FAMILY FAVOURITES (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY JONATHAN CROUCH

Introductionword count: 102

Production issues dictated that Ford's Escort had to continue in the showrooms for almost a year after the more modern Focus family hatchback was launched at the end of 1999. By then, interest in the car was already waning, so to shore up sales, Ford had earlier in the year introduced highly specified Flight and Finesse versions of the most popular 1.6-litre petrol and 1.8-litre turbo diesel derivatives. It's no exaggeration to say that these were by far the best mainstream Escorts ever built. In fact, they actually make quite a lot of sense secondhand, given the very affordable prices being asked.

Modelsword count: 8

Models Covered: 1.6/1.8TDi Flight & Finesse 5dr Hatchback/Estate

Historyword count: 95

The Escort Flight and Finesse models shared the honour of bidding farewell to the Escort name after 32 years by offering a value-for-money five-door hatchback or estate package with 1.6-litre petrol or 1.8-litre turbodiesel power. The Flight came in only three colours (white, blue and red) and power steering, a sunroof and central locking were all included. If you want a bit more kit for your cash, then the plusher Finesse models had air conditioning, metallic paint, a CD player, alloy wheels, a rear spoiler and front fog lamps - a lot for the money.

What You Getword count: 77

In these models, you get basic, effective, reliable transport that's easy to drive and cheap to maintain. Whichever bodystyle you choose, you'll get yourself a good, reliable family car. The Finesse is particularly well-equipped for the price. The estates are spacious alternatives, the rear compartment being as versatile as you'd expect thanks to a load area length to the back of the rear seat of 1046mm, a floor width of 1285mm and a cargo height of 856mm.

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