Nearly three years ago, I cross-shopped the Ford Escort GT and the Honda Civic EX Coupe. The Escort GT is what I drove home from a small-town dealer located in the desert southwest of Phoenix. There were three deciding factors. First, the selling price was a whopping $4,000 lower than what the Honda dealer wanted for the Civic EX Coupe. Second, I preferred the strong, zingy Mazda powerplant the Ford had under its hood to the high-revving torque-deficient VTEC motor Honda offered in the Civic EX. Third, the Escort GT was equipped with a gaping hatchback through which I could load my mountain bike for my daily trip to South Mountain Park's numerous trails.

These days, the Escort GT replacement is called the ZX2. Sold strictly as a coupe, the origin of the Z is associated with performance aspirations (Z28, Z3, and 300ZX, presumably), the X represents the target demographic (Generation X...didn't Ford guys hear that they don't like that moniker?), and the 2 refers to the 2-door configuration. Then, you've got two trim levels, termed Hot and Cool. We can hear it now, and in the voice of that illustrious cartoon character Butthead, "Dude, like, that Escort ZX is 2 Hot! Huh, huh. Get it?"

The difference between the ZX2 Hot and the ZX2 Cool amounts to bolt-on wheel covers, body color moldings, and a color-keyed four-spoke steering wheel. Opting for the Hot coupe is your ticket to options like an automatic transmission, power windows and locks, power sunroof, premium sound with 6-disc CD changer, integrated child safety seat, aluminum wheels, floor mats, remote keyless entry, alloy wheels, half the available colors and the Sport package found on our test car. Hmmm...something tells us that the odds of finding a Cool coupe (read: strippo) are about as likely as a snowstorm in Tucson.

The ZX2 ad campaign is aimed straight at the 20-something segment of the population. Grant Whitmore, our senior automotive editor, is 25 years old. This was his comment after a day of driving both the Escort ZX2 Hot and the Civic HX. "Too bad the Escort's engine and steering aren't in the Civic." A 19-year-old friend of my family said that the ZX2 Hot looked like "what would happen if a Taurus and an old Toyota Celica hooked up for a night." This, after offering several compliments on the looks of the Honda. This doesn't bode well, Ford.

Once you can get past the offbeat design, the Escort ZX2 Hot appears to offer quite a lot of car for the money. Appearances can be deceiving. Big fat tires are mounted on swirled alloy wheels. Fog lights blaze the way up front. A spoiler is tacked onto the trunk lid. All the go-fast visual cues are here. Inside, the driver is confronted with an upswept dashboard and Ford's Integrated Control Panel (ICP), a large oval which houses the stereo and climate controls. To those who like aftermarket sound system upgrades, good luck getting one installed in this car, because the ICP combines the stereo and the climate controls into one system. There is no separate head unit, and the one in our test car didn't produce the kind of sound quality and volume ZX2 buyers will want. Gauges are small, compromised by a questionable swoosh design that starts low on the left side of the dash and sweeps diagonally up above the ICP toward the windshield. Remember the Ford EXP? That forgettable relic had this same design cue on its door panels. Didn't work then, and it doesn't work now. Dash vents are oddly placed, and those crowded together directly in front of the front passenger don't have shut-off switches. The driving position isn't perfect, but it isn't bad either. More rearward seat travel would be greatly appreciated. Another gaffe is a distinct lack of storage space. Young people carry all kinds of stuff in their cars, and in the ZX2, there is nowhere to put it except on the floor. The map pockets are tiny, the center console has room for maybe 3 cassettes (stacked so you can't read the side labels), and the glovebox is filled up by the owner's manual.

Pluses for the ZX2 include Germanic door-mounted grab handles that provide an excellent anchor during spirited driving, an easy-to-fold rear seatback, and a fun-to-drive nature that the Civic HX lacks. Under the hood of the ZX2 sits a 130-horsepower 16-valve DOHC Zetec engine borrowed from the Contour sedan. Mated to a slick-shifting 5-speed manual transmission and making 127 lbs.-ft. of torque, our test ZX2 was quite entertaining in the dips and on the curves of western Douglas County in Colorado, despite the fact that Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires were holding court at pavement level. On other cars, these tires have performed poorly for us, most notably on the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX and Eagle Talon TSi. On the ZX2, the Goodyears didn't exhibit any howl, but they did tend to scrub off plenty of speed as the ZX2 plowed around sharper turns. Understeer is the predominant handling trait of the Escort, followed by body roll. Our car had the optional anti-lock braking system, attached to a front disc/rear drum setup. Stopping from 75 mph, the Escort disappointed somewhat, thanks in part to a spongy brake pedal and in part to a longish stopping distance on dry pavement that the non-ABS Civic HX matched with minimal wheel lockup. Aside from an engine that produces decent power and torque, the ZX2 drives like an Escort LX sedan with big tires.

In contrast, the Honda fared poorly in the fun-to-drive department. The Civic HX is Honda's fuel economy champ, powered by a 115-horsepower lean burn VTEC-E engine making 104 lbs.-ft. of torque. Despite weighing in 180 pounds less than the ZX2, the Civic HX is much slower through the twisties and in the stoplight drag race. You'd think the Honda's 15 horsepower disadvantage would balance out with its weight advantage over the ZX2. Here's the problem: peak power from the VTEC-E engine is made 550 rpm higher than the ZX2, and peak torque comes on 1,150 rpm shy of where the ZX2 reaches maximum twisting force. Challenging the ZX2's 15-inch performance rubber with 14-inch all-season Firestone doughnuts means that the Honda is left in the dust when the roads turn twisty. What's the benefit here? Great fuel economy. Even while hammering the Honda along our test loop, running it to 65 mph in 2nd gear, and employing generous amounts of engine braking, it averaged 34 mpg. The ZX2 didn't crack the 26 mpg mark when driven equally hard. In tight corners, the Honda's Firestones folded over and the Civic plowed like Farmer Ted at the start of planting season. And, during our emergency maneuver test, the Honda slewed all over the road, tail threatening to swap places with the front end. The Escort ZX2 handled better in both instances, particularly during the latter test. At high speeds, the Honda's light steering provided the driver with little connection to the road, while the heavier-effort ZX2 steering at least didn't frighten the driver while approaching triple-digit speeds. Still, both Whitmore and I felt that the steering and suspension of the Civic communicated more clearly to the driver in all other circumstances, which is more desirable in any urban commuter. What the Civic HX Coupe really needs is more aggressive rubber and some suspension modifications to control roll.

Where the Civic shines is in design and engineering details. The interior is an ergonomic masterpiece with the exception of slide and button climate controls where we prefer rotary dials. Gauges are clear and large, set in a binnacle that mirrors the curvature of the steering wheel. The cowl is set low, so that the driver can enjoy unencumbered views forward. Firm seats are mounted low as well, and while they could use a height adjuster, they provide more room and better comfort than the small mushy seats in the ZX2. The Honda offers a tilt steering wheel to provide a very good seating position, while the ZX2's column is fixed. Steering is light in the Civic, the clutch takeup is smooth, and the shift action is precise, though we preferred the slightly tighter box in the Escort. Need storage for CD's, cassettes, coins, or chewing gum? You can choose from long wide door pockets, a dashboard cubby, bins molded into the rear side panels, a deep covered center armrest bin, or a glovebox that appears as though it could hold a 6-pack of Diet Coke. Two cupholders are available for front seat occupants, and while they probably couldn't hold a Big Gulp, they will accommodate taller cups like those served through the window at the local Burger King. The ZX2 can handle cans only, because taller beverages will not fit below the protruding ICP. The Escort gives rear seat passengers a cupholder while Civic riders go without, but your pals will be more comfortable in the Civic's larger rear quarters, which provide better headroom and outward visibility. Getting in the back seat of the Civic is painless, because the front passenger seat slides forward automatically when the seatback is tilted toward the dashboard. In the Escort, rear passengers must wrestle with the seat or try to squeeze through the narrow passage between the seatback and the door frame. Loading luggage is easier with the Civic, whose cargo area opening is larger and more usefully shaped. Trunk volume is nearly identical for both cars, and the only glitch we could find inside the Civic was an awkward seat folding method. To get the seats flattened to carry more bulky cargo, you've got to crawl into the back seat and unlock the seatbacks using the ignition key. The Escort requires a quick push of a button, and the seatbacks flop down.

Honda gave the Civic coupe an evolutionary look in 1996, when the lineup was redesigned. More angular than its predecessor, and with a small grille tacked on the front, the creased sheetmetal isn't as attractive or sporty as the 1993-1995 models, in our opinion. However, we predict that the design will wear well, better than the ZX2's more trendy swoops and scoops. The HX comes standard with lightweight multi-spoked aluminum wheels that look great but have many nooks and crannies that trap brake dust and are difficult to clean. We still aren't used to the oversized headlamp treatment, but on our black test car, the big bulbs didn't look too out of whack.

Neither of these cars are as enticing as the models I selected from back in 1994. The 1993-1995 Honda Civic Coupe was beautifully styled for an economical set of wheels, and the 1991-1996 Ford Escort GT boasted hatchback utility, sporty style, and an ultra-low price tag. After driving the ZX2 Hot, it is apparent that despite a new suspension setup that is less jarring and steering that has been marginally improved, the old hatchback GT was much more fun to drive. That Mazda engine was a real treat to run to redline, and the car would come around nicely if you lifted off the throttle mid-turn. Need to move some balky boxes of stuff from your childhood home in Michigan to your new digs in Arizona? No problem in yesterday's GT. In comparison, the ZX2 could never carry a mountain bike, or anything of appreciable size. And, while I didn't have auto-down power windows, remote keyless entry, power door locks (who needs `em on a small 2-door?), or the ultra-tight and rattle-free structure that comes with a closed coupe, I did have cruise control switches mounted on the steering wheel, four-wheel disc brakes, and a seat height adjuster for my $11,600. These days, the Escort is priced higher than a comparably equipped Honda. Even a 1997 Civic EX Coupe runs less than our test ZX2, and includes an equally powerful engine, a power sunroof, and cruise control (the latter of which neither of our test cars had). Oddly, you can't get a Civic with ABS unless you opt for an EX with an automatic transmission. So equipped, the Honda would run $720 more than our ABS-equipped test Escort.

My only lament about selecting the Ford over the Honda in 1994 was that my resale value sank rapidly, and the thing rattled and clattered more than my mother-in-law. It took three years of payments and keeping mileage off the odometer before the car was worth more than I owed on it. Otherwise, it never broke, and it performed exactly as I expected it to. In 1994, I chose the Escort GT over the Honda Civic. Today, I would choose the Civic over the Escort ZX2. In the mid-teens price class, buyers want some style and performance, but mostly they want low payments and reliability. With outstanding resale value and a well-deserved reputation for avoiding service shops, it's hard to go wrong with the Civic. Lease rates are ridiculously low, the VTEC-E engine will spin quickly enough to make things interesting, and the Honda is more comfortable inside. In our opinion, the demise of the Mazda-powered Escort GT hatchback is a shame. The goofy-looking coupe with the dorky name that replaced it is not very Hot, or Cool, dude.