Fishing Territory

It’s hard to find the perfect boat. And it’s about as difficult to find the perfect wagon to tow it! When the email arrived inviting the Fishing.net.nz team to test drive the new Ford Territory, calendars were cleared and straws were drawn as to who would try it first. We’d all heard wonderful things about the Territory and it was going to be great to try out the new AWD crossover vehicle first hand.

Part One – Auckland to Whitianga with Grant Blair
We’re a family of five so a seven seater is often handy for family outings and here’s the first perfect score for the Territory, the seven seater option is simply just clever - pull a couple of levers and Hey Presto a normal 5 seater SUV with oodles of space turns into a superb seven seater. Not only that, the back seats all cleverly fold away to leave a two seater with room for an XXL Marlin (complete with fishing gear) in the back – no question about space and versatility for the Territory - top marks from me.

Throw the Fishing.net.nz boat, a 6.2m Lazercraft, on the back, head for the nearest boat ramp and you’d be excused for forgetting you were towing anything. The 4.0L 182kW straight 6-cylinder engine coupled with the 4 speed tiptronic made towing actually an enjoyable experience. The Lazercraft reasonably laden tips the scales at around 1600kg, however up and over the Tairua and Kopu hills on the way back from Whitianga was an absolute breeze.

Bucket-loads of power when you need it and decent sized anchors mean all-important stopping power when it’s called for. The ABS did kick in and was a little disconcerting on a couple of corners but I guess the car was getting a reasonable workout. Something you would get used to reasonably quickly no doubt.

The AWD would be perfect for those overland adventures to some great land-based spots – we didn’t get round to that but it certainly looks the ticket for the land-based enthusiasts.

On the fishing front, we launched at an interesting little boat ramp over at Kuaotunu and headed round the corner towards Opito Bay. By watching the sounder carefully we found some good sign in a couple of fishy looking areas and accounted for a few nice snapper.

The fish were there but not really taking the bait aggressively and the 10kg braid with a 10mg nylon topshot was the choice of kit for the day and cleaned up the all important ‘biggest’ and ‘most’ categories.

Over the side and half a dozen nice crays between two of us rounded out a pleasant afternoon on the water. The Kuaotunu ramp isn’t a spot for the faint hearted as  a number of rather solid looking rocks are on either side of a very narrow channel and spell instant death to propellers. You need to line up two distant markers on the hill and one at the edge of the ramp – it’s a good idea to take some local knowledge on the first trip out from the ramp as there’s no room for error. Apparently the locals do it in the dark – yeah right!

As you’d expect, the Territory  hasn’t the finish of a Cayenne Twin Turbo but there’s 8 air bags, heaps of clever storage, it can morph between a fishing wagon, a round town runner and an offroader, and there no question in my mind it's enormous value for money.

Part Two – Auckland to Whakatane with Craig Rundle
Having driven a few SUV’s, both new and old on various fishing adventures my expectations had been set. The Territory impressed from the moment the key was turned on. On the open roads the ride was smooth and the 4.0L of grunt dealt with NZ’s passing lane phenomenon – you know the one…the car that travels at 70km/h and suddenly finds 5th gear when they see a passing lane.

The Territory managed the winding roads around Lake Rotorua and later through the Kopu extremely well. It didn’t suffer the body roll evident in other SUVs and felt quite planted and safe to drive.

The ABS brakes do an excellent job of slowing the Territory down and when combined with the stability controls system (in the AWD model) there was a real sense of safety. Off road the traction system and AWD worked together to keep the vehicle on the drive line when cornering.

Fuel economy has been one area that a number of reviews have come down hard on for the Territory however the trip computer reported an average of 12.9L/100km for my trip and some round town running. Not bad at all. Towing is a different matter and Grant's trip back from Whitainaga was knocking on the door of 20L/100km.

The interior of the Ghia was functional and well appointed. The leather seats were comfortable and very practical as I discovered when my son dropped his afternoon tea on the back seat. The extra height of the territory made getting Angus in and out of his car seat a breeze. And I really appreciated the individualized climate control – finally I didn’t have to “enjoy” the blasting heat my wife prefers.

There was a real sense of room and style in the Territory. The absence of road noise and a firm driving stance made this vehicle enjoyable to drive around town and on the open roads. So often it is the little things that make the difference and in the Territory’s case the Ford designers have definitely got it right.