Ford juggles to ease price pain

The Territory now has a turbo diesel option in all models, using an engine from Jaguar-Land Rover. Photo / Supplied

The price of the new-look Ford Territory range in New Zealand is "hopefully" going to be announced next week, says Ford NZ corporate affairs chief Tom Clancy.

"They [executives] are working on the price as we speak," he said. "But I have no indication of where they are at."

The heavily facelifted Territory line-up is priced in Australia from A$39,990 to A$63,240 - or roughly $54,000 to $85,400 on this side of the Tasman. Blame the Australian dollar, now stronger than the US dollar.

The Territory will go on sale here next month, and Ford NZ executives are crunching the numbers to ease the pain of the Australian-NZ cross rate, described by one Ford executive as "scary".

The same thing happened last year with Ford Performance Vehicles. FPV's supercharged 5-litre V8 GT was listed in Australia at A$71,290, or around $93,000 at the time. Ford NZ eventually settled on a GT price of $86,990 - $6000 less than the exchange rate equation.

It wanted to make the GT as competitive as possible, if only to highlight the V8's 335kW/570Nm output against the 325kW/550Nm of the 6.2-litre V8 GTS from arch rival Holden Special Vehicles.

It wants to make Territory competitive, too, especially now that it has a turbo-diesel option across the rear-drive and all-wheel-drive range - a reworked 2.7-litre V6 oil-burner from Jaguar-Land Rover.

It delivers 140kW of power at 4000rpm and 440Nm between 1900 and 2500 rpm. It meets Euro IV emission regulations and, with more tinkering, is expected to pass more stringent Euro V tests later in the production cycle.

Ford says the diesel Territory has a cruising range of at least 1000km. It claims combined fuel use of 8.2 litres/100km (34mpg) for rear-wheel-drive variants, and 8.8 litres/100km (32mpg) for heavier all-wheel-drive models.

The diesel unit joins the long-serving 4-litre straight-six petrol engine that carries over from the current model but has a new cylinder head and inlet manifold.

It delivers the same 195kW/391Nm as before but picks up fuel savings of a claimed 12 per cent for official town-and-around consumption of 10.6 litres/100km, or 26mpg.

The petrol unit is limited to rear-drive models, the diesel goes into RWD and AWD. Towing capacity is up, from 2300kg to 2700kg.

All-wheel-drive models also get a new active transfer case that Ford says can detect slip before it occurs and shuffle torque between the front and rear axles to compensate.

The previous model had a constant 37:63 front/rear torque split.

The six-speed automatic transmission fitted to current higher-spec models is now standard across the range and features normal, performance and manual shift modes.

Ford says it put much work into reducing cabin noise. It benchmarked diesel versions of the BMW X5 and Land Rover Discovery4, and says the diesel Territory trumps both for in-cabin quietness.

Modifications to help quieten diesel chatter include a thicker windscreen, better insulation, and a flat under-body shield that also helps aerodynamics.

A new power-assisted steering system increases steering feel, says Ford, and stiffer springs and anti-roll bars add control without sacrificing comfort.

There is also a new Bosch electronic stability control system that includes anti-roll-over protection. The addition of a driver's knee airbag means all new Territory models will be fitted with five airbags.

A redesigned dashboard features the latest touch-screen audio, media, navigation and phone technology. The Territory will be available in three spec levels: TS, TX, And Titanium.