Originally a European model, the Ford Escort was a compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. The Escort name has been used for several designs in North American over the years. The Escort was one of the most successful
Ford models during the 1980s, and was the best selling car in the United States from during the '80s which is quite a success being that the escort was not even introduced until 1981.
The first American Escort was offered in a variety of forms, which were the four-door station wagon, the four-door hatchback, and a two-door hatchback. The Escort held a 1.6-liter engine that offered either a four or five speed manual transmission or a three automatic transmission. In 1985 the Escort had less chrome and was given a 1.9-liter engine. In 1988 the Escort was updated a bit with a smooth front and rear fascia. A 2.0-liter diesel engine was offered around this same time.
In 1991 the Escort was redesigned again and would be offered with the same look all around the world. This model didn't sell well in America, though Ford boosted sales by offering all the models of the car at the same price. Americans started to embrace the idea of the sedan version, which sold well during this time. This Escort model also was one of the first vehicles to hold a 1.9-liter engine with a distributorless ignition system. The 1991 Ford Escort also used an electronically controlled four speed automatic transmission and independent rear suspension.
In 1997 the hatchback style was dropped altogether and Ford introduced a coupe version of the Escort, which was called the Escort ZX2. This model was produced for the younger market, as it was much sportier. The interior of the Escort ZX2 was freshened in 1999 and discontinued after 2002.
Not many big differences were made in the design of the Escort sedan from 1997 until 2002 with the trim lines being the base model, the LX, and the SE. During this time the Escort was offered as a Sport package as well as the other trim packages and this offered a sport exhaust, aluminum wheels, and a rear decklid spoiler. A 2.0-liter engine was used in the Escort during this time.
