--- title: "Ford Escort ZX2 road tests: 0–60, quarter mile and skidpad" description: "Period magazine road tests and reviews of the Ford Escort ZX2 and ZX2 S/R, with measured 0–60, quarter mile, skidpad and braking figures." url: https://zx2ms.com/wiki/road-tests reviewed: 2026-10-30 --- # What the magazines measured > The ZX2 was a strong value in period tests. It was among the quicker cheap coupes, with a good chassis and so-so brakes. Here are the figures we can source. Confidence tags: [Confirmed] means two or more sources agree, [Reported] means one source or owner report, [Disputed] means sources conflict. Ford's own literature is treated as a primary source. ## Key facts - **7.8** s 0–60, Motor Trend, 1997 - **0.78** g skidpad, standard car - **7.6** s 0–60, S/R - **0.86** g skidpad, S/R ## Instrumented tests | Test | Car | 0–60 | ¼ mile | Skidpad | 60–0 | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Motor Trend, May 1997 | Pre-production ZX2 | 7.4 s | — | — | — | [Confirmed] | | Motor Trend, Aug 1997 | Escort ZX2 Sport | 7.8 s | 16.1 s | 0.78 g | 143 ft | [Reported] | | Motor Trend, Sept 1999 | ZX2 S/R | 7.6 s | 15.8 s | 0.86 g | — | [0–60 confirmed] | | Road & Track, Sept 1999 (likely) | ZX2 S/R | 7.7 s | 16.0 s at 86.5 mph | 0.87 g | — | [Magazine page] | | Road & Track, date unknown | ZX2 | 8.4 s | — | — | — | [Reported] | | AutoWeek, about 1997 | ZX2 | 8.95 s | 16.68 s at 82.5 mph | — | — | [Magazine page] | | Orlando Sentinel, 1998 | ZX2 | 9.5 s | — | — | — | [Reported] | Motor Trend's 1997 test also ran the 600-foot slalom at 67.0 mph. The S/R test's "stock" comparison figures match the August 1997 test exactly, so Motor Trend probably reused it as the baseline. Road & Track's S/R page says its car was an average of 0.5 seconds quicker than the stock ZX2 Sport it tested in December 1997, which may be the source of the 8.4-second figure. It also ran the 600-foot slalom at 62.5 mph. AutoWeek's stock figures come from its S/R story, which recalls its own ZX2 test "two years ago". ## S/R drives Ford gave the press S/Rs and stock ZX2s to drive back to back at Buttonwillow Raceway, north of Los Angeles, right after the March 1999 Import Auto Salon. None of the magazines ran instrumented tests there, but several reported top speeds and lap times. [Magazine reports] | Magazine | S/R | Stock ZX2 | Lap times | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | AutoWeek, May 3, 1999 | 125 mph | a little over 100 mph | 1:17s vs 1:20s, west loop | | Sport Compact Car, July 1999 | about 125 mph | 104 mph, on its limiter | about 2 s a lap quicker on both courses | | Super Street, July 1999 | 120 mph | 105 mph | — | Super Street adds that both cars boiled their brake fluid by midday. Turbo & High-Tech Performance found the S/R's extra power "difficult to detect" on the road course. Scans of all these stories are on [Magazine articles](https://zx2ms.com/wiki/magazines). ### Road & Track, probably September 1999 A single magazine page, numbered 97 and dated September, that we believe comes from Road & Track: it cites "the December 1997 issue of *Road & Track*" as its own earlier test. The tested car ran 7.7 seconds to 60 and circled the skidpad at 0.87 g, faster than the Integra or Civic it was compared with. The magazine quotes 143 hp and 150 lb-ft, notes that premium fuel is "recommended but not mandatory", and says the S/R would be sold only in California at first, as a base for "California Gen-X hot rodders". The same page covers the [ZX2 Fusion](https://zx2ms.com/wiki/motorsport#sema-show-cars). [Magazine page] ### Sport Compact Car and Super Street, July 1999 Sport Compact Car's Josh Jacquot says the stock ZX2's 104 mph limiter is there because its tires aren't speed-rated, and the S/R calibration removes it. He found the shifter "a bit notchy at first" and the need for a limited-slip "glaring". Super Street's Brent Romans guessed 0–60 in about 7.6 seconds and a 15.8-second quarter at 90 mph, but didn't measure them, and found the seats "not as comfortable or supportive as they should be." [Magazine pages] ### AutoWeek, "The Once and Future Hot Rod," May 3, 1999 Mark Vaughn's story frames the S/R as Ford's answer to the Honda Civic among young hot rodders, quoting Al Kammerer: "The imports are 1, 2 and 3 in this segment and Ford doesn't like that." [Magazine pages] The details it adds: - The S/R began eight months earlier as an effort by a small crew at Ford's Small Vehicle Center in Dearborn to get more aftermarket parts made for the ZX2. Calibration engineer Mike Gearhart drag raced a ZX2, Ann Coulthard raced one in SCCA events, and team leader Terry Crossett owned a '37 Ford street rod. - Ford would build the first 100 on the production line in Hermosillo, Mexico, using parts kits from the suppliers, and sell them in Southern California. All would be bright yellow. - The $1,495 package would cost about twice as much if the parts were bought separately. - At Buttonwillow's west loop the S/R lapped in the 1:17s against the stock car's 1:20s, and reached 125 mph on the straight against a little over 100 mph. - The testers' one wish was a limited-slip differential, which they guessed would add at least $500. ## Comparison tests ### Motor Trend, "Gen-X Files," August 1997 Seven cheap coupes: the Escort ZX2, Honda Civic EX, Hyundai Tiburon FX, Mitsubishi Mirage LS, Nissan 200SX SE-R, Dodge Neon Highline and Toyota Paseo. Jeff Bartlett called the ZX2 "a stellar bargain". Only the Neon was quicker to 60 (7.5 s), but the ZX2's 143-ft stop was "merely mediocre" next to the Neon's 133 ft and the SE-R's 126 ft. The test advised skipping the roughly $600 Sport package. [Reported] ### Car and Driver, May 1997 Five coupes: a '98 ZX2 Hot with the Sport package against the Eagle Talon ESi, Toyota Paseo, Saturn SC2 and Hyundai Tiburon. **The ZX2 won**, praised for its "well-sorted chassis, torquey engine" and the roomiest back seat. We have this only from Consumer Guide's retelling, not the magazine. [Reported] ## Reviews - **Consumer Guide:** observed fuel economy in the mid-to-high 20s mpg. Less impressed than with the Escort sedan, and noted road and wind noise. [Reported] - **Kansas City Star:** said the ZX2 "outshines" the Saturn, Civic, Neon and Cavalier. [Reported] - **Orlando Sentinel:** found the clutch and shifter less smooth than the Civic's or 200SX's, and pointed out that the Cavalier Z24 and Sunfire GT had ABS as standard. [Reported] ## Missing tests We haven't found the Car and Driver figures, a full copy of Road & Track's S/R test, or any Consumer Reports, Automobile or Edmunds instrumented test. Scans of any period road test are welcome on the [forum](https://forum.zx2ms.com/c/zx2-dedicated-discussion/zx2-discussion/6). --- Source: https://zx2ms.com/wiki/road-tests (ZX2 Motorsports wiki). Questions or corrections: admin@zx2ms.com.