1994 Ford Escort 1.6 16v LX 5-dr review from UK and Ireland

Nothing.

This car was bought for £600 as a stopgap measure after our last car was sold.

After running a 2001 Vectra 2.2, it came as a bit of a shock, but not as much as I thought it might.

The motoring press universally slated these cars when they were launched in 1990, but I think it was OK.

The engine was a bit coarse, but performed alright for a 1.6 (bravo Ford for putting a 16 valve engine in a small family car this early on), it was quite comfy, except for a seating position that was too low, and it seemed to handle reasonably. Also the boot was a good size, everything worked on this 100,000 mile example, and for 7 months it was used every day and didn't let us down.

Before we owned this car I was always prejudiced against Escorts, I thought they were boring and dull, and while I can't say it would be my main choice if I had to run one permanantly (maybe a 306 or Golf), and the Focus is a vastly better car as a replacement, they're not too bad.