - last winter here in Tassie we had the usual black ice and slush on the roads on the west coast. You get the occasional electronic intervention happening on frosty mornings. At one time I hit a patch of black ice at about 100km/hr on a supposedly frost free straight stretch of road, and before I knew it the stability control had intervened and corrected the vehicle. I don't think I would have been able to correct the drift manually in a 2wd or part time 4wd without stability control, so that has to be a plus.
Fuel consumption usually averages around 11-13.5 l/100km for normal driving, this obviously depends on how you drive.
Servicing is scheduled for every 15000 km according to the Ford service schedule, which seems a bit too long for me. I have been doing intermediate oil and filter changes every 5000km as a bit of a safeguard.
Tyres : at the moment I am running Cooper Discover ATR's in the standard tyre size 235-60R17. The Goodyear Fortera's that the Territory AWD comes with are a bit too road biased for my liking, though very quiet. The Goodyears have way less tread depth when new, so if you are after tyre wear the Cooper must come out on top. I think they are about $10 cheaper per tyre than the factory specced Goodyears. The Coopers look more resistant to cuts and sharp rocks, but that said the Goodyears will handle plenty of rocky gravel and dirt as long as the pressure is right.
So what's on the list for this vehicle : a weak point as I see it is the large centre muffler which hangs down quite low. I plan to get a muffler
shop to fit a smaller unit and re-route the exhaust from the converter back so it runs closer to the floorpan of the vehicle.
Next, I will fit a set of polyairs to the rear to reduce sag with the camper trailer on the back or when fully loaded. This vehicle has the raised King springs front and rear, so it's a little higher than normal anyway.
A sump guard and transfer case bash plate would be handy, I will make one to fit shortly since the genuine item is only plastic and is at least $400. A little more protection for the oil pan on the transmission is in order as
well.
I have the option of going up one size in tyres to 235-65 r17, but that seems like an expensive option to only gain a few mm by the time you buy 2 + spares etc. Maybe one day, but for now the stock tyre size is fine.
A bullbar would be nice, ECB does a big tube bar for $$$$ but this may affect clearance slightly in the front, I will have to
check this out. The nudge bars available all hang down way too low. The genuine Ford bullbar is $2k+ fitted, once again I will have to see if the clearance at the front is an issue.
So that's a 'quick' rundown on the Ford, sorry to
bore you all. In case anyone is interested I am planning a trip this June/July in the Ford,the itinerary is still pretty open but will include
Menindee lakes,
White cliffs,
Trilby station, Culgoa NP,
Lightning Ridge. The usual
Innamincka, Cam Corner,
Birdsville and Simpson will be in there in some order as
well. Time permitting.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me swisscheeseonrye@dodo.com.au
Cheers,
Matthew
AnswerID:
291680