2001 Ford ZX2: Our new compact "road rocket!"

Last weekend, we finally did it. For the first time in ten years, we bought a new car...

The time was right for us. Financially, we could afford it; our ancient and venerable 1991 Honda Accord LX, with nearly 118,000 miles on it, seemed to be getting a little "long in the tooth," and besides... we were getting bored with it. With sales of new cars down in our area, and dealers desperate to make good deals, it’s been an excellent buyer’s market...

...So, after much deliberation and comparison shopping, we ended up buying a 2001 Ford ZX2 coupe. This is an excellent compact car that's already proven its mettle to us, and gives every indication of being a reliable little workhorse over the "long haul."

The ZX2 is a member of the Escort family, although Ford dropped the "Escort" moniker beginning with the 2001 models. In recent years, Escorts have gained a reputation for being solidly built and reliable small family cars. They’ve been immensely popular as well. For many years, they reigned as among the best-selling cars on the market, both in Europe and America.

Here’s a partial list of what we got with our 2001 Ford ZX2:

* 2.0 liter DOHC cam, 16-valve Zetec engine
* Automatic transaxle with overdrive
* Power rack-and-pinion steering
* Power brakes (front disc, rear drum)
* Front/rear stabilizer bars
* Solar tinted glass
* Air Conditioner
* Rear window defogger
* Intermittent windshield wipers
* AM/FM stereo cassette player
* Trunk entrapment release
* Second generation dual air bags
* Power dual mirrors
* 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.

For the past week, we’ve been tooling around town getting used to our new ZX2 and showing it off to our friends and family. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to take it out for its first real extended "shakedown" cruise. I took our son to Boston to see our beloved, American League East-leading Red Sox tangle with the Minnesota Twins. It’s about a four hour drive to Boston from our home... plenty of time to form some informed driving impressions of the Ford ZX2:

* Vigorous, "peppy" powertrain: The 2.0 liter, 16-valve Zetec engine is quite an excellent little performer! Acceleration from a stop was surprisingly quick. Acceleration in order to pass another vehicle is very, VERY fast indeed! At cruising speeds, the engine runs very smoothly, although not especially quietly. Even at high speeds it gives little evidence of being under any kind of strain at all, even on those few occasions when I reached speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour (MPH).

The engine is slightly noisier than I’m used to, but its deep, throaty "thrum" is pleasing to my ears and not all that audible inside the passenger compartment. The engine is also very fuel efficient. During our trip to Boston, I averaged about 34 miles per gallon, traveling at speeds of 70-75 MPH most of the way.

The automatic transaxle shifts very smoothly through the gears. Shifting points are barely perceptible. When the vehicle reaches cruising speed, the transaxle shifts smoothly to "overdrive." Only the lower pitched growl of the engine betrays the transaxle's shift to the higher gear.

On hills and under heavier loads, the automatic transaxle constantly shifts between "drive" and "overdrive..." almost like it’s not quite sure what it wants to do. Heavier loads and longer hills make this more pronounced. It’s a bit of an annoyance, but once I learned the trick of managing the accelerator pedal, I was able to minimize the shifting quite nicely.

* Handling: The 2001 Ford ZX2 handles very nicely under most driving conditions. It’s quick to accelerate, even on hills, although, as stated earlier, the transaxle constantly shifts into and out of "overdrive" on hills. Power steering is straight and true; the car goes exactly where you point it with the steering wheel. The car takes most curves very well... almost like it’s on rails!!

The car's brakes are excellent. I tested them out in a simulated "panic" stop (not during our trip to Boston!) going from 60 to 0 MPH in only a few seconds. I didn’t notice any "fishtailing" or wheel lock, even though this car is not equipped with anti-lock brakes.

The ZX2’s suspension is very firm. Combine that with a short wheelbase, and you’ll get a bit of a rough ride on roads with potholes, concrete slabs, or on unpaved surfaces. On well maintained roads, however, the ride is very smooth and handling is well-mannered.

* GREAT style! The Ford ZX2 really is a great looking car! It’s very sporty, with a wonderful aerodynamic appearance that’s almost completely devoid of anything resembling a sharp corner. The Oxford White is an especially appealing color… it’s very bright, making the car easy to see during the day, and at night as well. (An important safety feature.)

* Spacious, accessible, and comfortable interior: This was a major surprise with the 2001 Ford ZX2: the large amount of interior space available for passengers. I am 6’3" tall and weigh 240 pounds. There’s sufficient legroom and ample headroom for me in all four seating positions, even with the front seats all the way back. The seats are very comfortable. They all provide excellent support for the lower back, rear end, and thighs... especially important for long trips.

Access to the interior was surprisingly easy as well. As the largest member of my family, I had no difficulty getting into or out of any of the four available passenger positions.

Getting a baby's car seat into a ZX2 two-door coupe can be diffucult, depending on the size of the seat. There are special anchor points for car seats on both sides of the back seat. My wife occasionally baby-sits for our one-year old niece and uses a car seat in the back when they go out together. She tells me the seat fits snugly into place and is perfectly safe.

* Excellent ergonomics: Ford’s engineers obviously worked overtime to make the ZX2 an ergonomically pleasing car. As I stated earlier, interior space is excellent for a small car, even taking the sloping roof into consideration. Seats are very comfortable and supportive.

The instrument panel is simple in design and easy to see and read. Included are an analog fuel and temperature gauges; speedometer/odometer; and tachometer. Numbers and needles are all white and easy to pick out at a glance. There’s quite an impressive array of "idiot lights" on the left of the instrument panel, below the fuel and temperature gauges.

The automatic transaxle's shifting lever is floor mounted. It’s large, sleek, and unobtrusive. The gears – P,R,N,D(O),D, and L – are well lit and easy to see in daylight or darkness. Gearshift indents are firm yet smooth, so once you’ve shifted, you’ll stay there until you want to change. The emergency brake handle is also floor mounted, between the front bucket seats. It’s very easy to operate. The emergency brake holds the vehicle firmly in place.

All environmental controls reside on an attractive console in the lower center of the dashboard. Included in the console are the AM/FM stereo cassette; and air conditioning and heater/defroster controls. The air conditioner, heater, and defroster are all very quiet and efficient. Both the defroster and air conditioner clear interior frost and fog from the windows in a matter of seconds. (Yes, it's late April, and we're still getting weather cold enough to form frost on the inside!)

There's a sensor in the environmental control system that automatically activates the air conditioner when the outside air temperature is above 50 degrees. One pleasing fact: running the air conditioner doesn't seem to place any undue strain on the engine. Only time will tell, however, what effect running the air conditioner will have on gas mileage.

The four-speaker stereo system has about average sound. The controls are large and easy to use. Ford seems to have improved the ergonomic aspects of the stereo’s controls and indicators over that which is installed in the 2001 F150 SuperCrew pickup truck.

* OUR VERDICT ON THE 2001 FORD ZX2: Although it’s not in the same league as the Honda Accord or Civic with respect to luxury, the 2001 Ford ZX2 is an excellent car in most respects. It’s sporty, fun to drive, fuel efficient, and comfortable. I would definitely recommend a larger car for bigger families (especially families with small children requiring car seats). For single people, couples, or small families with older children (like mine), however, the 2001 Ford ZX2 is an excellent choice indeed.