Ford Escort XR3i - NOT Just Like A Golf [Why The XR3 Was Britain's Favourite] (1984 XR3i Mk3)
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- Опубліковано 31 бер 2020
- Volkswagen’s Golf GTI might be the most revered of the 1980s hot hatches, but Paul Wager reckons the Ford Escort XR3i was more than a match for its German rival.
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I remember my dad turning up home in black mk3 3i when I was 7 in 1986. I was the happiest kid on the block. I’ve had loads of them since. Still love them
Mine was A148 KEY. Bought it with 6K on the clock. I still remember collecting it from the garage - loved it.
As a working class teenager in Thatchers Britain, who went off to London to work in Private Banking, I too had a red XR3i. Once I became more successful, I caved and changed it for a more suitable Audi, but God I loved that Escort. Still miss it. And the 80's generally..........
01:52 😍😍😍😎😎 This is the one, nothing beats the Mk 3 for XR and RS
God I feel old now,the XR3 is decades old now.Still looks the part even nowadays....
Yeah, it has aged very well. Todays Fords are characterless and dull, by comparison.
I had a 1.6 ghia, with the same engine, but carburretted instead of injected, and I didn't find it rough at all. It was well matched to the car, and gave decent performance and economy. As my 2nd car, after driving an 850cc mini, it was supremely better, and way more practical and comfortable. I loved it.
Plus it's just a fantastic looking car. All sharp and wedgy, but super planted. For me it's the quintessential 80's hatch. My mate had a yellow one, and I loved that thing.
i had a brand new C plate Mk3 1984, red , four leaf clover alloys. beautiful car and i was only 18 when i had it. many memories.
Always loved the xr3i , nice review good to see its stood the test of time after almost 40 years 👍
Such great memories...Had a Rosso Red B reg and loved every minute in it...Went a bit crazy an put the RS alloys and the Recaros from the RS Turbo in it...Then went a bit crazier and put a fast road cam!!!! Those were the days...A great friend had a black one and we kept tryng to out do each other...
Man, I love that car. Always have.
So do we!
I had a Mark 1 Golf GTI that give me nothing but Trouble, valve stem seals leaking oil. I hated it! felt so basic, got rid of it and got an XR3i and loved it
don't care what anybody thinks the XR3i was by far the better car for me.
Wow this brought back memories, thanks! I had one identical to that, it was the early 1990's by the time I could afford one (second hand) , but it still felt like I had bought my first supercar! Almost hard to believe those tiny HP numbers given how sharp it seemed to be (wheelspin from a standing start could be an issue with anything less than brand new tyres). A hell of a lot of them got stolen back in the day.
Nowadays foolish drivers risk life and limb by checking their phones whilst driving, but before sounding superior I must confess to the number of times I became distracted with the process of popping out a cassette from the centre console, chosing the wrong one, then putting in the wrong side, then forwarding/rewinding to the chosen song (needle in a haystack). Finding a passenger's favourite song before the end of the journey could be a challenge whilst endangering life along the way!
It's a bit like remembering old girlfriends from the 80s, difference is, the XR3i still looks good :-)
Great memories, Phil!
Very few properly original hardtop cars left. Great video.
Thanks Steve, we love it!
Ahh the memories I had a dark blue XR3i 86 plate absolutely loved the car ..Nice review of this now classic hot hatch
Thanks Mick, lot of us with XR3 memories!
I had one in '82.Wonderful memories.
I own a 1984 1.6i (105hp) Cabriolet. I always have a great time, sitting behind the steeringwheel...
You should do a video too mate.
Oddly, the Mk3 Cabriolet was never badged as an XR3i even though, I think, it was in all but name and lack of roof. The other model was Ghia psec (I think) but never badged as a Ghia.
The Mk4 Cabriolet came as an XR3i or Ghia.
@@lewis72 You are right. To my knowledge it has all the Xr3i components. I put Xr3i stickers on the car, because it looks better than 1.6i badges.
If you want an XR this the one you want, the original XR3 was a bit slow and had wonky front suspension. The later Mk4 was heavier and slower. This version was just right and pretty quick for what it was.
I remember when these were basically the hottest thing of four wheels back in the 80s - every school's dream accessible car. The thing is that they were never very fast (neither was the Golf GTi, really) being just a little more powerful than a standard hatchback and a high performance contemporary saloon or coupe would make them look silly. But they had very usable performance, being very easy to drive fast and fluidly and they looked nice. They felt sporty and pleasant to drive, they had reasonable running costs, but they were never going to set lap records or set the world on fire - but I don't think they were supposed to. Great drivers cars, but they didn't deserve the reputation they had for out-and-out pace as the engines just weren't that special.
Then the 80s ended there was a recession and the joyriding craze meant insurance went through the roof. Before too long, people were buying mini vans and the sportiest hatchback Ford made was the Si. The Golf Gti badge stayed, but become this overweight, underpowered stock Golf with a moderate body kit. The 90s kinda sucked for cars and now those 80s schoolkids are considering whether to get a mini-van or a crossover. Maybe they'll go wild and get the "sport" trim, consisting of heated seats and darker plastic on the fascia?
They where fast enough.
The on paper figures didn’t tell the full story, I found myself driving faster back then than I do today. It was easy to carry speed through corners on these old lightweight ‘warm’ hatches.
Hi I own a 1982 xr3 sunburst red. still enjoy today.
Beautiful car. Before I was born dad had the same 84' model year in caspian blue. Would love to own one someday, but for now even just a spin would do!
A car I missed out on sadly.
I did own a Orion injection Ghia later on though.
I had a D Reg XR3i and wished I had never sold it
My very 1st car at 18 was a xr3, insurance was silly, a year later i bought an xr3i and 2yrs after that i bought a mk 4 xr31 wich i didnt like as much as the mk, my older brother of course always had to have one up on me and bought the mk 3 RS turbo dam him.
I had a white C reg XR3i. Quite good on acceleration but high wind and engine noise over 75 mph. Not much torque. Struggled a bit uphill with more than two people in it. My girlfiend loved it though.
I really like the XR3i, I still have my Mk4 that I have had since I was 18. I think they are a lot better than people give them credit for and the drive and feel is unique. The CVH engine is either good or bad and can make or break a car in the way it feels. They knock out their cams, so if they are rattling at idle, it will certainly be down on power. They also had to have their ignition timing knocked back from 12 degrees to 8 for unleaded fuel - which also reduces power and you can feel it at the top end. I use Super Unleaded and retain the 12 degrees. In good fettle, they are fantastic cars, if the engine isn't right, they feel and sound horrible. Fantastic review, I much preferred them to the Golf GTI and the Astra SR/SRi (GTE is Rs Turbo territory).
We'd agree! It was a fight for the keys and even the non-Ford-fans love it!
The Mk4 was by far the best looking XR3I👍
Cam can changed so easily in these so it and lifters can easily be treated as a service part. Oil tech has moved on loads so they don’t wear as quick with the right oil. There was also a running procedure for a new camshaft where you kept the engine off idle usually around 2000rpm for 15-20mins to keep the loading down while the metal bedded in. Or you could go down the chilled iron route with after market.
I had a grey 1989 XR3i that I owned between 97 and 2001. I goddam lvd the car, gr8 fun 2 drive, went all over the place init. Music festivals with my pals, over 2 France 4 dy trips with my then girlfriend. Since then I've owned a load of gr8 cars. 3 BMWs, 2 Jags, 2 range rovers and now I currently have a bentley arnage. But the xr3i will always b my fav. Reminds me of dys gone by. The Sony Walkman 😀, video recorders 😀, Reebok trainers😀.
my mother had a black A reg xr31 when I was growing up I loved the car that car is what made me fall in love with old cars she had it for 9 years it was a 1 owner car verry low mileage but it just got to rusty for her to keep I nagged her to keep it for me when I was old enough to drive but at the time we didn't have a drive in the house if we did I'd still have it to this day I miss that car daily was a cracking family car loads of memorys in it.
Loved my XR3i, Loved it right up until i rolled it on some B road in Surrey. Fabulous motor
I bought one brand new in 1984 done 52000 miles with no problems part x it for an xr4x4 another great motor.
I have owned a 1988 Mk4 XR3i Cabrio for almost 3 years now and is my daily driver, everything you say is pretty much correct.
It looks nice, it's fun to drive, very easy to drive, good on fuel and mechanical parts are cheap and easy to get.
And forget about the nonsense myth that the K-Jetronic system is unrealiable, i've done approx. 18.000 miles with it and hasn't failed me once.
Love these drove loads
My father bought an XR3i like this from Latin America to the USA. That one stands out even more.
Fantastic taste!
Hehe my dad had one of these an X reg XR3 non injection that got stolen in the 80s and then in the mid 90s he got his replacement SOF xxxY can't remember the other digits, but man that was a fun car. Towed all sorts, took us all sorts, felt like you was sitting on the floor and it was bright red -- great car. In later years I drove an 88 F Reg 1.4L CVH based Escort, best car I ever owned that. Smooth, just kept on going without a hitch. Ahhh. Good stuf.
Got 1 in april this year a cabby on a G reg for some reason the fuel system has been changed from an MFI to a twin weber but though i could revert if i wanted to am keeping it on the carb its a bleeder to tune up but its retro haha
Jings! Not half ruined that A pillar trim to accommodate the mic.
Owned in 1987 in West Germany. A Black XR3I. And a white Golf mk1 GTI 800, steel sunroof with red stripe deck chair seats. Both were great. But the golf was better quality. And on the autobahn you could give it the welly. Until a BMW 323I came flashing headlights and blew me out the way.
XR3 all day long love it!
No doubt!
Here in South America most Escorts and all XR Escorts came with a VW Engine almost identical to the Golf, because of a partnership between VW and Ford call Autolatina. So in that regard they have the best of both worlds.
But the vw powered xrs in south america were less powerful than the Europeans
Almost bought a RS1600i once but it had a hideous aftermarket body kit , when I pointed it out to dealer he said it added value , after a test drive I turned and walked away despite it driving amazingly well . Would still like a standard one though .
Great video!
The octavia rs is a similar proposition in current times, decent economy, practicality and great real world power and performance. Highly recommend.
My favourite car
The Golf GTI was always the choice of the young Professional (i didn't want to say YUPPIE). The XR3 & 3i was more the "Blue Collar" Essex type (TOWI being the modern equivalent).
Didn’t see many on this spec up north I think the best were down south Essex Kent etc
I had a MK3 XR3i in white and a Rosso Red MK4 XR3i
They were OK at the time because we didn't know any better
309 GTi was my favourite car of it’s class of it’s era.
find an XR2!! Mk1 , I'd love to drive that again today ... so light and nimble, and yes I wrote it off :(
My family had one of these up until 5 years ago when the engine blew up
Give me the original Xr3 any day
the ghia has always been my favourite
I loved mine, Exactly the same model as this one, DBA,123Y. But I constantly had breather issues in the head all the pipes… Nightmare.
I bought a new xr3i in 1988 and a new golf GTi in 1990 even though the golf was better built the xr3i was quicker in all ways.
Possibly the best looking hatch ever.
I am French, my mother bought the 1st series of the escort XR3 in 1981, absolutely no comfort at all, a lorry consumption (15L/100 km), no steering assistance, no ABS brakes, no aircon, no door centralisation remote control, no electric windows, 4 manual gear box (at 60 mph, 5000 rpm!!)!! We kept that car for 6 years and sold it to our janitor's son, who crashed it on the motorway! I started my driving experience with that car in 1986, but the greatest con was the lack of aircon in summer, impossible to drive a car with no aircon nowadays!
I have just such a Ford Orion RS now making a video on its restoration I wonder if you come to visit me !!!
The XR3i was a nicer more comfortable drive than the Golf GTi, but the Golf was better handling and a lot faster in terms of acceleration. Fords rust where Vdubs don't which is why there aren't many XR3's left. The Ford is better looking too and out of the 2 cars would be my choice to live with. I sold the Golf GTi just because to drive it was comparable to an old Skoda Favorit that I used for work. I don't often own Fords anymore because my favorites always ended up scrapped due to rust and there's nothing worse than when you keep all the maintenance up with everything running sweet than to realize you no longer have that car problem solved come MOT time.
The Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi, Renault 5 Turbo and Astra GTE are the hot hatches to have if you want outright speed, performance and desirability but they die from rust too. I'd go as far as to say the Golf at the time was the most boring and least desirable, they win now just because they survive.
My fist car that my dad passed on to me ,however it was black and I didn't have the "hella" lights in front
How come not test those big fares?
Loved it, Ragged it, Crashed it.
I love the Escort, the Golf is dull, not a warm place to be its very dark and cold feeling and looking inside, and does nothing for me, the Escort is all the things the i like in a car, and its more comfortable, better looking, more spacious and nicer to drive,
We sense you're a fan...
Has the winner been announced yet lol
I had a silver mk4 ghia
That's the nearest I got
Me too, well a Mk3 in white. I painted the grille, and mirrors to match, and it looked like an RS Turbo from the front, if you squinted. The Ghia was a nice car, and a nice place to be back in the day.
My dad had a blue Xr3i and it was stolen 3 times lol
Way cooler than a golf, and much nicer styling, the golf dash is so dull, depressing and ugly. I think they ride better than a golf, and with out a doubt, they get more looks, the mk1 Fiesta XR2 is also way way cooler
Views are divided, but no doubt the XR3i is awesome!
They definitely had a softer ride than the golf. The Fiesta XR2 was more golf like, in size as well as ride.
I had one just like that, I owned it form new and, just before I got it to 100k, it was stolen... and crashed. 8-(
Sorry old chum , but I'd take an alfa 33 boxer over the Dagenham Dustbin anytime. Sure the MK1 rusted a little quicker than the Ford, and the driving position was uncomfortable on journeys over 60 minutes , but the superb chassis and flat 4 with the rear mounted gear box made for far superior handling and the 1.7 16v boxer developed 139 BHP in the mk 2 was a beast. I lost count of the number of XR3Is and overrated and sombre Golf GTIs I destroyed in the few 33s that I owned , only really threatened by the turbo charged Fords on straight roads. And before you say it , I had zero reliability issues as i did my own high quality maintenance. The same can be said for the Strada 130 and 105 twin cam Abarths. Its great that the motoring press still overlooks these cars - makes them extremely affordable.
I was about to say the same my 1979 1.5 alfasud Ti used blow away xr3is all day long discs all round 5 speed box better interior pity the rotted away but hey ho I had some fun in it till some twat rear ended me and wrote it off funnily enough now it was ford orion ghia
If you felt the 16v mk2 Golf was dissapointing, you haven't driven one hard enough 😁
The Golf used to ride like a mini. Great on smooth tarmac, but bouncy as hell over rough roads. Still a great car though, that everyone should drive at some point in their lives, if only to say you HAVE driven one.
They were kinda bullit proof,heavy on fuel,a bit crude in the handling dept of but fitted the bill for the lads, I came from the modified Anglia &mk 1 Cortina era and by the time these little beasties arrived I had some Italian wheels, ,sometimes ,rusty somtimes prone to electrical fires and somtimes unreliable,but oh! how they could out handle and out rev anything up to a cosworth , Not my favourite decade the worst thing for produced had to be 4x4 2.8 sierra Estate, ,owned one after a Lancia , but my wife of the time worked for Ford ,the whole experience was bland,need O say more.
Responsible for killing many a drunken teenager, god bless this car!
🚘👍
😊👍😉👏👏👏
I had one, what a god awful car.......reliability problems, rust galore.. absolutely horrid, p/x’d it for a XR2 MK 2, much nicer, best Ford I personally have ever owned a MK 3 2.8 Capri in red, I loved that car.
I'd forgotten how dog shit these were. Everyone i ever sat in as a kid used to get ragged mericlessly.
Im my opinion the mk4 3i looks better and has a far better interior.
They did improve it somewhat. But this was the original XR3i, so more of a classic.
I have a renewed hatred of the XR2, XR3/i, RS 1600i & RS Turbo.
Overpriced tat.
May be overpriced but everybody loves them and they always sell for big money, you are obviously the minority
@@edturners
"May be overpriced but everybody loves them"
- Not me though, nor most of my car friends.
These were current when we were learning to drive.
Never rated them then either.
@@lewis72 Obviously you and most of your car friends have had little impact on the values and love for these cars then, as i pointed out the majority love them hence the value and following, enough said really.
@@edturners
True !
The nostalgia card is strong enough for these to have quite high values.
I think a key difference is that I aim to own the cars etc that I wanted back in the day, not the cars that I had.
I'd far rather have an XR4i or Lotus Excel from the same period, which are far cheaper today and were much better then and now.
The original XR3 was an awful thing. Wheezy, noisy, slow, rattly, daft camber on the front wheels to try and get it around corners, just horrible.
The XR3i was a better car all round.
At the time these were relatively new, I was still obsessed with tuned Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts, which were a lot faster, and a lot more fun being RWD.
i had a xr31 loved it was stolen..ahn976y