ESCORT MK5

Creating the next generation of Escort was never going to be easy, but it’s hard to imagine how Ford could have got it so wrong when it unveiled the Mk5 version in September 1990.

At first glance the new Escort did look to be a significant step forward compared to the outgoing Mk4. However, despite it being bigger, more spacious and having a contemporary new style, the reality was that it quite simply wasn’t. At best, the motoring press described it as average, at worst, one magazine went so far as to say that the manufacturer had set out to design the ‘anti-driver car’.

Playing a big part in the new Escort’s negative reception was the carry-over of the Mk4’s CVH engines, with customers able to choose from 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre units, plus the 1.3-litre HCS