1994 FORD Scorpio Sedan 2.0i 5MT RWD (136 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Ford tried to keep up with the European executive car market and made a final attempt with the Scorpio lineup in 1994, but the low sales made the blue-oval badge drop the lineup.

The Scorpio was the last rear-wheel-drive car sold by Ford in Europe, and the carmaker tried to put it against competitors such as Opel/Vauxhall Omega. There was no way to compete against the 5-Series from BMW or E-Class from Mercedes-Benz. While it was priced lower than those, it couldn’t keep up with the German premium brands’ technological improvements. As a result, just three years after the 1994 facelift, Ford stopped the Scorpio lineup.

The Scorpio was just too bulky. It was hard to say if its headlights were triangular or rounded. Moreover, there was a massive metallic part for the trunk lid in the back and just a thin red light-strip that crossed the car from side to side. Overall, the media considered the new design upgrade as more of a downgrade.

Inside, the Scorpio featured an upgraded interior with a dashboard centered around the driver. Its center stack featured the climate control units above the radio-cassette player. Ford placed the elegant, round, analog clock in a position where the driver couldn’t see it most of the time due to the steering wheel. It was a roomy vehicle, with plenty of room for four passengers, but the old platform with a tall transmission tunnel made it unusable for a third person unless it was a toddler in a child seat.

Things got even worse under the hood. Its outdated engines provided less power than smaller engines supplied by its competitors, while the top-of-the-range version was very thirsty on the gas.