I've owned a 1993 Ford Escort 1.4LX (5 speed manual, single injection) for about 2 months now and to tell the truth, its no BMW but its a great drive.
Interior/Storage
The front seats are a little hard but surprisingly comfortable with plenty of legroom. The drivers seat has angle adjusters on the seat and backrest which is great because with a little messing around I've found my perfect driving position. Some people have said the passenger seat is a bit low but I don't really think thats a problem!
Its difficult to say how much legroom there is in the back because I have never travelled in the back but I've never had any complaints!
One problem I do have, and this may sound a little strange, is that the steering wheel seems very big, and although the driving position is fine, I feel like I have to reach up slightly to reach the top of the wheel. You dont really notice it after a while but its worth bearing in mind.
Storage is good, theres plenty of cubby holes and the boot is pretty big. The best way to give you an idea is to tell you I've been filming some media coursework over the past couple of weeks with some people from college, and the boot easily holds 5 fully packed college bags, a camera and tripod with plenty of room to spare. The glove compartment is pretty spacious with a little light inside which is very useful!
Performance/Economy/Handling
Its surprisingly responsive and quick off the mark for such a small engine, and it cruises easily on the motorway at anywhere between 70 and 95mph. Top speed is in the region of 105-110mph, although even on a straight motorway the steering starts to feel a little light when you approach about 105mph. I havent timed the 0-60mph, but Parkers puts it at 13.7s although this could be a figure for when the car is fully loaded as it does feel a little quicker.
An annoying problem I have had with this car however is that it does use a lot of petrol - I dont know if this is a problem with all Escorts or just mine - I tend to get about 25mpg around town which is a bit steep.
The car handles quite well, cornering is stable and the steering is sharp although as I've mentioned before at speeds exceeding 100 the steering does start to feel a little shaky so if I was you I wouldnt push it past 100 unless youve got plenty of open road to do it in.
Oh I almost forgot.. it hasnt got power steering! Which is a pain! I think PAS started at late L reg ('94) so you might want to think about buying an Escort from that year on!
Safety/Security
I cant really say how safe the car is, because I havent crashed it..... yet!
Security seems fine, although noone has tried to steal it! The car's got a factory fit alarm and steering lock, and mine has had an immobiliser fitted somewhere in its past which is nice to know! Just to be on the safe side I put a stoplock on it overnight.... it may be a cheap car but its all I've got! :)
Overall
If you can afford the petrol, this car is great to drive, cheap to repair/insure and starts fine everytime. The few problems I've had with it are just niggles really.. for such a cheap car it really is nice to own!
I would like to add that in all honest truth, despite being 18, I DO NOT generally drive at the speeds I have mentioned here! :) The 100+ speeds I mentioned were merely used the first time I had the car on the motorway! :)
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Advantages: Looks good Disadvantages: slow,poor on petrol,breaks a lot
Joe_the_Chef 04.05.2001 (04.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
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