south59
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- June 30, 2004
- Messages
- 304
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- Houston TX
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 99 5.0
Uncharted Territory
Would be nice over here, eh Mate?
Australia's best-selling soft-roader has been given a turbo boost.
Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW all sell high-performance four-wheel-drives and now Ford does, too.
Ford's Territory off-road-style wagon has added another trick to its repertoire with the unveiling of a turbocharged version at the Melbourne motor show yesterday.
The Territory Turbo is confirmation of Ford's worst kept secret, following the trickle of scant details and grainy pictures of cars undergoing testing in recent months.
With the Falcon XR6 Turbo's turbocharged 4.0-litre six-cylinder beneath its stumpy bonnet, the Territory's regular 190kW (255HP) of power has jumped 29 per cent to 245kW (330HP). Torque from the Turbo is 480Nm, providing an alternative for those chasing V8 performance. When the Territory was released in June 2004, Ford said the Falcon's 5.4-litre V8 didn't fit under its bonnet, sparking speculation of a turbo-powered Territory in the future.
All turbocharged Territorys come with the recently introduced six-speed automatic transmission, also used in various BMWs and Jaguars.
For the extra grunt of the Turbo, customers will be asked to pay a premium of $10,000AUD or so, which brings with it a smattering of added equipment, including a reversing camera.
As well as dual exhausts and 18-inch wheels and tyres (up from the 17-inchers on regular Territorys) the Territory Turbo looks different, with a bonnet scoop to feed air to the intercooler mounted on top of the engine.
Ford engineers - who say the Turbo project was more difficult than "simply slotting an engine in" - opted for a top-mounted intercooler, rather than the front-mounted one on the XR6 Turbo, to protect it from potential scrapes with nature for the handful of drivers who will actually take the wagon off-road.
"The turbo Territory project provided us with many challenges ... it was an extensive engineering project," says Trevor Worthington, Ford Australia's vice-president for product development.
"Our engineers undertook a full development program" to make the most of the turbo.
For now, all Territory Turbos are all-wheel-drive, which means they can cope with light off-road work, although Ford says most will remain in the comfy confines of suburbia.
The 18-inch tyres are claimed to provide greater cornering grip, while bigger brakes aim to more capably halt the extra performance from the two-tonne-plus vehicle. Suspension is unchanged over the regular Territory, although the electronic stability system has been recalibrated for the more powerful engine.
Fuel economy - not a strong point of the Territory - will be worse thanks to the added performance, although Ford is keeping quiet on exactly how much more owners will pay at the bowser.
On sale in June, the Territory Turbo will come in two guises - Turbo and Ghia Turbo. The Turbo is roughly based on the entry-level TX, which sells for $43,990AUD as an all-wheel-drive, so expect a price tag close to $55,000AUD.
The flagship Ghia gets all the leather trimmings as well as more electrics, pushing the price to about $65,000AUD.
Would be nice over here, eh Mate?
Australia's best-selling soft-roader has been given a turbo boost.
Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW all sell high-performance four-wheel-drives and now Ford does, too.
Ford's Territory off-road-style wagon has added another trick to its repertoire with the unveiling of a turbocharged version at the Melbourne motor show yesterday.
The Territory Turbo is confirmation of Ford's worst kept secret, following the trickle of scant details and grainy pictures of cars undergoing testing in recent months.
With the Falcon XR6 Turbo's turbocharged 4.0-litre six-cylinder beneath its stumpy bonnet, the Territory's regular 190kW (255HP) of power has jumped 29 per cent to 245kW (330HP). Torque from the Turbo is 480Nm, providing an alternative for those chasing V8 performance. When the Territory was released in June 2004, Ford said the Falcon's 5.4-litre V8 didn't fit under its bonnet, sparking speculation of a turbo-powered Territory in the future.
All turbocharged Territorys come with the recently introduced six-speed automatic transmission, also used in various BMWs and Jaguars.
For the extra grunt of the Turbo, customers will be asked to pay a premium of $10,000AUD or so, which brings with it a smattering of added equipment, including a reversing camera.
As well as dual exhausts and 18-inch wheels and tyres (up from the 17-inchers on regular Territorys) the Territory Turbo looks different, with a bonnet scoop to feed air to the intercooler mounted on top of the engine.
Ford engineers - who say the Turbo project was more difficult than "simply slotting an engine in" - opted for a top-mounted intercooler, rather than the front-mounted one on the XR6 Turbo, to protect it from potential scrapes with nature for the handful of drivers who will actually take the wagon off-road.
"The turbo Territory project provided us with many challenges ... it was an extensive engineering project," says Trevor Worthington, Ford Australia's vice-president for product development.
"Our engineers undertook a full development program" to make the most of the turbo.
For now, all Territory Turbos are all-wheel-drive, which means they can cope with light off-road work, although Ford says most will remain in the comfy confines of suburbia.
The 18-inch tyres are claimed to provide greater cornering grip, while bigger brakes aim to more capably halt the extra performance from the two-tonne-plus vehicle. Suspension is unchanged over the regular Territory, although the electronic stability system has been recalibrated for the more powerful engine.
Fuel economy - not a strong point of the Territory - will be worse thanks to the added performance, although Ford is keeping quiet on exactly how much more owners will pay at the bowser.
On sale in June, the Territory Turbo will come in two guises - Turbo and Ghia Turbo. The Turbo is roughly based on the entry-level TX, which sells for $43,990AUD as an all-wheel-drive, so expect a price tag close to $55,000AUD.
The flagship Ghia gets all the leather trimmings as well as more electrics, pushing the price to about $65,000AUD.
