I've been interested in, and looking at, cars for over 45 years.
Go and look at an Escort, Avenger and Marina again. Properly. Pictures will probably have to do. The curve through the door, over the wheel arch and into the quarter panel? The roofline or shapes of the doors, both things that are going to be the same due to the size of the car. Look at the front, and how the wings dip towards to the bonnet, which then rises to a gentle curve over the engine, with a low wide eggcrate grille. Avengers and Escorts(and Allegros among others) even use the same headlights! The shape of the back window with a steeply raked boot and quarter panels, although the Avenger tail is better resolved with 'L' shaped rear lights that flow into a back panel that isn't recessed. Narrow wheels inside much bigger wheelarches(12" wheels on some Avengers and Escorts too)
The other examples I mentioned can be compared in the same way, because they all follow the styling conventions of their day, wrapped around the mechanical bits.
And I never said that Avengers, Escorts and Marinas(HC Vivas too) weren't individually identifiable - I'll happily point out different Avenger models based on the different side trims if you want -just that they look very similar.
designers tried to distinguish their cars from others and their own lower spec cars with chrome trims, vinyl roofs, flashy wheel trims, two tone paint, different bumpers or four lights instead of two. Now they do it with weird bodylines, bulkier bumpers and bigger wheels, all the same tricks.