Worked at a ford dealership when these were new. Let’s be honest these were terrible cars, beggars belief that Ford thought they could get away with turning out crap like this.
Actually I always loved the design and interiors of these cars. True the CVH engine was weak for this car, it was around 200kg heavier than the previous mk4 escort / mk2 orion. The 1.4 CVH lost his gut with the monopoint injection and catalictic converter. The loooong gear ratios didn't helped the performance either But still... The front end is simply beautiful
I had a K reg 1.8 diesel with the rounded back end and the oval front grill. The clutch went and I sold it for £150 big mistake doing that ! I bought a H reg 1.4 petrol (carb) it was worse in every way. On the 1.8 diesel I put 205/60/15 tyres on 15" steels and the ride was wonderful. And the handling was still OK. Huge room for wheels on a mk5. Think I invented the first crossover.
It's amazing to see the work and investment that goes into the design and production of these cars only to realise that now they're all completely obsolete!
Ironic how much work they did on the 1990 Escort and how much it got slated by the press. I always thought it was an inferior car to the previous generation.
I thought it was inferior too. I had a G plate 1.6L Orion and when i sat in the new model the door sounded hollow and the dash cheap....hated it. Never liked the 1.3 HCS carried over.
While the motoring press wasn't exactly thrilled by it, the reception was more lukewarm that outright horror. In later years people have exaggerated the negativity of the press. I never had a chance to drive any of those, but I was driven back and forth to school in a 92 J reg one of them in the 90s, and it seemed quite nice to me at the time. It was a Ghia model though, and perhaps quality had improved by then.
Compared to the competition, these cars were outdated pretty much as soon as they were launched. The Rover 200/400 launched in 1989 had 16 valve engines across the range.
Quality seemed to decline with each new iteration. I remember seeing Mk5's developing rust round the arches, and along shut lines and body creases when they were no more than 5 years old. In fact, at the time, I had a 1984 1.6 Ghia that put most of the newer models to shame. And I had that car right up until 1999, with only slight bubbling around the arches. The scuttle panel below the windscreen had started to rot out by that time too. But it was 15 years old by then. I think there are probably more Mk1 Escorts still running, than Mk5's, most of them having had restorations. But even that is testament to how little the Mk5's were thought of, if the vast majority of them are now scrapped.
The 'power bulges' run along the length of the car, the DOHC engine he talks about is a transverse installation (which I think was actually badged RS2000 when it went on sale)
I've read alot of contemporary road tests and, contrary to the comments you see on lots of UA-cam vids and forums, motoring journalists of the time largely praised both the Mark 5 XR3i and RS2000 models. Having owned a Mark 5 3i I can only concur! The same can't be said however of their predecessors - the Mark 4 XR3i and RS Turbos got, at best, mixed reviews (many journalists panned both motors) shortly after their launch.
The proof of the pudding is how many of each iteration remain on the roads today. Mk5 XR3i's and RS2000's are now rarer than Hens Teeth. But there are still quite a few Mk4 variants being used today, and quite a few Mk3's that regularly turn up at classic car shows etc, as well as Mk1's. Curiously, Mk2's are a rarer sight than Mk1's for whatever reason. But the Mk5's were never considered worthy of cosseting, and being well looked after by owners. From being the most popular car on the road, to the most popular cars in scrap yards, that is the legacy of the Mk5.
@@hermanmunster3358 They were rare even in the 90s in the UK because they were both expensive to buy and insure so consequently production volumes were way lower than the mark 3 and 4 hot Escorts generally. They only made about 2,500 Mark 5 XR3is for the UK market. Mark 3 and Mark 4 XR3i production numbers topped 200,000 in the UK.
The 90's Escort and Orion summed up everything that went wrong with Ford. The Escort Cabriolet was about as rigid as a weak salad, while the Orion, well, let's not go there and the less said about that the better.
They had terrible engines right across the range. They were under-powered with a horrible noise and sounded like they were struggling through the rev range.... Even the XR3i's were disappointing..
Looked quite nice IMO but as with all Fords rotted to bits way to quickly. When will Ford catch up in this department I wonder, they are still crap now for rusting
They seemed to improve a lot after the escort phase, the focus was a big improvement when it came to rust, but the transit vans was a different story 😂
The 1990 Escort and Orion got very bad reviews by the press in the Autumn of 1990 they were so bland looking a friend from work had an early 1991 Orion Ghia he hated it so many problems with it he loved the previous 1988 Orion Ghia he owned
I agree. At this particular point in time, the Honda-based Rover 200/400 cars were far, far better.... then came along the Peugeot 306 and there was always the Golf.
He does. This gen. Escort was shit. Just ask Richard Parry Jones. _"The Escort MkV had been a disaster, one borne out of an old-school mentality, according to Richard."_ _"The reception to the Escort MkV truly shocked senior management at Ford."_ _"the Escort MkV ruined the Escort name beyond recall"_ www.modernclassicsmagazine.co.uk/enjoying/interview _"Chief executive Jac Nasser, however, wasn’t family, had controversial long-term views about the company’s future and also understood the self-harming potential of products such as the woeful Mk5 Escort."_ _"Ford’s engineers were in near revolt about the cost-cutting on that car. “Never again,” was the battle cry at its European development centres in Essex and Cologne, and by not slamming the door in their faces Nasser helped create the design and engineering hot-house that cultivated the Focus."_ www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8246138/Where-are-the-people-who-designed-the-original-Ford-Focus.html
I had a 1992 1.6 Ghia Estate, not a bad car, comfy ride and plenty of space but fairly gutless and fuel economy wasn't good at all as it had the 90hp Carb engine, it did make it to 165k miles however.
@@waynusp1664 There wasn't a great deal of competition in their market sector back in the 90's, not as much as today. And the reason why Ford's have always been high volume sellers, is probably due to parts availability, and service centres in every town. The Austin Metro outsold just about every other car in its class, except maybe the Ford Fiesta. But it doesn't mean it was a good car. In fact, it was an abomination that was mean't to replace the Mini. But the Original Mini carried on for another 15 years after the Metro launched, production only being halted due to more stringent safety regulations. So people often do buy Mongrels, when they think they are getting a Pedigree, and marketing has a big impact on customer buying choices. Which is why I always buy used cars, that have proven reliability, and high customer satisfaction ratings.
I love that car so much
I drive a 91' Ford Escort Turnier 1,8D 44kw and 60 HP. My Escort have 445000 km (3/2021)
My grandfather has a 90' Orion 1.9D, not in good shape but the engine is bulletproof
Worked at a ford dealership when these were new.
Let’s be honest these were terrible cars, beggars belief that Ford thought they could get away with turning out crap like this.
Actually I always loved the design and interiors of these cars.
True the CVH engine was weak for this car, it was around 200kg heavier than the previous mk4 escort / mk2 orion.
The 1.4 CVH lost his gut with the monopoint injection and catalictic converter.
The loooong gear ratios didn't helped the performance either
But still... The front end is simply beautiful
I had a K reg 1.8 diesel with the rounded back end and the oval front grill. The clutch went and I sold it for £150 big mistake doing that ! I bought a H reg 1.4 petrol (carb) it was worse in every way. On the 1.8 diesel I put 205/60/15 tyres on 15" steels and the ride was wonderful. And the handling was still OK. Huge room for wheels on a mk5. Think I invented the first crossover.
It's amazing to see the work and investment that goes into the design and production of these cars only to realise that now they're all completely obsolete!
My mum admitted to me a good few years ago, “I was once like you when I was your age Peter. I wanted an Escort as well as a Capri”.
Didn’t take long for Ford to realise they’d launched a lemon. They soon improved it. I remember the seats were particularly awful.
Ironic how much work they did on the 1990 Escort and how much it got slated by the press. I always thought it was an inferior car to the previous generation.
I thought it was inferior too. I had a G plate 1.6L Orion and when i sat in the new model the door sounded hollow and the dash cheap....hated it. Never liked the 1.3 HCS carried over.
While the motoring press wasn't exactly thrilled by it, the reception was more lukewarm that outright horror. In later years people have exaggerated the negativity of the press.
I never had a chance to drive any of those, but I was driven back and forth to school in a 92 J reg one of them in the 90s, and it seemed quite nice to me at the time. It was a Ghia model though, and perhaps quality had improved by then.
Compared to the competition, these cars were outdated pretty much as soon as they were launched.
The Rover 200/400 launched in 1989 had 16 valve engines across the range.
Quality seemed to decline with each new iteration. I remember seeing Mk5's developing rust round the arches, and along shut lines and body creases when they were no more than 5 years old. In fact, at the time, I had a 1984 1.6 Ghia that put most of the newer models to shame. And I had that car right up until 1999, with only slight bubbling around the arches. The scuttle panel below the windscreen had started to rot out by that time too. But it was 15 years old by then.
I think there are probably more Mk1 Escorts still running, than Mk5's, most of them having had restorations. But even that is testament to how little the Mk5's were thought of, if the vast majority of them are now scrapped.
The 95 facelift or Mk6 was day and night difference escorts between 90-92 were dreadful but they did iron out most of problems in the end.
The first Mk5s were quite poor, they did get the RS 2000 right though.
Interesting that the RS 2000 was first going to be called Xr3i 2000.
@Eric Max what did Sam Keith say...?
I had one,i liked it.
The 'power bulges' run along the length of the car, the DOHC engine he talks about is a transverse installation (which I think was actually badged RS2000 when it went on sale)
Early '90s Fords were just softened '80s Fords with cheaper trim.
Not bad. ... But from 28:40 the audio went off. ... I wanted to hear the whole story ?
Anyone else here whilst reading Steve Saxty’s Secret Fords Vol.2? 😂
I've read alot of contemporary road tests and, contrary to the comments you see on lots of UA-cam vids and forums, motoring journalists of the time largely praised both the Mark 5 XR3i and RS2000 models. Having owned a Mark 5 3i I can only concur! The same can't be said however of their predecessors - the Mark 4 XR3i and RS Turbos got, at best, mixed reviews (many journalists panned both motors) shortly after their launch.
The proof of the pudding is how many of each iteration remain on the roads today. Mk5 XR3i's and RS2000's are now rarer than Hens Teeth. But there are still quite a few Mk4 variants being used today, and quite a few Mk3's that regularly turn up at classic car shows etc, as well as Mk1's. Curiously, Mk2's are a rarer sight than Mk1's for whatever reason.
But the Mk5's were never considered worthy of cosseting, and being well looked after by owners.
From being the most popular car on the road, to the most popular cars in scrap yards, that is the legacy of the Mk5.
@@hermanmunster3358 They were rare even in the 90s in the UK because they were both expensive to buy and insure so consequently production volumes were way lower than the mark 3 and 4 hot Escorts generally. They only made about 2,500 Mark 5 XR3is for the UK market. Mark 3 and Mark 4 XR3i production numbers topped 200,000 in the UK.
26:11 didn't know that Super Mario worked at Ford
The 90's Escort and Orion summed up everything that went wrong with Ford. The Escort Cabriolet was about as rigid as a weak salad, while the Orion, well, let's not go there and the less said about that the better.
ah the days when oversized sweaters were a thing
The early models were very stodgy to drive! A nice looking car just so badly built!
They had terrible engines right across the range. They were under-powered with a horrible noise and sounded like they were struggling through the rev range.... Even the XR3i's were disappointing..
Looked quite nice IMO but as with all Fords rotted to bits way to quickly. When will Ford catch up in this department I wonder, they are still crap now for rusting
They seemed to improve a lot after the escort phase, the focus was a big improvement when it came to rust, but the transit vans was a different story 😂
The 1990 Escort and Orion got very bad reviews by the press in the Autumn of 1990 they were so bland looking a friend from work had an early 1991 Orion Ghia he hated it so many problems with it he loved the previous 1988 Orion Ghia he owned
I agree.
At this particular point in time, the Honda-based Rover 200/400 cars were far, far better.... then came along the Peugeot 306 and there was always the Golf.
@@lewis72 Agreed Lewis the R8 Rover 200/400 Series was a hit for Rover remember the Autumn 1989 launch of the 200 5 door hatch when aged 15
Неудачная модель нового поколения со слабой пассивной безопасностью. Из-за скандала Форд в срочном порядке провёл рестайлинг в 1993г
Totally crap thr early 90s Escorts
and it turned out to be bloody awful lol
If you say so.....Best selling car in Europe for over a decade but you know best!
He does. This gen. Escort was shit. Just ask Richard Parry Jones.
_"The Escort MkV had been a disaster, one borne out of an old-school mentality, according to Richard."_
_"The reception to the Escort MkV truly shocked senior management at Ford."_
_"the Escort MkV ruined the Escort name beyond recall"_
www.modernclassicsmagazine.co.uk/enjoying/interview
_"Chief executive Jac Nasser, however, wasn’t family, had controversial long-term views about the company’s future and also understood the self-harming potential of products such as the woeful Mk5 Escort."_
_"Ford’s engineers were in near revolt about the cost-cutting on that car. “Never again,” was the battle cry at its European development centres in Essex and Cologne, and by not slamming the door in their faces Nasser helped create the design and engineering hot-house that cultivated the Focus."_
www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8246138/Where-are-the-people-who-designed-the-original-Ford-Focus.html
@@lewis72 Very true. The Mk5 Escort was a total disaster in many areas and was hideous in design plus dreadful in driveability and rampant for rust.
I had a 1992 1.6 Ghia Estate, not a bad car, comfy ride and plenty of space but fairly gutless and fuel economy wasn't good at all as it had the 90hp Carb engine, it did make it to 165k miles however.
@@waynusp1664 There wasn't a great deal of competition in their market sector back in the 90's, not as much as today. And the reason why Ford's have always been high volume sellers, is probably due to parts availability, and service centres in every town.
The Austin Metro outsold just about every other car in its class, except maybe the Ford Fiesta. But it doesn't mean it was a good car. In fact, it was an abomination that was mean't to replace the Mini. But the Original Mini carried on for another 15 years after the Metro launched, production only being halted due to more stringent safety regulations. So people often do buy Mongrels, when they think they are getting a Pedigree, and marketing has a big impact on customer buying choices. Which is why I always buy used cars, that have proven reliability, and high customer satisfaction ratings.
They were dreadful , how did Ford get away with such rubbish ?. They didn't wake up from their design slumber till the Mondeo and Focus.
Belle mio padre aveva la berlina la Orion 1.6 color rosso amaranto metalizzato bella comoda e spaziosa❤