V8 doesn’t go with the Territory

FORD’S discontinued Territory Turbo will not be replaced by a performance-leading supercharged V8 model when Australia’s homegrown SUV is upgraded early next year.

Before it was axed as a result of tighter new Euro 4 emissions regulations that came into force on July 1, the Turbo Ghia topped the Territory range at $66,820.

Now, however, the turbocharged crossover wagon, which joined the Territory line-up two years after its 2004 launch in 2006, has met the same fate as FPV’s slow-selling version, the short-lived F6X.

Effectively representing a reversal of the scenario in which Ford developed a turbo-petrol variant of the Territory instead of a turbo-diesel, Ford has now confirmed there will be no replacement for the range-topping Territory Turbo when the facelifted model is released next year.

Instead, as it has already confirmed, Ford Australia will fit a European-sourced 2.7-litre turbo-diesel V6 from Land Rover’s Discovery in the upgraded 2011 Territory, which will also receive major interior and exterior revisions for the first time next year.

Ford has also announced that an all-new ‘Coyote’ V8 will represent a belated replacement for the discontinued 5.4-litre Boss V8 that powered XR8 and FPV models.



As we’ve reported, GoAuto has learned the new supercharged 5.0-litre V8, which is yet to emerge in Australia, will be available in three states of tune: an entry-level version delivering 315kW in the upcoming 2010 XR8, a 335kW version for FPV and, perhaps, a circa-400kW variation for next year’s return of the hotly anticipated GT-HO nameplate.

However, Ford has now confirmed its locally developed blown V8 will not grace the Territory engine bay, leaving the V6 diesel to fly the SUV’s performance flag.

“The addition of the turbo-diesel engine for Territory next year will complement the current I6,” said Ford spokeswoman Sinead McAlary. “We have no current plans for any other powertrain.

“Our engineering resources are concentrating on delivering the diesel engine for Territory next year, which we think will attract more customers to the Territory brand.”While the heavier Territory diesel may not match the 2145kg Territory Turbo’s seven-second 0-100km/h acceleration, it is sure to better its average (premium unleaded) fuel consumption of 14.2L/100km.

The outgoing Territory Turbo offered 245kW/480Nm – well up on the standard Territory’s 4.0-litre inline petrol six, which delivers 190kW/383Nm and returns as little as 11.6L/100km in rear-drive guise.

Details of the 2011 Territory diesel are yet to be announced, but in the 2010 Discovery 4 TDV6 S, the same engine produces 140kW and 440Nm of torque, returns 10.2L/100km and propels the 2486kg Disco to 100km/h in 12.7 seconds.

Of course, the Discovery’s newer 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine offers even more performance at 180kW/600Nm – enough to accelerate the 2583kg Discovery TDV6 SE and HSE to 100km/h in 9.6 seconds while being able to return 9.3L/100km.

The belated availability of diesel power is expected to provide the Territory, which received a mild makeover in February, with a significant shot in the arm in terms of sales.

So far this year Ford’s once-dominant medium SUV has been comprehensively outsold by Holden’s Captiva and Toyota’s top-selling Prado. About half of all Captivas sold are diesels, while oil-burning engines power up to 80 per cent of Prado sales.

Next year’s release of the upgraded Territory and Territory diesel, plus 2.0-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost turbo-petrol and next-generation liquid-injection LPG engines for the Falcon, will be bookended by better-value, Thailand-sourced Fiesta and Focus models later this year and in 2012 respectively.