The two-door 1998Ford Escort ZX2 was introduced at the 1997North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It was based on the second-generation North American version of the Escort, first introduced in 1991 and substantially updated in 1997. The ZX2 had a completely unique exterior and interior design as opposed to its four-door siblings, although the entire model line shared the same wheelbase. It was equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, sixteen-valve Zetec engine. The car was intended to be a replacement for the Escort GT.
The Escort sedan was replaced in 2000 by the Focus; however a successor to the ZX2 was never planned. It remained in production after the sedan was phased out and renamed simply "ZX2." Production at Ford's Hermosillo, Mexico plant ended in 2003.
Not the ZX2, which I will come to in a moment, but the FordEscort XR3I, which was one of the most popular automobiles of the 80s and early 90s and gained a certain reputation for itself.
Now, the regular FordEscorts, in the UK at least, have always had a reputation as a dependable, family car or a reliable rep car, but the target audience for the ZX2 is obviously a lot closer to that of the XR3I.
The hot ZX2 I tested also had a 6-CD changer in the trunk, which is always a nice addition to any car, but will set you back $295 on the ZX2.
Introduced in 1981, the first American Escort was intended to share common components with the European Mk III (as with its sister, the Mercury Lynx), and was launched as a 2-door hatchback and as a 4-door station wagon, with the 4-door hatchback following a year later.
In 1991, the Escort and the Mercury Tracer were replaced by models based on the Mazda B platform also used by the Mazda 323.
Ford, which owned a 25% stake in Mazda, already sold a version of the 323 in Asia and Australasia, called the Ford Laser, which replaced the old rear wheel drive Escort there.
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