Take your family adventure to the next level with the Ford Territory. Enjoy comfort, luxury, and a head-turning design on the road.
Ford Territory facelift during a family getaway to the Waterberg in Limpopo. Picture: Shaun Holland/The Citizen
I am an avid lover of the outdoors, enjoying the peaceful allure of nature and all that it has to offer, but my wife and daughter on the other hand, don’t like everything that comes with outdoor adventures, such as bugs and the effort that comes with camping.
But this week Ford managed to change their minds when we got behind the wheel of the facelifted Territory, as we embarked on a weekend getaway to Waterberg, deep in the heart of Limpopo province.
This wasn’t just any regular camping getaway, it was a family adventure to a luxury glamping experience.
Not much has changed on the Territory, it still uses the 1.8 litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine with a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox but the exterior, specifically the front of the vehicle has a stunning new design that turns heads.
The ideal vehicle for family getaways
As we prepped for our journey to Limpopo, one thing stood out for me and that was the sheer size of the boot.
As a family of four, we were all able to pack a decent amount of luggage into our bags to ensure that we were comfortable for the weekend.
This included four small suitcases, a cooler box, a picnic basket and swimming accessories as well as all our groceries for the adventure.
This made the journey more comfortable for my kids in the rear seats because they didn’t need to share leg room with any additional luggage.
The 448 litre boot gave us ample space for all our cargo and if need be you can expand that space to 1422 litres ny folding the rear seats down.
The journey from Johannesburg to Vaalwater in Limpopo is not an easy one.
For us it was a 290 kilometre journey which took us just three and a half hours to complete and the comfort level in the Ford Territory made the journey seem like a walk in the park.
The black and orange leather clad interior was extremely comfortable and it gave the cabin a premium feel.
An added bonus was that the colour scheme tied in well with the Outrageous green colour of the paint, yes, that’s the actual name of the colour.
And if the cabin feels too dark for your liking, all you need to do is open up the blind on the twin-panel moonroof.
You need not worry about the safety of your family
If the safety of your family is your number one priority on the long road, then you will feel at ease in the Territory.
The first thing I did when I got into the car was seamlessly connect my phone to Android Auto.
This helped me keep my focus on the road while the GPS was displayed on the 12-inch digital touchscreen.
The vehicle also features other driver assist tech such as blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control that gave me the freedom to feel more relaxed while driving.
The vehicle also has a number of USB ports to keep the entire family’s devices charged on the long road, so even if your kids deplete their batteries before the end of the journey.
There are two C-type ports in the rear for them to use and an additional two USB ports in the front of the car for mum and dad to use. Plus you have the added option of using wireless charging.
That’s not all though, there is an additional USB port tucked away under the rear view mirror in case you have a dash camera mounted on your windscreen.
Once we got closer to our destination we left the tar road to travel eight kilometres on a dirt road that was a bit rocky on some sections and very sandy on others, but this change in terrain didn’t challenge the Territory at all.
Although the family car was fitted with 19-inch alloys that looked the part, the tyre was not such a low profile that it risked us sustaining any damage.
The suspension also performed much better than I thought on this terrain.
The view from our deck made the journey all worth it. I only wish our stay at the AfriCamps could have been longer because I love it when my family has a good time.
