2000 Ford Escort ZX2 S/R review from North America

Problem: Alternator

Symptoms: Batterie light flickering at high rpms

Solution: Dealer replaced under warranty at 44 000 km.

Note: I had the car for 8 months and nothing except for alternator broke.

Very reliable car; always starts even in the cold Canadian winters. Great handling and performance car for the money. It requires 91+ fuel (S/R edition) to take advantage of the Ford Racing pcm (CWQ3) but will run well with 87 octane. The fuel will show a great difference in the 5200-6500 rpm range. It's very good on gas (500 km with 46 liters) under hard driving. A lot of space to store stuff. A lot of rims choice (because of 4 X 100 bolt pattern) and body kits available.

Performance wise you will run about 15.6 - 15.9 on the 1/4 mile, but don't forget this is more of a handling car than a straight line racer.

Dislike:

- May be uncomfortable for tall people

- Not a lot of aftermarket parts

- Ruff ride (with s/r edition suspension) it's not really a downside if you prefer handling than comfort.

- Fragile Transmission (Shift forks). Just don't abuse it with power shifts.

- Weird idle sometimes because of the ford racing pcm (S/R edition only)

Comment: If you have a S/R edition, threat it good and take care of it because you have a rare car in your hands.

Other S/R Info:

Only 2000 Produced (1000 Zinc Yellow, 500 Red, 500 Black)

Factory Installed Performance Parts.

Appearance

B&M Short throw shifter

Borla Muffler

Leather Shift Boot

Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel

Silver Gauge Surround

240 KPH Speedometer

Ford Blue Valve Cover

S/R Daizy Wheels

S/R Seats

S/R Floor Mats.

Performance

Iceman Intake

Centerforce Dual Friction Clutch

Visteon PCM CWQ3 (Oct 91+)

Handling

Tokico Struts

Energy Suspension Bushings

Eibach Lowering Spring

205/55ZR15 Goodyear Eagle F1

4 Wheel Disc Brakes.

The S/R is 146/HP and 140/TQ (They dyno between 117-121 WHP)

Sites:

www.teamzx2.com

www.zx2racing.com.