Ford Territory Dark Edition: New model swaps flashy chrome for black trimmings
The year 2024 saw the reintroduction of the Ford Territory nameplate to South Africa, replacing the Kuga which had gained massive popularity in the family SUV segment over the years.
Without rehashing the past, the Kuga nameplate had become a sore point locally, especially after the fire incidents between 2015 and 2017. It’s not something anyone wants to dwell on, but the reality is that those events seriously damaged the model’s reputation. Ford knew it couldn’t just move forward with the same badge, no matter how good the product, so it made the sensible decision to reintroduce the Territory, giving the brand a fresh start in the family SUV segment.
Built through the Ford-JMC partnership in China, the line-up has been expanded with a range-topping model called the Dark Edition, which is based on the Titanium variant. As its name suggests, it swaps the chrome detailing for a darker shade. It’s a good thing because, even on our long-term Titanium model, the chrome accents aren’t universally loved.
That said, the Dark Edition gets black accents, trimmings, a satin black grille, high-gloss black treatment for the skid plate, fog light accents and mirror caps. It also rides on 19-inch Ebony black alloys, with the same deep finish continued through to the roof and roof rails, lower guard strip, window trim, and even the Territory badge at the back.
Buyers have a choice of four exterior colours: Crystal Pearl White, Lustrous Grey, Panther Black, and Ruby Red.
The interior remains pretty much similar to the Titanium but with a slightly more sporty flair. There’s a charcoal black headliner, theme-matching pillars and leather seats, all tied together with Cyber Orange stitching on the door trims and dash inserts. It’s a subtle nod to the Ranger Wildtrak, and honestly, that’s not a bad thing at all.
Power still comes from the familiar 1.8-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine that drives the entire Territory range. The front wheels are driven by a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission paired with the 1.8-litre turbo engine pushing out a decent 138kW and 318Nm. It’s not the kind of setup that’ll blow anyone away, but it gets the job done, comfortably moving families around without much fuss. That said, even with our long-term tester running the same powertrain, our main gripe remains the high fuel consumption, along with a few other things we’ll unpack in our full report.
Priced at R733,000, the Territory Dark Edition comes in at around R8,000 more than the standard Titanium model. That’s a fair trade if you’re someone who prefers sleek black accents over glitzy chrome finishes that, at times, hint a little too strongly at its Chinese origins.
