The new fourth-generation Ford Focus may be where all the spotlight is, ahem, focused on, but the Blue Oval also took the opportunity to introduce the facelifted Escort ahead of the Auto China show in Beijing later this month. The no-frills China-only sedan may have hit the mark back in 2014, but the automotive market in the Middle Kingdom has grown more upmarket and Ford has added a few upscale touches to suit.
Most noticeable is a more premium looking front end that owes a lot to the latest Fiesta and Focus. There are new, more streamlined xenon headlights with C-shaped LED daytime running lights and a chrome bezel, a sleeker chrome-laden grille and a reprofiled air intake and fog light surrounds. You’ll also find a shark fin antenna sticking out at the back, along with new 17-inch alloy wheels on higher-end variants.
Ford has yet to release any photos of the rear end, but it says that the signature LED tail light design now extends to the bootlid, while the rear fog lights have been separated from the tail lights and are mounted on the bumper. Speaking of which, the multi-piece rear fascia has also been updated.
No photos of the interior, either, apart from the revised instrument cluster design. New to the cabin are high-gloss finishes, satin aluminium highlights and a grey-and-black two-tone colour scheme, plus additional equipment including power-adjustable front seats and power-folding wing mirrors, both with position memory.
Other features include keyless entry, push-button start, auto lights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and a reverse camera. Safety-wise, the Escort now comes with stability control, curtain airbags (making it six in total) and a tyre pressure monitoring system as standard.
With the facelift comes an all-new engine lineup, with the introduction of the 1.0 litre EcoBoost turbocharged three-cylinder petrol. Although no output figures have been released, expect it to make the same 125 PS and 170 Nm as our outgoing Fiesta.
The 1.5 litre Ti-VCT naturally-aspirated four-pot is also new – lighter and stronger and claimed to deliver up to 16% better fuel efficiency than before – but again there aren’t any numbers to go with it. As a refresher, the outgoing engine made 113 PS and 142 Nm. Both engine options come with automatic stop/start as well as a choice of either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed SelectShift torque converter automatic.
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I thought its a Kia
(Like) Proton Persona.
(Dislike) Ford Escort
Front like Mirage/Atrage
How come China destined cars have less creases, less detail? It’s as if the designers went on a coffee break just when the final touches were to be made.
Got temp gauge or not??
Just stick to your wira
Bring back Ford Mondeo wf Ecobbost new model to Msia..that is a damn good car
Ford can make really good world class cars