As above, and do you prefer one to the other. Why??

For some reason Im really fancying a 3dr and was wondering if theres much difference between the two. How they drive, handle, etc etc. Ive had a quick go of a couple but never drove one properly. I love how the Sapph drives both when pottering about and when being used in anger. Are the 3dr back ends snappier when playing or is it just the same all round just a different shape??

Id still be keeping one of the sapphs anyway so Id not be too upset if it drove different.

 

been told that in general the 3 doors drive shit compared to a 2wd sapp

 

I have one of each and i do like the way the saff drives ,feels safer and handles better than a 3 door,it is a 4x4 tho.


The 3 door is great fun to drive but you have to be a little carefull where you plant your right foot as the arse end gets abit wild , and you cant beat the looks of a nice 3 door !!!!!

Out of the 2 id have a 3 door if it was just a toy/weekend car . If its everyday use then id 100% go for the saff

Both great cars in there own way !!!

 

And you will also notice people giving you thumbs up everytime you go out in the 3 door, i hate going to a petrol station as everyone wants a nose round it and you end up being there for ages

 

I have an everyday car, the sapph would be an all weather toy and the 3dr would be my nice toy.

 

Then id say go get a nice 3 door, there great fun

 

i had a 4x4 saff then went to the 3dr.... love the looks of the 3dr but the saff was an easier less stressy drive...

 

went from 4x4 saph to 3dr
just wasn't to keen on how they drove and was a bit let down tbh
back to 4x4 saph again now and loving it
escort or focos next

as above 3dr looks better but saph drives better

 

Anyone went from 2wd Sapph to a 3dr? Same opinions?

 

I would love a 3dr and would swap my saff anyday for one.The 3dr is the original cossie in my eyes.Ive heard alot of people say that the saffs drive and handle so much better.You just carnt beat the look of the 3dr,then again there is always the escos.

 

i had a 2wd after the 3dr
still think the saph was nicer to drive
4x4 was better again
2wd was more fun

 

As much as I love the shape of the 3dr, personally I do prefer the Saph's styling!

Never been a better looking saloon in my eyes....

 

Me

Saff far superior , well i thought so! my 3 door felt shit above 80mph tbh

Just felt really old too for some reason even thought there was only a few years between

 

I have to agree I have had a 2wd and 4wd saff and my 3dr is a crap drive compared to them, not helped by the 18s but my 4x4 on 18s was a much nicer drive still love theold 3dr looks though

 

Whats bad about the drive of a 3dr then?

 

it's strange, i went from a 2wd saph to a 3dr and never looked back! love the way the 3dr handles how much more responsive it feels (handling wise) the saph was a lot snappier than the 3dr, not much warning when it was going to go sideways, 3dr get a lot more positive feel back, the 3dr to me is such a better car

 

maybe just taste then

 

I find the 3dr wanders (follows the white line ) alot more like i said i dont think the 18s help matters though. Want to sort the handling out on mine its got konis on so i think a set of Ahmed springs will be on order

 

Anyone wanna lend me their 3dr in exchange for my Sapph for the weekend?

 

Not owned a 3 door, but drove a few. I have to say the saff is easier to drive, don't forget that Ford deliberatly toned down the saff handling as plenty of people stuffed their new 3 doors when they discovered they were NOT as talented as they thought they were ...

From what I can remember of the changes, the saff shell was somthing like 90% stiffer with foam filled pillars, lower front roll centre, so the turn in was not so sharp to cut down tramlining etc, and the spring rates were adjusted to make it a bit more comfortable.

Don't compare a 4x4 saff to a 3 door, different ball game really.

I find that the 3 door is great fun to drive, and personally I love the sharpness of the steering, but you can feel the cars age compared even to a saff, and IMHO they feel flexy and just stuff like the thin door pulls etc make the car feel old. 3 door for weekend fun, saff for daily stuff

 

I had a 350bhp 2wd saff then got a stage1 3 door not long after than Ian. Saff was a lot better to drive in every respect. The 3dr was just so much more snappy and as said above, they wander a bit on uneven roads and if your doing 90 on a motorway and you hit a side wind they tend to want to change lanes for you!!!!.

I love the way 4x4 saffs drive. Claire's silver one was a lovely driving car in comparison to my escos too. You could quite happily drive that car all day long and not get sick of it.

 

My 3dr felt solid as a rock at high speed, it had the full RS500 kit but i can't believe it would make that much difference

My own view is that every drive in the 3dr felt special and every other driver looked at the car and seemed to appreciate it.

The saffs just blended in a bit more to your every day person, that is also a good thing in some respects!

 

+1

 

These are some of the changes from 3-door to Sapphire 2wd made by Ford.
Obviously the 4-dr shell was stiffer which has to be taken into account.
Spring rates went up from 106 to 118lb/in at the front and 263 to 286 lb/in at the back.
Damper rates were made softer in bump and stiffer in rebound.
ARB was increased to 16mm on back
Castor increased by over one degree
Camber made fractionally more negative
Kingpin inclination made slightly greater.
Front knuckles re-designed to lower the front roll centre from 144mm to 70mm

Work was also done to rid the tendency of the 3-door to "pitch" front to rear.

Much of the work above was done to create a less "nervous" car and for it to have better straight line stability



I remember the 3-doors came on Dunlop D40s and the 4x4 Sapphire on Bridgestone ER90s (?) - what tyres did the 2wd Sapphire come delivered with?

 

At the end of the day you can get cars that drive alot better than either for less money.

SO if your getting one the way it drives is only part of the equation, it will be more the driving experiance, looks, feeling like your driving something special etc

To that end it HAS to be a 3dr

The end

 

I've never owned a 3 door or a 2wd saph but I have driven a few of both types and found the saph a lot nicer to drive generally.

Never driven a 2wd or 3 door as hard as i would in my own car as they didnt belong to me so couldnt realy say how they reacted when you put your foot down.

As much as I love the look of the 3 door I think I would have to go for a 2wd saph as I prefer the saph's looks more. Just my opinion though.

 

I have owned a 2wd saph and a 3 door, i'd say the 3 door drove like an old car where as the saph just drove like a nice big comfortable car.

IMO the 2wd saph is the best all round cossie money can but

 

i loved every minute of my 3dr but have driven a few saffs and must they did feel nicer to drive but would have a 3dr over a saff anyday

 

2wd Saff is a much better car than a 3dr, and if I was driving one everyday OR driving on track I'd have the Saff. Saff feels much newer, more solid and the weight feels below you rather than around / above you.
If I was putting either into a beauty contest I'd chose the 3dr!
Ben
PS - I've had both

 

Noting wrong with my 3dr, goes where i want it to go even on power.

It may have something to do with poeples setup

plus a 3dr is the original

 

Started off with my 4x4 Sapphire, easy forgiving car to drive, and tbh never really like 3 doors................until I bought one.
The 3 doors can be rough and aggressive to drive (Ive paddle clutch) but its such an aggressive looking car that its great, and also fun to drive.
I also have a Rouse as well which again drives completely different to the other two cars, it drives as if it was a brand new car.
3 cossies, 3 different types of drives.
Must get an escort,,lol

 

this is a funny one

i had 2 4x4 saphs before the 3-door,always loved the look of 3-door

the 4x4 saph is by far the nicest,comfiest drive of them all

i find with the 3-door you are constantly 2 hands on the wheel and concentrating when driving hard,no time to look at gauges

but i was really surprised when i finally drove the 3-door i thought it would feel really dated compared to the saph but its the same bar the meather seats
its noiser and its a bit rough over the bumps,but i found after fiting a rear strut brace the car felt stiffer

as said above you cant go anywhere without thumbs up,people flashing and people at petrol stations wanting to talk to you

never got any of that in the saphs

but i do love saphs,ive just sold 1 and looking at another,they are awsome cars,and look great imo

as ade says above best 4 door saloon i know

 

I'd agree my 3 door is twitchy, but then it is 22 years old with a fair bit of power.

In my eyes there is nothing like the original, I smile everyime I open the garage - I'm not sure the same would be true if it was a taxi in there.

 

Never had a 3 door, owned several saff's and now a stonking Escort Cos. I would have to say that the 3 door is an awsome piece of kit, and prices prove that point. I think that is the only car that i would have instead of my Escort, jiust brings a smile to my face every time i see one

Webby

 

I never have driven a 3door for a long time (yet ) but if you put some attention to the setup of the car I'm sure you can make it much more stable then how Ford delivered it. Then I'm meaning proper shocks, springs, arb's, stut braces, bushes and bigger wheels. Ofcourse a good allingment of the wheels will help a lot too.

 

Mine had al the toys on it coilovers strut braces poly bushed etc etc and it seemed to ruin it yes it handled well but it was no longer a big comfy car which is what my saph felt like which was lowered on billys poly bushed and strut brace. The saph just feels more like a big comfy car where as the 3 door feels like a more focused performane car imo

 

I HAVE HAD FOUR OR FIVE SAFFS AND THIS IS MY THIRD THREE DOOR AND I HAVE HAD ALOT OF DIFFERENT SET UPS. I WOULD SAY IT DEPENDS ON HOW IT IS SET UP GENERALLY SAFFS ARE SMOOTHER AS THE S2 RS TURBO IS COMPARED TO THE S1 WHICH WAS MORE RAGED. I RUN COIL OVERS WITH STRUT BRACES BECAUSE THE SHELL FEELS MORE FLEXI TURN IN IS SHARPER REAR END MORE TWITCHEY SPELLING AND FEELS MORE UNSTABLE AT HIGH SPEED. COMFORT WISE I WOULD SAY THE SAME FROM THE INTERIOR. I ALWAYS HAVE A BIGGER GRIN IN A 3 DOOR AND GET NOTICED ALOT MORE AND FEEL MORE SPECIAL SO THREE DOOR EVERYTIME FOR ME BUT WOULDNT RULE HAVING A SAFF AGAIN. SOME CHEAP THREE DOORS FLOATING AROUND AT THE MOMENT CREDIT CRUNCH SPECIALS SO NOWS THE TIME TO GRAB ONE.

CHEERS

IAN

 

Lubby, some lovely 3drs there.

 

I went from a 2wd saff to a 3dr and i have to say the saff drove better imo. The 3dr feels skitish and likes to follow the camber of the road and yes it is a more harish ride and a bit older in its feel but i think its all part of the car. I know how it goes re fuelling it up it takes 20mins at least as people just want to talk to you about it. I wouldnt go back to the saff but i do still like saffs. I think they are both fantastic cars.