Ford Escort (North American)
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The Ford Escort was a compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Although it was originally a European model, the Escort badge has been applied to several different designs in North America over the years.
The Escort was one of Ford's most successful models in the 1980s. In fact, the car was the single best-selling car in the United States during most of that decade.
1981
Introduced in 1981, the first American Escort was intended to share common components with the European Mk III (as with its sister, the Mercury Lynx), and was launched as a 2-door hatchback and as a 4-door station wagon, with the 4-door hatchback following a year later. It had considerably more chrome than the model sold elsewhere, and although the basic silhouette was the same, it was almost completely different from the European version, apart from the Ford CVH engine. There was a 1.6 L engine, 4 or 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmissions. A 1.3 L engine was designed and prototyped but did not see production due to lack of power. Also, in 1983 and 1984, there was the option of the turbocharged 1.6L 4-cylinder rated at 120 horsepower and matching torque, not too bad for the day (the Mustang GT was only rated at 175, and in a much heavier package).
Engines:
- 1981-1984 1.6 L CVH, 68 hp (51 kW)
1985
There was a minor facelift (less chrome, flush headlights, 1.9 L engine) for 1985. The Lynx was retired for 1987, replaced with the Mazda 323-derived Mercury Tracer, which formed the basis for the next-generation Escort. The Escort saw another minor redesign in 1988 1/2, which smoothed out the front and rear fascias.
Engines:
- 1985-1990 1.9 L CVH, 86 hp (64 kW)
- 1985-1990 1.9 L CVH High Output, EFI, 108 hp (81 kW)
- 1981-1990 2.0 L RF diesel, 52 hp (39 kW)
1991
In 1991, the Escort and the Mercury Tracer were replaced by models based on the Mazda B platform also used by the Mazda 323. Ford, which owned a 25 percent stake in Mazda, already sold a version of the 323 in Asia and Australasia, called the Ford Laser, which replaced the old rear wheel drive Escort there.
After designing a "world car" Escort a decade earlier which used localized engines, Ford took the opposite tack with the "CT120" Escort for the 1990s. This time, the car would be very similar worldwide, differing only in appearance.
The Mazda-based model sold sluggishly in America at first, since only a hatchback was offered in 1991, but was popular later in the decade as consumers embraced the 4-door sedan. At one point Ford offered it on a "one price" basis, with the same price for a three or five-door hatchback, a sedan or a wagon.
The 1991 Ford Escort was one of the first Ford automobiles to feature, on the 1.9 L engine, distributorless ignition (known as EDIS, Electronic Distributorless Ignition System). It also featured an electronically-controlled 4-speed automatic transmission(4F27E), as well as an independent rear suspension, both (at the time) relatively uncommon in cars in this class.
Engines:
- 1991-1996 1.9 L (1859 cc) CVH, SEFI I4, 88 hp (66 kW) 108 ft.lbf (146 Nm)
- 1991-1996 1.8 L (1839 cc) Mazda B I4, 127 hp (95 kW) 114 ft.lbf (154 Nm) LX-E and GT
1997
The 1997 restyle dropped the hatchbacks and added a new sporty coupe for 1998, the Escort ZX2. A much lower-slung and rakish car than either the sedan and wagon, it was aimed squarely at the youth market as a replacement for the Escort GT (although lacking the latter's rear disc brake setup) and was built exclusively at Ford's Hermosillo, Mexico assembly plant. The interior was refreshed for 1999, and the model was retired after 2003.
The 1998 Escort ZX2 featured the 2.0 L, 130 hp (97 kW) Zetec dual overhead cam four-cylinder engine as standard equipment, an option unavailable on the sedan or wagon. Intended for use as the base engine in the larger European Ford Mondeo and their American cousins, the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, the Zetec gave the ZX2 more-than-respectable performance, further enhanced by the 146 hp (109 kW) version in the limited-production ZX2 S/R. S/R production numbers: 106 cars (all zinc yellow) made in 1999 and 2000 units (1,000 yellow, 500 black, 500 red) in 2000.
Subtle differences can be noticed in the Escort sedan from 1997 to 2002. The trim lines of 1997 were base and the LX, 1998 to 2002 offered the LX and SE. In 1999, the reverse lights were moved into the same piece as the tail lamps; they were previously below the badging on the trunk.
A very rare trim package can be found with chrome 14 inch (356 mm) wheel covers and other features. It was offered in 1999.
The Escort was offered in a Sport package as well. The Mercury Tracer's version was called the Trio or Sport depending on the year. A basketweave type of wheel was put on the Tracer Trio while a flower petal pattern was used on the Tracer Sport. The Sport/Trio package included aluminum wheels, sport exhaust, a tachometer, and a rear decklid spoiler.
Engines:
- 1997-2002 2.0 L (1986 cc) CVH SPI2000, SOHC I4, 110 hp (82 kW) 130 ft.lbf (169 Nm)
- 1998-2003 2.0 L (1991 cc) Zetec, DOHC I4, 130 hp (97 kW) 127 ft.lbf (183 Nm) ZX2
ZX2
For 2001, the wagon was discontinued, the sedan limited to fleet sales only and the Escort moniker was quietly dropped, making the car officially just ZX2.
The writing was really on the wall that same year with the North American debut of the Ford Focus. Though not without its fans, both then and now, and still fairly well-represented in the automotive aftermarket, the ZX2 was replaced by the Focus. Though the two cars shared the same "Zetec" engine, there were a few differences. The Focus lacked the exhaust-side VCT, and contained less aggressive camshafts that pushed the power band down a few hundred RPM. They both shared the same block, but due to the different camshafts and the different cylinder head, the torque output for the Focus was bumped up by 8 ft·lbf (10.8 N·m). Thanks to better gearing and less weight the ZX2 continued to outperform the Focus. While the Focus would go on to become the new "darling" of the import tuner set, much to the consternation of Honda, the ZX2 continued with little more than 15 in (381 mm) alloy wheels and rear defroster now offered as standard equipment, and for 2003, a revised front fascia. Production ceased at the end of the 2003 model year.
References
External links
- [Ward's article on Escort development]
- [US Escort/Focus History]
- [US Diesel Escort Owners Group Discussion]
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