Ford Escort Mark V (1990-1992)

The fifth generation Escort platform (and Mark III Orion saloon) arrived in September 1990 with an all-new bodyshell and a simplified torsion beam rear suspension (instead of the Mark III's fully independent layout). Initially the 1.3 L, 1.4 L and 1.6 L CVH petrol and 1.8 L diesel units were carried over from the old model, and were starting to show their age in terms of refinement especially compared to Rover's state of the art K-Series engine launched in 1989.

Despite being the most eagerly awaited model for year, the Escort and Orion ranges were subjected to a surprising amount of criticism from the media and motoring public alike. Its uninspiring internal and external styling and its disappointing handling were the main reasons for this bad press. Some owners were also disappointed by the levels of quality. Despite this, the Escort remained hugely popular with buyers, coming second in the British car sales charts in 1990 and 1991 before topping the charts in 1992. The Orion was less popular, failing to feature in the Top 10 best selling cars in Britain after 1990.

Matters improved in 1991 when the all new Zetec 16-valve engines were launched bringing improved driveability, while also marking the return of the XR3i which was available with 2 versions of the 1.8 litre Zetec engine. The 150 bhp (112 kW) RS2000 also appeared in 1991 with a 16v version of the Sierra's I4 2.0 litre engine and also improved ride and handling meaning a Mark V Escort finally delivered on the road. Specification, however, were also higher than before. The Escort was now available with items such as power steering, electric windows, central locking, electronic antilock brakes and even air conditioning.

1992 saw the launch of the Escort RS Cosworth, and a 5th generation Escort that was genuinely considered excellent. Intended to replace the Sapphire RS Cosworth as Ford's stalwart rally challenger, it used a turbocharged version of the 2.0 L Cosworth 16-valve engine, generated some 227 PS (167 kW) and was capable of 225 km/h (140 mph), as well as having four-wheel drive. Its most memorable feature was its outrageous "whale-tail" tailgate spoiler.The 2,500 road-going examples sold (required for homologation purposes)were made, but demand for the car was so high that Ford kept producuing them. These have a smaller Turbo than the Homologation versions and came with the 'whale-tail' spoiler as a option. The Escort Cosworth ceased production in 1996 but it has already achieved classic status, and has a huge following. However, the car wasn't really an Escort at all, being based from a Sierra floorpan and mechanicals, including its longitudinally mounted engine, and was merely clothed in body panels to look (supposedly) like a standard Mark V.

The fifth generation Escort was launched in South America in 1992, being manufactured in Brazil and Argentina by Autolatina, a joint-venture between Volkswagen and Ford. This resulted with the top of the line Escort XR3i being equipped with a VW AP 2.0L engine generating 115.5 hp / 86 kW (although this value is supposed to be lower than the actual value, a practice that was done before with the 1989 XR3 model). This generation also spawned two VW-branded cars with the same mechanics (but different body styles and interiors) called Pointer (five-door hatchback) and Logus, a two-door saloon.

Engines:

* 1.3 (1297cc)
* 1.4 CFi (1392 cc) CVH 52 kW
* 1.4 EFi (1392 cc) CVH 55 kW
* 1.4 G (1392 cc) CVH 54 kW
* 1.6 EFi (1597 cc) CVH 79 kW
* 1.6 G/H (1597 cc) CVH 66 kW
* 1.6 EFi (1598 cc) Zetec 66 kW
* 1.8 EFi (1796 cc) Zetec 77/85/96 kW
* 1.8 D (1753 cc) Endura D 44 kW
* 1.8 TD (1753 cc) Endura D 66 kW
* 2.0 EFi (1998 cc) Ford I4 Engine 110 kW
* 2.0 (1993 cc) Cosworth YBT 167 kW