• Owners pump less gas with their fuel-efficient Ford Escorts.Just fill it up. image by Saskia Massink from Fotolia.com
  
  The Ford Escort is an ideal car for those seeking basic transportation and efficient gas mileage for a low price. According to Edmunds.com, the 1989 Ford Escort was the best-selling car in its class. The '89 Escort was released just before the Escort was redesigned, in 1990. The 1989 Ford Escort came in four versions: the Pony hatchback, the LX hatchback, the LX wagon and the GT hatchback.
  
  

Engine and Transmission

• The standard engine for the 1989 Ford Escort is a 1.9-liter, 115-cubic-inch, fuel-injected four-cylinder. It's rated at 90 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and 106 feet-pounds of torque at 340 rpm. For those wanting more power, the GT's 1.9-liter engine is rated at 110 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 115 feet-pounds torque at 4,200 rpm. For the transmission, there's a choice between a five-speed manual or an automatic, but the automatic transmission tends to lower the horsepower. The lower horsepower makes it fuel-efficient, however, with a gas mileage of 26 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
  
  

Suspension and Steering

• The Ford Escort has a four-wheel independent suspension. Up front it has MacPherson struts and a strut-mounted coil spring, a cast steering knuckle and a forged lower control arm. The rear has a modified MacPherson strut and coil spring mounted on a stamped lower control arm. A rack and pinion system controls the steering and the car's steel belted radial tires are mounted on 14-by-5-inch wheels.
  
  

Exterior

• Considered a compact car, the Escort has an overall length of 169.2 inches, a width of 65.9 inches, a height of 53.7 inches and a wheelbase of 94.2 inches. The curb weight of the car is 2,258 lbs. Included in the value package are vinyl moldings on the side of the body, tinted glass, rear window wiper and defroster, driver and passenger electric mirrors and luxury wheel covers.
  
  

Interior

• The interior dimensions consist of 38.1 inches of headroom in front and 37.3 inches in back, with 41.5 inches of legroom in front and 33.9 inches in back. The cargo area is 16.4 cubic feet with the rear seat up and 37.5 cubic feet with the seat folded down. The interior features in the value package include an AM/FM stereo with four speakers and a digital clock on an overhead console.