Ford Territory Trend: The affordable and American-badged mini SUV

The popularity of crossovers is actually driving segment prices down. More and more auto brands are manufacturing it, including China which has one of the world’s lowest production costs due to cheap wages, and a business ecosystem of networked suppliers, component manufacturers, and distributors.

Take for example the China-made Ford Territory 1.5L Ecoboost Trend CVT. This is priced at a very accessible P1.179 million for a crossover from an American automaker that has blessed it with a few top-notch features.

It comes out longer, wider, and with a bigger wheelbase than the more premium, Taiwan-made 2015 Ford Escape 1.6 SE EcoBoost, which was priced P311,000 more five years ago.

What else does it offer aside from a great price point? Read on to find out.

The façade of the Ford Territory looks more premium with its gloss-black mesh grille instead of the familiar two-bar design used by the EcoSport and the Everest, and the slightly raked angle gives it a fresher look.

It has LED (light-emitting diode) headlamps, LED daytime running lamps, auto on/off headlamps with Follow-Me-Home feature, front and rear fog lamps with a new housing design with a chrome trim à la the Explorer, and LED taillights.

Its sides appear more sensual with deep curves along the character line and the rocker panel that pairs very nicely with the slightly flared wheel arches.

The windshield is also raked for higher aerodynamic efficiency as the roof slopes to the back straight into its rear spoiler.

Its tailgate takes after the styling of the Explorer with the chrome bar spanning the middle of the hatch right between the taillights.

The Trend sits on 17-inch alloy wheels matched to 235/55 R17 tires. It has variable intermittent windshield wipers, power-adjustable and heated sideview mirrors with turn indicators, body color door handles, rear windshield wipers, panoramic moonroof, rear spoiler, shark’s fin antenna, and roof rails.

It comes with a MacPherson multi-link independent front and rear suspension, vented disc brakes in front and solid disc brakes at the rear, and electric power-assisted steering. Ground clearance is 180mm.

The power unit is driven to the front wheels via a 1.5L EcoBoost engine derived from the JX4G15 four-cylinder gas turbo engine of the Yusheng S330, which is the vehicle that it is based on from JMC (Jiangling Motors Co., Ltd.) Yusheng. So, this is not the same EcoBoost engine of the Ford Focus or Ford Escape.

Engine output of 141hp and 225Nm of torque is then sent to a CVT (continuously variable transmission) with Sport mode. Fuel tank capacity is 52 liters.

Access to the five-seater cabin is via a smart keyless entry system with Push-Button Start.

The interior offers a 3.5-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor in the instrument panel, steering wheel column with tilt adjustment, power windows, cabin pollen air filters with activated carbon, six-way manually-adjustable driver’s seat, four-way manually adjustable front passenger’s seat, and six speakers.

Buyers of the Trend will lose out of some of the Titanium’s cabin features like the 10-inch fully digital display in the instrument panel with three selectable themes, cabin pollen and PM (particulate matter) 2.5 filter with activated carbon, ambient lighting with seven color options, heated and cooled front seats, the 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and wireless charging.

They will have the benefit of perforated leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel with mounted controls, power door locks with central locking system, speed-sensing door locks, a 10-inch touchscreen with adjustable quad view, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, four USB ports (one data and three charging ports), auto dimming rearview mirrors with a high mount USB port, air-conditioning with automatic temperature control and second row air vents, driver and passenger sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors, sunglasses holder, leather-covered center console with dual-lid opening, seven cup and bottle holders (one in the first row, two in the second row, and four on the door trims), luggage tonneau cover, trunk light, and an auxiliary 12V power outlet.

The Trend’s safety, security, and driver-assist features are only limited to cruise control, rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, tire pressure monitoring system with individual tire pressure display, electronic stability control, anti-lock braking system, electronic brakeforce distribution, traction control, hill launch assist, six airbags (driver, front passenger, side, and curtain), two adjustable three-point ELR (emergency locking retractor) seat belts with pre-tensioners in front, three three-point ELR seat belts in the rear, a high-mount stop lamp, and child seat Isofix anchorage points in the second row.

That means drivers will miss out on stuff like adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning, lane departure warning, enhanced active park assist with parallel and perpendicular parking assist, blind spot information system, and a high-definition 360-degree camera that’s exclusive to the Titanium+.

The Ford Territory 1.5L Ecoboost Trend CVT comes in only four colors, Ruby Red, Diffused Silver, Panther Black, and exclusively in Star White.

Service of the Ford Territory 1.5L Ecoboost Trend CVT is once a year or every 10,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.

Photos from Ford Philippines (images are of the Titanium+ variant)