Reviews - Ford

Overall Rating

The Ford Escort van is just the commercial version of the Escort car, designed as a small workhorse for business drivers. Ford decided to stop manufacturing in 2002 but the van has remained hugely popular with a buoyant used market.

• Hard wearing bodywork
• Cult status
• Buoyant used market

• Low spec as standard
• Outdated
• Noisy engines

The popular Ford Escort van was designed as a workhorse based on the Escort car. For years the Escort was Ford?s best selling small van until they decided to stop manufacturing in 2002, seeing the model as outdated and going back to the drawing board. The interior is basic and functional with no frills. Plastic dash, storage is glove box and in the doors. Cloth seats which are practical and fairly comfortable though not much adjustment available. Radio/cassette fitted as standard. No ABS. The outward shape has stayed pretty much the same although 1996 improvements saw the body shape more rounded and streamlined, in line with improvements made to the car. The body work wears especially well and even on older models there is little or no sign of rust, a testament to Ford?s specialist Available in 1.3 and 1.4 petrol engines, 1.8 diesel and 1.8 turbocharged. While the petrol-engined Escort van managed half-reasonable performance, progress in both diesel engines was slow. The non-turbo 1.8 offered just 60bhp and 81lb-ft or torque while the turbo offers 90bhp and 19lf-ft of torque. The diesel engine is very loud and shakes the whole vehicle when the engine first starts, followed by a mild shaking. After 1996, ride and handling improved enormously as Ford tackled the noise, vibration and harshness issues. Ford tweaked the suspension, gearbox and steering mechanisms to give a much more refined ride and reduce engine noise. The Ford Escort since launch and to this day is still immensely popular and is almost becoming a cult status symbol to own one keeping used prices buoyant.

Outdated in looks and engineering with noisy engines not dis-similar to tractors. No frills interior with limited specification. No longer in production. But after all this the Ford Escort is still immensely popular and the used market buoyant as this popular Ford reached cult status.