All-new 2025 Ford Territory Hybrid makes global debut in PH
An all-new variant of the popular Ford Territory compact crossover made its first worldwide appearance on our shores last Friday.
The American auto giant launched the 2025 Ford Territory Hybrid at the Bonifacio Global City Amphitheather in Taguig City. This electrified crossover is a standard hybrid-electric vehicle that phases out the earlier non-hybrid models, contrary to earlier reports from other publications that Ford would bring in the plug-in-hybrid Territory that is available in other markets.
Ford Philippines managing director Pedro Simoes said the company decided to launch the Territory Hybrid in the Philippines first because of the potentially huge growth for electrified vehicles, especially with reduced import duties under Executive Order No. 12.
“Geographically, we can get the cars faster,” he told Inquirer Mobility in an exclusive interview. All Territory units are manufactured in China and Vietnam.
“The Philippines is a key market for us because we’ve made the call of having the entire lineup in hybrid, which means we are all-in,” Simoes added. “We have trust in the car, we believe in the technology and we believe that the market is prepared and ready for the move.”
There are two variants available, namely the Territory Hybrid Trend and the top-spec Territory Hybrid Titanium X.
Ford style
The arrival of the Territory Hybrid includes a styling update, most notably at the front.
Larger LED headlights now flank a massive honeycomb front grill, putting this crossover closer in appearance with the Ranger pick-up and the Everest sport-utility vehicle. The side profile remains the same, particularly the kinked rear-quarter window, with the Titanium X getting silver accents on the window surrounds, door handles and the lower doors.
The Titanium X also comes with two-tone, 19-inch alloy wheels, while the Trend sports 18-inch alloy wheels. The Territory Hybrid’s rear still has boomerang-style LED taillights, along with a tailgate spoiler and a pert lower bumper.
Comfier cabin
Inside, the Territory Hybrid sports updates to the model’s absolutely cavernous interior, such as funky, neon-green contrast stitching to highlight its more environmentally friendly credentials.
But the most notable changes are the seats, which feature additional padding for better support and much larger headrests. All models get leather upholstery, rear parking sensors, tire-pressure-monitoring system and a 360-degree camera.
Goodies exclusive to the Titanium X include an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, air-conditioned front seats, front parking sensors, ambient lighting, panoramic moonroof, electric tailgate, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a wireless charging pad.
Another major change is the 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that is mated to a 6-speaker Arkamys surround-sound system (8-speaker in the Titanium X). In our tests, we found the screen clear and responsive, along with offering the brilliant option of dedicated climate-control functions on-screen.
Safety-wise, all Territory Hybrid models get front and side airbags, ISOFIX child-restraint anchors, electronic stability program, hill-launch assist, hill-descent control and roll-over mitigation. Moving up to the Titanium X gets you curtain airbags and a full adaptive driver assistance system.
The latter includes life-saving features like Adaptive Cruise Control with Auto Stop and Go, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Keeping Assist. We were also able to try the Lane Centering Control, which uses road markings to help maintain direction with minimal driver effort.
Hybrid only
As mentioned earlier, Ford Philippines has dropped all non-hybrid Territory variants for a fully electrified lineup.
Under the hood is the familiar turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine, now mated to a 1.83-kWh battery and an electric motor. Ford Philippines estimates the combined output to be at least 240 horsepower and over 315 Newton-meters of torque, which are coursed through a new 2-speed dedicated hybrid transmission.
This results in a claimed 0 to 100 km/h time of 8.5 seconds, thanks to the substantially improved low-to-midrange performance. The Territory Hybrid also features an Electric Vehicle Mode that works at up to 50 km/h, as long as the battery charged to at least 45 percent, and a maximum combined range of around 1,000 kilometers.
Behind the wheel, the uprated lower-control-arm bushings work well with the light and responsive steering rack for more positive handling. But although the suspension is comfortable over bumps, the rather soft springs mean excessive body pitch and roll for a compact crossover.
Key sales driver
The 2025 Ford Territory Hybrid is available in six colors, namely Panther Black, Crystal White Pearl, Oasis Green, Cactus Gray, Star White and Blue Panther.
Prices start at P1,399,000 for the Trend, putting it in line with the lackluster BYD Sealion 5 DM-i, and go all the way up to P1,599,000 for the Titanium X that is priced very close to the best-selling BYD Sealion 6 DM-i.
Ford Philippines also announced that all visitors who order a Territory Hybrid at its launch events on Aug. 8 to 10 and Aug. 15 to 17 will get a free illuminated logo and ‘HYBRID’ decals, along with a free three-year special service package.
The all-new Territory Hybrid comes at a critical time for Ford Philippines, which is one of the carmakers that is bearing the brunt of the recently imposed excise taxes on pick-up trucks like its best-selling Ranger.
With the Territory already a hit for Ford Philippines for many years, the all-new Territory Hybrid seems poised to keep the Blue Oval in the top five of the sales charts well into the future.
