2000 Ford Escort ZX2 S/R 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Great all around performance car

Faults:

Problem: Alternator.

Symptoms: Battery light flickering at high RPM.

Solution: Dealer replaced under warranty at 44 000 km.

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

General Comments:

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.

- Rough ride (with S/R edition suspension). It's not really a downside if you prefer handling to 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, treat 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 springs.

205/55ZR15 Goodyear Eagle F1.

4 wheel disc brakes.

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

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th January, 2005

28th Jan 2006, 16:03

Just a question. I'm not sure if you would be able to help, but recently I noticed that the car while parked or stopped idles really low and eventually stalls out. do you know why this is or how it could be fixed. if you have any info at all please email me @ jsm00th1o@yahoo.com. thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

View 3 more comments

2000 Ford Escort ZX2 2.4 from North America

Faults:

The paint job was real lousy and my car has "feathering"? ie: lots of small 1/2 mm cracks on the hood, top of car, and other small areas.

Many brake problems.

Bent frame after another car "bumped" into my rear end.

Mechanic friend agrees they are not easy to work on.

Window cracks easy "rock flew from a truck" second time happening. A nice big ole' crack. Cheap glass?

Not a very smooth ride.

General Comments:

I would "NOT" buy another Ford car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th January, 2005

7th Jan 2005, 04:14

My brakes are shaking raily bad and my tracking keeps knocking it. s self out.

17th Feb 2005, 21:08

Yah wellll.

YOU KNOW WHAT, You just got a DUD Zx2 is the best thing out there, mine kicks ass and I wouldn't trade it for the world, you can't get a better car than it...Ohhh man I don't know whats wrong with you.

2nd May 2005, 09:24

You bought an Escort and expected a smooth ride? That aside, the glass does seem to chip easy, but after three rocks mine never cracked. The paint condition may be covered under warranty. I know some body warranties, like rust, are 5 years unlimited mileage. Read the warranty book that came with your car.

9th Apr 2006, 12:20

I still have the factory glass in my 1998. It has probably thousands of hard to see chips, but no cracks yet. My wife manages to crack all her cars' glass within the first few months.