Escort, Tracer, and Focus: The "World Car" eventually arrives
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มี.ค. 2024
- Welcome to Auto Chatter! Todays tale is a continuation of the Escort and Tracer. I invite you to join me for tale of Ford and Mercury Escorts, Tracers, and eventually the Focus from 1991 untill 2018. The cars had quite a few changes over the years, and I think makes for a interesting Chatter. Thank you for watching, and if your new consider watching some of my other vids! A Like is appreciated if you enjoyed it, and a Subscribe too would be even better. To current Subscribers, as always I appreciate the continued support!
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Ford mostly screwed up with the offerings here versus Europe. They should have commonized the lines much earlier. This was not the age of the internet where everyone could see what was offered there. In comparison ours sucked with few exceptions. Had the RS versions been sold longer and marketed better they could have sold plenty at a better profit margin. The corporate board was lost in America with the Japanese besting everything they did. And then they played the "Pinto card".
Ford wanted the marketing point of the sick-speed automatic. The engineers told them "It's not quite ready" but the board went ahead and used it. These things were dying under warranty, the engineers scrambling to fix one failure point which caused another failure point. It got better over time but it never got good. Finally after much too long the engineers gave the final verdict: The entire design was substandard and could not be made to work correctly. And they left a detailed paper=trail of all of this, same as they did the Pinto problem. The "Eco boost" had similar problems, especially the 1L version which can't keep head gaskets together because the tops of the cylinder sleeves are floating with nothing to hold them in alignment. So they shift and it goes boom. And since the problem is the block design it keeps going boom. Again there's a Pinto-like paper-trail about this.
By now everyone was turned off by Ford's cars which broke expensive things which should rarely (if ever) break. Dealers lost their butts with the sick-speed warranty repairs which tied up their Technicians fixing transmission internals instead of doing a swap-out. Ford finally rectified that but it took way too long. The dealers didn't want to sell the unreliable cars which they knew were going to cost them in many ways once they left the lot. The people weren't buying the "oh they've fixed that now" BS the salesmen were trying to pass off. It was easy to see that the Japanese cars weren't having this kind of problem so that's where the potential customers ended up. The Mustang, like the Corvette, was a special 'captive market' case where buyers wanted that particular model and weren't going to buy something else. Ford saw there was no recovering in the market for the declining desire for cars, especially when the cheap Korean ones took the bottom and the Japanese cars took the top. Had Ford not shot themselves in the foot twice maybe they could have found a successful niche for a car, but instead they walked away. You can't win in a game you're not playing in but considering how they were playing, maybe that was their best option.
I didn't get into it, but I saw a few vids about some teardowns on those 1 liter engines. They....didn't seem to be built in key areas with reliability in mind. I agree some of the mechanical woes helped doom these, but the rise of the Crossover was a huge blow to them bowing out of the market anyway.
A friend of mine had a 97 Mistique as his last car before he passed away and said that was the best car he ever had!!
Had owned a '93 Tracer 4-door sedan, 1.9 Litre IL4 a/t. It proved to be very reliable.
That gen Escort seemed pretty good from what I remember.
@@autochatter That Tracer hed been privately imported used from the U.S. to Hungary.
The Escort/ Focus holds such good memories in my heart. Practically everyone in my family had an Escort, Tracer, and Focus. By the time I could buy one myself I bought a 2014 Focus. It was cool but Ford really screwed everyone with the DCT transmission. I regret not doing research as I suffered for a few years with this car. I don't understand why they just didn't get rid of the DCT and went with a regular 6 speed auto or offered more manuals (hell even a CVT would have been better). It forever ruined the Focus and now Ford just is not the same and unaffordable and the quality of their cars is much more worse then ever...
Yeah that transmission had problems!
When I was a kid I thought the 91-96 escort was a special car. Especially the GT’s with the slants in the grilles
At the time compared to the one in the 80s, I'm sure it looked pretty hot...That being said, I didn't have poster of a 93 Escort GT in my bedroom LOL.
Australia had a very similar model called the Ford Laser. We even had a 4WD Turbo version too. The Ford Laser TX3 Turbo. The thing was a weapon!
I'm sure it was!
I drove a buddy's Ford Focus sedan for a few days. It was nothing special, just a rental spec. I was impressed that the handling was pretty decent and the fuel economy was excellent.
Yeah even the base ones felt like they were a bit more.
As one who owned an 87 escort, 91 tracer, 95 escort, and an 01 focus, i found your vids very interesting ....would be interested in seeing a vid on the fiestas. Good job!
Appreciate that!
cool to know the history. the ford focus is a legendary vehicle in my opinion. you still see a lot of the first and second generation focuses around, albeit they are starting to look pretty rusty.
Thanks! Working on J body cars this week...Cavalier and Sunbird here I come!
That Kona Edition. Still love that.
Definitely taking advantage of the active lifestyle trend then for some vehicles.
In 1993 My Grandmother decided it was time to retire her 1972 VW bus. And she wanted a minivan. I had taken her to one dealer. And the one she thought she wanted, well she couldn't see over the dash. (She was 4'11") Then we went to a Ford dealer. No vans. As we were leaving I pointed out a group of Escort wagons. And suggested that was a better option. She refused a test drive. She told the salesman I will only drive the car if I buy it. So we took a test ride. It took her 3 weeks to decide to buy the car. When she went to buy the car the salesman asked her how many payments she wanted to do. She pulled out her checkbook and said ONE. About a year later I had issues with a 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis. That I had just bought (long story). I ended trading that in on a used 1993 Escort wagon. Had it till 1997 when I traded it in on a leftover 1997 Ranger XLT.
My Grandmother was the same height! I think for shorter or taller people, 99.9% of the test drive is do they fit or are they able to see over the dash.
@@autochatter I'm also of a smaller stature at 5'4".
@@theprinceofsnjI'm almost 6 feet,but fit in my MX5.
I liked the 2008 design of the focus. I wish Mercury would have came out with a variant of the focus though. I would have liked to the see Mercury version of the Focus that would have been nice. I wish Mercury would have stayed in business. Now the only Mercury you can buy is used.
Bought a 95 escort pony brand new. Stripped to the bone. Student loan special, almost nothing down 199 month for 3 years!!!!!! My baby momma drove it over 350k miles over 15 years. It was nothing special, but it was much better looking than the Cavalier and was the best value car I have ever heard of.
I hey that student loan deal IS the reason why they sold 25k more of them in 95 as to 94
That's great..and I agree a first time buyers program may have had a influence with increased sales.
As a 23 year old I cannot fathom getting such a deal on a car today. I hear what my parents were able to do and buy in the 90s with how much money they made and it just boggles my mind. Seriously should have been born decades before I was.
@baronvonjo1929 Well...Keep in mind what people were willing to live with...or without in a cheap car then compared to today. That thing had a 5 speed...no power anything, and may not even have had a radio.Forget about air conditioning for a base model with no options too. You can't buy a new car today that doesn't have power windows and locks,a/c,stereo, etc. The original poster said it was 200 bucks a month then. That's over 400 now and you can get into somthing like a Nissan Versa for that monthly today! In my Chevette vid I did a little comparison what it had versus a Versa as they were around the same money adjusting for inflation.
Definitely would’ve taken the Probe over a ZX2. Otherwise, I like the look of the 1997 Escort and Tracer sedans. A Tracer LS with the sport package was actually a nice car that was underrated. Always thought the rear styling on these were great. And definitely would’ve taken one of these over a cramped and unreliable Contour/Mystique.
Great chatter!
Thanks Rob! It wasn't my favorite gen due to the styling,limited bodystyles and powertrains. The highline Tracer version was a nice step up though.
I always found it hilarious to hear about "performance" versions of the escorts and even the early focus gens... what the US got was at best considered mid level performance for our euro versions... the euro RS' were just superior :D
Oh yes...We were deprived here for sure then. I'm sure you noticed where I mentioned that more or less.
@@autochatter don't misunderstand though, the ST170 we got was essentially a lightly reworked version of the focus top model in the US and it wasn't bad at all, just couldn't be compared to the original focus RS at the time...but NOT a bad car, yes I am repeating myself here xD
@TheChill001 Oh were on the same page for sure here! 😀 . The main vehicles I personally like from Europe, were aircooled VWs and all Porsche 911s.
Great episode as always man!
Thanks Hawk!
Thanks for the clip and for sharing the information. It was also great to hear you acknowledge the Australian Ford Laser as the basis for the 1st generation Mercury Tracer. Hope you don't mind that I add the below information also.
Ford Australia ceased production of the MkII Euro Ford Escort in late 1980, being replaced in early 1981 by the all new 1st generation Ford Laser (Mazda 323/Mazda GLC). The new Ford Laser was sold as a 3dr/5dr hatch and as a 4dr sedan, in Australia the sedan was sold as the Ford Meteor, however in New Zealand it would retain the Laser name for the 4dr sedan. The Ford Laser would be Ford's small car in the Asia Pacific region, through parts of Africa and in some Central and South American markets. The 1st generation Ford Laser was also built and sold in Mexico, where it would actually have the same front end as the North American Mazda GLC (Mazda 323), which made for a unique look for the Ford Laser in that part of the world. Unlike the 1st generation North American Ford Escort, the Ford Laser shared some similar styling elements with the 3rd generation Euro Ford Escort, even though the Euro Ford Escort and the Ford Laser were not related.
The Ford Laser was a huge seller for Ford in the Asia Pacific region. It would be one of the most popular vehicles sold in Australia and New Zealand.
The 2nd generation Ford Laser, again based on the Mazda 323, was released in Australia in 1985 and this would see the Laser, well a version of it, sold in the USA and Canada, as the 1st generation Mercury Tracer. The new generation Ford Laser would be sold as a 3dr/5dr hatch and a 4dr sedan and 5dr wagon. The sedan and wagon would again be sold under the Ford Meteor branding, until 1987 when a facelift was introduced and both the sedan and wagon would be sold as the Ford Laser with the rest of the range. What's interesting with regards to the North American Mercury Tracer is that USA examples were built in Mexico and Canadian examples were built in Taiwan. The 2nd generation cemented the Ford Laser as was one of the most popular vehicles to be sold in both Australia and New Zealand and also in South Africa and Taiwan.
The 3rd generation Ford Laser (Mazda 323/Protege) released in Australia in 1989, would now see the Ford Laser and the North American Ford Escort (2nd generation) and Mercury Tracer (2nd generation) become one vehicle, while the 5th generation Euro Ford Escort completely going its own way. Again, the Ford Laser would be sold as a 3dr/5dr hatch, 4dr sedan and 5dr wagon, however, the wagon would be carried over from the previous generation Laser, while for the North American markets, a completely new Ford Escort wagon would be developed sharing the Laser/Escorts new design.
The 3rd generation Ford Laser would be the last Ford Laser built in Australia, ceasing production in September 1994. The 4th generation Ford Laser would become a fully imported vehicle from Japan in October 1994. The 3rd generation Ford Laser was still being built in New Zealand until 1996, as a cheaper entry level vehicle to the newer 4th generation Laser that was released in New Zealand in 1994. This was also the year Ford would close it's New Zealand manufacturing plant and become a fully imported brand.
In a strange move, Ford in New Zealand was selling the 4th generation Ford Laser and the 6th generation Euro Ford Escort along side of each other for 2 years, until 1999 before dropping the Euro Escort and concentrating on the Ford Laser until 2003.
A spin off of the Ford Laser, was the Australian built Ford Capri convertible, exported and sold in North America as the Mercury Capri. This vehicle had a short model life, released in 1989 until 1994. It shared many components with the 3rd generation Ford Laser.
The Ford Laser, now in it's 5th generation, would continue to be sold in Australia until late 2002 and in New Zealand in mid 2003, before finally being replaced by the Euro imported Ford Focus.
No problem at all, and thank you for adding additional info on the Laser!
@@autochatter No worries at all mate! Just thought it would be interesting for others to know a little about the history of the Laser, as it doesn't get discussed as much.
@@iEnofadov It wasn't the primary focus of the episode, but I felt it was worth a mention or two.
I had a 95 LX four door.
But that one wasn't pink?
Ford Focus hatchback is one of their best looking 90s/00s cars... fight me comment section
Won't get a fight from me on that one. I liked the hatch models too.
Some of us didn’t care for the European look of the Focus… similarly to the later European look of the 2012-2018 Focus and 2013-present Escape
@KeishaJones-fk2pz The first gen Focus was polarizing to some!
Me too, i love mk1 focuses (thanks, Colin McRae!)
drop your location hooligan
You did a excellent job with the video. I was laughing so hard at some of your comments. My favorite was if you wanted more power ...Too bad LOL! It took Ford a while to get the global car right. They did not with the first generation Escort. Then we had the Mazda based Escort and Tracer and you could see it was as well. Then Europe got the Focus and then we got it later like an after thought. That seems the way the American market is treated by Ford and GM. GM does it all the time with Buick China compared to Buick United States. The hot hatch market took off and Ford had to compete. They finally got the global "One Ford" thing eventually. It is a shame other car makers outside GM and Ford figured this out. GM did make more of effort especially with Opel and Holden. I did not know they were about to bring Tracer back, but Mercury died. Suv's and Crossovers did kill cars. It is a shame about the quality.
Thanks Olds! Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah I got a little cynical at times, but you just didn't know if the next gen was gonna get better or worse with these!
@@autochatter Like I said... the quality was sad because it was Ford's time to shine. I missed opportunity. The only car at Ford North America is the Mustang. I know China and The Middle East have the Taurus offered to them. What happened that Fusion crossover replacement they said was coming. It has not. That Taurus sedan is nice looking too. That could sell here.
@@OLDS98 True...Not sure what Fords plans are (or not) for more cars in the lineup.
@@autochatter Sell more crossovers and suvs because that is where the money is today.
I loved my little 1991 Ecscort Pony. Too bad u didn't mention the Aspire
Tried to keep it dedicated to this class. The Kia built,Mazda based Aspires and Festivas will get their own vid someday.
Mom had a 92? Escort wagon. Only thing I didn't care for was how low it sat. Felt like a clown car.
I kinda liked how that gen was more low slung seating wise myself.
@autochatter I'm over 6' so many cars feel too low for me.
Great video. I can't figure out why Tracer couldn't Crack 45k sales when the escort continuously hit about 250k. There was more juice in that orange obviously. They just couldn't manage to squeeze any of it out.
Mercury buyers were older and not as attracted to the smaller cars is the short answer.Mercury was also a much smaller division....And Thank you!
You should've added the Fiesta in it given it shares the same mechanics as the Focus from the 2012-2019 model years.
I felt it would be best for its own future episode. This one was getting a bit long as is!
I've always thought that the 1991-96 escorts looked liked the 1986-95 Taurus. Meanwhile I've always thought the 1997-02 escorts looked exactly liked the 1995-00 contour. Also I've always thought that the 2000-07 Focus looked liked the second gen 2001-07 Ford Mondeo. And finally, I've always thought that the 2012-18 focus looked liked the second gen 2013-20 Fusion.
Well...They had some family resemblances and that isn't done by accident!
You missed the saleen focus
Well...It wasn't technically a factory car and only 200 were made
Maybe I should have mentioned it.
12:40
I never understood why automaker target youth buyers. I suppose it was just a different time. Being 23 nothing is really aimed with young people these days.
However when I watch these old car videos and listen to older people it seems they could actually afford a newish car.
Times have changed.
Anyway being a young person I dont really see why anyone would be sad Ford killed their cars. I think the last Focus and the first gen hatch were good lookers. But the last Focus and Fiesta and all fords in the 2010 era seems very subpar. They produced bad products for the consumers wallet. They are currently number 1 in recalls last I check and cant be competitive. Everyone I know except one guy had serious issues with their 2010-20 Fords. I still remember when my parents watched the news they always talked about that Ford transmission lawsuit.
While crossovers ate into their sales I would say Ford just making bad products is what really lowered sales. They have been in decline globally in market share for a while. Its to be expected. Just my opinion.
Well... You wanted youth buyers to get one of your products in the hopes they stick with you later on. I would have been the target age for those Focus models then..We wanted 300zxs and Corvettes, but we bought Focus,Corolla,Sentra,etc new for the most part LOL . I think younger people then wanted a car more than some now. With the Internet and social media in full swing, some just assume vid chat or texting friends versus picking them up or meeting them somewhere in your car LOL. Maybe I'm just generalizing though.
@@autochatterEh the only young people my age I know of who have newer cars either had parents buy em or are leasing them. Most people I know of are too busy trying to pay rent and food to have the luxury of a new car. But I'm just one guy with one experience. Even trying to buy a used car is more expensive now than when I bought my first used car. Was trying to find a RAV4 and depsite the model with the rear mounted tire being old now 15 year old examples with over 150k somehow cost 15 grand. Other models were just about. I'm trying to find a car atm and their aren't really any affordable nice ish cars to choose from that fit my needs.
I understand why there are reports now saying younger people dislike cars more now. With their prices and explosive insurance rates they just aren't made for us anymore. My love for cars has definitely diminished simply because they aren't made to be operated by lower income folks anymore.
@baronvonjo1929 I know it kinda sucks right now..My kid isn't much younger than you and has had some eye opening prices with "Adultng stuff". I didn't buy my first new car untill I was 28.
17:12 - The worst generation of the model. Extraordinarily boring.
Agreed.
Videos copied from Motorweek😮
Yes.Ive used clips from them often.
please lose that tv frame. please!
I started doing that as the resolution on some older clips can be pretty bad, so not making it full on the screen helps.
@@autochatter thank you for the answer. your explanation is valid but i still do not approve. not that my approval would be required in any way but i object. bad resolution not as bad as the tv frame. but nevertheless keep up the good work bruv! and if that frame is the "worst" part then all is good. 👍
@@RayEttler If that's the worst thing about it...I'll take it LOL. I've had thoughts on other things I can do.
@@autochatterdon’t listen to him. The TV frame is great. The old fashioned TV conveys a sense of nostalgia that goes along great with the automobiles discussed here.
There always gotta be that one guy that gotta tell you how to run your channel……
@upbeattvraw-hiphop8242 The nostalgia factor was another thing I liked about it too.