Thanks to @HubNut for the honest review. Car was owned by FMC for 6 months,then sold by Strath ford, Dumbarton,Ford Main Dealer to a company in Glasgow who had it for around 12 months before I part exchanged my XR3 for it.
Out of all Sierra's, the XR4i is the one I prefer the most. Combination of the big lights mk1 front end and the rear quarter styling with the split windows make it the best looking Sierra in the line-up. Nice and sporty looking as well. The rear glass of a standard 3-door car was absolutely massive in comparison. . An XR4i would fit nicely on the drive next to my Escort XR3.
Wow!!! My father had a Caspian Blue XR4i when I was 15 in 85, and I loved it. It felt so special at the time and quite outrageous. I'd have one any day!
@@Oldsmobile69advanced is hardly the proper word. The wet noodle chassis, powertrain and suspension basically made it a facelift of an early 1970's Taunus. Cabin had a decidedly low-rent feel to it with exposed screws and nasty plastics. A contemporary bmw e30 or even the humble 1982 Opel Ascona felt decidedly more 'advanced' in comparison.
My Dad had a 'B' Reg 2.0 Ghia, as his last company car, after a string of Cortina's, all 2.0 Ghias. I always thought it was so cooooooool!!! One issue he did have was that the ride was too soft, it gave my Mum car sickness! He ended up having stiffer shocks fitted which solved that 'problem'. I still love the look of the interior, especially the dashboard. It seemed so futuristic in 1984! Thanks HubNut for bringing back some lovely memories. Jonathan.
I loved the styling of the Sierra, also known as the jelly mould. Once everyone took to it, all cars looked like it. The XR4i looked menacing on the road. That huge rear spoiler and 2 doors, you knew it meant the business.
Very very few 1980s Fords are left, that's why they're valuable now. Total rotboxes that literally rusted to bits beneath you. Were great to drive but build quality, what a joke. Only British Leyland was worse (nobody mention Lancia 😂).
That brought back some good memories Ian. The chap who owned the chippy in our village bought a brand new early XR4i, which I'm certain was on a Y plate. In silver, with pepper pot alloys, it looked & sounded ace. As young kids, we'd be eating chips in the bus stop opposite of an evening & it was always a treat to see him roar off in it.
I was a young Ford mechanic back when these (and the Sierra range generally) were newly released. Worked on a fair few of em....happy days nice and simple compared to today
Did you know that all of the Sierra hatchbacks were originally intended to have the whacky dual wing spoiler? Apparently, that’s how it was developed in the wind tunnel but the marketing folks baulked at the appearance and bean counters the cost, so it was deleted from the majority of the range. The result was a car at launch with horrendous cross wind instability at motorway speed. Apparently the smooth airflow coming from the rear of the car would blow around and take the car with it, much like a balloon on the end of a stick. Within a year they’d developed a fix. Some little ‘bats ears’ that fitted behind the rear edge of the rearmost windows. The stuck out about an inch and broke up the airflow a bit to stabilise things. Look out for the ‘bats ears’ next time you see one.
My Dad’s 2.0 Ghia had the picture of the car with the opening doors. In the middle of it there’s a double snowflake symbol in two colours. When the first part lit up it meant less than 4°C (risk of black ice) and when it came fully on with both colours it meant less than 0°C.
Biggest mistake I ever made selling mine, in silver A390UGC. Will forever regret that. Bought mine after a friend got a white one. So much fun to drive.
My dad bought one new in '83. I was a teenager at the time and compared to his previous vehicles, it was like sitting in a spaceship. In my opinion the XR4i was the best car he ever owned, and that would include the Sapphire Cosworth and BMW 535d that he bought later. Obviously not the fastest of the bunch, but the XR4i was the most reliable, had the most character and had that amazing engine noise. I bought it from him when he eventually wanted something new in the late nineties and it was great fun to drive, but by that time it was ready for some restoration and after a while I had to part with it. Apparently it was restored and I regularly check the small ads, hoping that one day I'll be able to buy it back. Fingers crossed!
@@ianandjohnandmaniandreni9323 Yes, it's SORN'd at the moment, not insured and the last MOT was in 2009. Between the last two MOTs it did 7k miles, so someone was enjoying it.
My cousin had an XR4i 4x4 estate (French spec) and what a car it was.....my dad & John Welch alongside the massive input of Martin Schanche gave birth to the Sierra Cosworths - all of this was a jellymould Cortina! Firsf car I drifted was an Opel Ascona, then a 1934 Bentley.
An interesting video. I also grew up in the 80s and I remember Ford having an advertising campaign on MTV where the slogan was "The changing shape of Ford" which definitely made a big impression on me. The car really had a futuristic design for its time and contemporary competing cars such as the Mazda 626 seemed old-fashioned in comparison. Personally, I have the most experience with the Ford Granada and later the Scorpio (first generation). I really liked the Scorpio and think that as a family car it was quite reasonable with plenty of space and a large degree of comfort. However, my father was a big fan of Peugeot and we therefore had a new 505. The design seemed old-fashioned compared to the Sierra, but the 505 had very good driving characteristics and not least excellent comfort. We went on long trips with the car all the way to the south of England a couple of times from Norway and I remember the trips with great pleasure. I doubt a Sierra could have done better beyond the fabulous design that really stood out at the time.
It was ahead of its time. It's interesting how the more conservative Cavalier outsold it but then Vauxhall eventually adopted the rounded styling, first on the Carlton and then the Cavalier.
I'm also a big fan of 505s! Was it one of those massive estates/station wagons, that could be optioned with 7-seats? They must have been pretty solid cars since there are folks in the Middle East and some parts of Africa still using them!
I had one of these as a company car in red and absolutely loved it. At the time it was so fast for me but I just remember the torque and the V6 sound. Great car and thanks for the review.
This brought back great memories. As soon as I saw it I guessed "Ford management car"! Essex registration and fully loaded with extras! I was living in Brentwood up until 1988 and the place was teeming with management cars, with Warley HQ and Dunton research centre nearby. A really great video. Thanks for posting. 😊
We got one of 21 mk1 2.8 xr4x4's left on the road. Owned it for 30 years, Even has working abs and optional extra air conditioning. Still a fun car to drive.
I always loved this car. It was rare here in America, where it was sold, as Ian said, as the Merkur XR4ti. Merkur is German for "Mercury", as it sold in Lincoln/Mercury dealerships. It had the turbocharged version of the 2.3 Pinto engine here, which had anywhere from 160-200 HP (this engine was also fitted to the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and the Mustang SVO). 160 HP was the version that was de-rated for an automatic transmission, and 200 HP were the last versions of the engine, with an intercooler (which was forbidden for the Turbo Coupe and XR4ti, until 1987, when the Mustang SVO was discontinued and Ford let everyone have the full potential of the engine 😅 ). Mercury was the upmarket brand in North America, and Ford's rationale behind this car was to lure Yuppies, who adored 3 series BMW coupes, into Lincoln/Mercury dealerships.
@@HubNutthe Lima / Pinto 2.3 had a decent racing history and the US at that time just got out of an oil embargo and saw fuel price spikes plus the EPA started clamoring for increased fuel economy so every US automaker went turbocharged only two really got the reliability handled GM with the Grand National, cyclone/typhoon and Ford with the mustang, Thunderbird and xr4ti.
Merkur never got the intercooled version of the 2.3 TC. The rating was 175 hp for the manual cars and 150 for the auto. 87-88 Turbo Coupe T-Bird was the only car other than the SVO to get the intercooled engine. 🙂
@@HubNut I owned an 88 Turbo Coupe for a few years. Nice highway car, had a huge fuel tank and would go forever. Around town the car was sluggish because of the vehicle weight.
I had a black 1985 over here in Canada. Bought it brand new, ours came with a 2.3 l turbo charged putting out 175 ~ 185 hp and was called the Merkur XR4ti as you mentioned. It was the first car I owned that came with heated seats.
My dad had one of those in about 1984 - metallic black. 8 year old me - a big fan of "Knight Rider" - thought it was the absolute cat's pyjamas. Loved the sci-fi on-board computer etc - and the fact that it went like the proverbial off a shovel!
Yes very rare, had XR2 trimmed seats,5 door, first Ford EFi powered. They had pepper pot style wheel trims,not alloys, replaced by the GLS as the warm Ford sporting saloon for the next 7 yrs or so.
Lovely car. My dad had a D-reg Sierra in black, D922 UAU. Always loved them. They came a couple of years too soon though - people just weren't ready for that shape.
I consider the original normal four door Sierra as one of the icons of car design. In the same leage as the Jaguar E type. Such a beautiful car. Never owned a Sierra, though.
That is a tremendous combination of seriously tidy condition and A-reg "patina". The fact that just about everything still worked well is even more impressive! What an incredible example!
My parents had a white Sierra glx hatchback, it was a 1.8 turbo diesel and had features like body coloured bumpers and wing mirrors, red trim and headlight wipers. It was sluggish until it had injectors and fuel pump fixed. Good memories of that car and first car I had a drive of, under supervision on the local airfield.
Superb Ian. I worked in a used car dealer from 89-91 and all our stock was between 1908 and 1990. I was lucky enough to drive a load of these and also some other now iconic 80's cars. I do remember we had a few of these that had prop shaft issues and had to be sent off to get re-balanced.
Used to go to school sometimes, in one of these. My mate’s dad ran the Halewood factory, at the time, and they got not one, but two company cars - my mate’s mum had an XR2, a Capri 2.8 Injection and, in 1984, one of these for 6 months… it felt quite special, at the time.
Always loved these, thank you Mr hubnut and the owner for showing us this lovely motor, if i ever was to own a sierra it'll be either an early xr4i like this, or really late saffire 4x4 with all the toys thrown ate!
The Mk1 Sierras are fascinating cars - I remember them being launched, and a neighbour taking delivery of an early white GL model. I thought it was fantastic - years ahead of our Austin Ambassador. I think my favourite Sierras are the mild facelifted mk1s - they all got Ghia style headlights, and a number of improvements to solve the side wind stability issue that caught many a Sierra driver (Frank Williams being one) by surprise on the Autobahn. There is a brilliant article on the gestation of the Sierra’s design, written by someone involved in forming it - Patrick Le Quement. Quite a sad end - the lack of sales success saw Uwe Bahnsen, who had overseen all of Ford Europe’s 1970s cars (notably Granada mk2, Cortina mk4, Capri mk3 and Escorts mk2 and mk3) sidelined and eventually let go from Ford as a result.
My brother's sibling-in-law worked at a Ford dealer in '85. He had a white XR4i, quite a unique car in Finland at the time. I was only 6 but still remember it well. That might be the only time ever having seen one in real life. Styling-wise I prefer the smaller headlamps & cleaner look of the lesser spec models.
I had an 87 XR4Ti when we lived in the States. Heated Recaro front seats, air conditioning, power locks and windows, sunroof. And I could make the Garrett AirResearch turbo glow after a good run. Wonderful car. They lost the whale tail in 90-91 for a more subdued version.
I remember my dad's friend had one from new, he lent it to us while he went on holiday what a monster of a car I loved it my parents had a marina 1. 3 so it was a revelation
Brings back great memories, company I worked for senior sales managers had these as company cars, complete with the Philips transportable phone. Few occasions I got to drive could not believe the levels of road holding especially at speed around curves compared to usual company fare of Cavaliers and 1.8LX Sierras😂
A rare car even when new! The later XR4x4 was a popular choice where we lived in rural Wales in the late ‘80s. I always loved the sound of the 2.8 and 2.9 V6s.
That is for me a serious piece of cool. Having spent a fair amount of learning to drive in a D-plate 1.6L this would be the stuff of dreams. The spec’ and subtle mods, awesome ❤
Never forget seeing a black one around 1983/84 - It was parked up at a boot fair and people were standing around it as if it had just beamed down from space. Nobody knew what to make of it. I don't think any other car made such an impact since.
Two of the main things I care about are ride comfort and steering feel. This one being lowered does make the drive less interesting to me, as we'll never know how it's supposed to ride. Better, I presume. I'll never understand lowering. But my goodness I always loved the design of that car. It's aged so gracefully too. What a beaut! Loving the twin camera view too!
Thank you very much for this fantastic video. The fan base of the XR4i drivers are falling down on their knees making this fantastic video.We feel the passion with which you are driving this legend.
South African market also saw the introduction of a 5.0-litre XR8 between June 1984 and 1988. A limited number of 250 Sierras were made for the purposes of homologation,[35] as this model was the premier Ford used in Group A racing. They sold out before being made, and a 2 batch of 250 was made. The XR8 was fitted with the Windsor 302 ci engine from the US Ford Mustang, and the Borg Warner T5 heavy duty transmission. Front brakes were AP Racing four-piston callipers on 280 mm discs. Max power is 209 PS (154 kW) and a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph) was claimed ( civilian version). [36] The XR8 is easily recognized by having four cooling slats between the headlights, whereas lesser versions were sold with the original smooth front.
Back in the mid 90’s , a genius mate of mine was an electrical engineer designing ECU’s for many makes of cars. He always drove a battered old Sierra, considering his high pay, I asked him why the hell he drove that Sierra - his answer ‘ just about the last car made without an ECU’ !
I was watching Police Stop 2 here on somebody's channel on TH-cam and on that Police stop episode it highlighted why these became rare as one clip showed one in a police chase. In the comments, possibly a young American commentor, was amazed how quick the Sierra was for a small engine car. Also if you want a very interesting car to test get in touch with the guys at Car Throttle as they have just purchased a amazingly rare and HubNut quality Mazda Xedos with the supercharged engine.
As soon as I saw the number plates I knew it was ex-FMC car - the Brentwood registration number, the tin number plates and the fitting of optional extras.
Thanks for the explanation about the XR4 window glass. I wondered about that when I owned one in the late 90's. I absolutely loved it and it got many an admiring looks. Mine was in the dark metallic blue colour.
The XR4i looked beautiful when it was launched & it STILL looks good today!! I remember seeing a black one in a shopping centre, when it was new & I loved the sporty look of it & like you, I think I prefer it to the more sporty Fords that have been on the market since...!! 👍🙂
My dad had every Cortina going but was a bit older and couldn't stomach the styling of the Sierra when it came out & bought an Escort instead. I was devastated! The Cossie came out while I was at university & I was too busy chasing girls & drinking beer to notice until it was nearly all over 🥴 In NZ now a Sapph goes for well over $100k & the last XR4i I saw for sale was $44k.. considering a standard Mark 5 Cortina goes for $30k that's "good value".. That all pales in comparison to an XB Falcon GT (thats the "Mad Max" Ford Falcon V8 for those of you who didn't grow up downunder) which will be $150k+, making the Cossie + the XR4i absolute bargains 🥳
Wow! I actually remember one of these parked on a road close to where I lived. It used to bring a real smile on my face and fascination; "how could it be, xR4I?" It was this exact colour as well so I'm guessing they were only ever produced as this? The finer detail gives this identity for what it is.
The Merkur XR4Ti here in the (formerly) good old USA. A guy on my street had one back in the day and loved it. It was the only one I've ever seen in the metal.
I had a 2.3 automatic Sierra for 9 years. It was one of the most reliable cars I ever owned and one of the most enjoyable. What I enjoyed most was being on the M1 at 70 miles an hour with another Sierra up my exhaust and when traffic cleared in front burying the throttle and leaving them for dust. I bought the car second hand with 19000 miles on it and as in those days of Ford ownership the exhausts went at 22000 so off to Quick Fit, 2 complete exhausts fitted and an offer of a, "Life Time Guarantee", for £25. Best £25 i ever spent had another 3 complete exhausts fitted. Don't think Quick Fit made any money out of me and these days I won't go any where near them.
Excellent stuff. Dad had 3 sierras in a row, two 2l ghias and an estate gl. Loved the ghia's that I learned to drive in and borrowed when I passed. It was mentioned that the tyre wear had increased substantially after I passed my test in '86. The estate was very very lairy in the rain.
Great car. Love the shape and would consider one of these. I can't understand why these were overlooked, as they are just as good as others. Lucky enough to see these, as well as a two door and 4 door regular saloon
This is beautiful! My favourite style of Sierra with those big headlights and split rear side windows 😍 And I love that is specced to the likes of the owner. Also, loving the dual camera setup 😃
I remember my Dad owning a 1986 Sierra XR4x4 in the late nineties. 2.8 V6. Lovely car and probably my favourite of all the cars he's owned over the years. Reg was C200 ORM.
The Belgian Biplane! A mate had a very second hand one of these in the ‘90s. He was adamant it was basically a Porsche 928 minus a couple of cylinders. His was rough as you like and had mushrooms growing in the footwells. I do miss when car designs were as brave as this though.
I remember my mum getting a Sierra as a courtesy car after someone crashed into our Citroen AX (don't ask, apparently my Dad knew someone at the rental place who gave us an upgrade) and it being so huge my Mum described it as a boat, yet driving it about in 2023 it fits in with all the small hatchbacks.
Had a 1.8 Sierra and even that Engine when You floored it it really shifted nicely and could blow many away ,but was a good all round workhorse, plenty of room for the kids and didn’t cost the Earth to run , XR2 was nice as well
One of my dream cars. That twin side window and twin rear spoiler are the best. I’d have one of these over a Cosworth in a heartbeat. The problem for teenage me when they were new was the mechanically identical Capri 2.8 Injection Special was the one I wanted. This possibly affected sales of both. The V6 mk3 Capri is also a dream car of mine.
Like your dad, I had a H reg 1.8LX with the tinted rear lights. It looked great in Mercury Grey metallic. The 1.8cvh would spin the wheels with lots more grunt tghan the previous 1.8 pinto i had.
Loved these cars, had one in the early 90s for years. Mine was a Roy Grimshaw tuned version with a RS500 body kit on it. As I recall it was bored out to 3.1, lightened/balanced flywheel, fast road cam, full race system, k&n, fully adjustable suspension with upgraded brakes and wouldn't idle under 1200 revs and drank fuel like a tanker. There was talk that 1 owner had it off the 150mph (ford clocks though so pinch of salt 😂) clock very late at night and it definitely kept with cossies.. I loved B548FFM until it's unfortunate demise....
Dad had a succession of Sierras after a good few Cortinas. Started with a white 2.0i S which was followed by a grey xr4x4. The new shape Sierra came out so he part exed the xr for a red gls4x4. All fabulous cars and many happy memories smoking other cars on the road!
I love the XR4i much more than the Cosworth. The styling with the separated windows in the back is so special and the sound is fantastic 😍👏🏼 wish I could find one in Germany! I grew up with 2 Sierras… 1.6 and 2.0… 🤗
I prefer the previous generations of Fords, the Taunus and the mk1 Granada, to what Ford was doing in the 80s (wouldn't say no to a mk2 Granada though), but the sound of one of those wonderful Ford Cologne V6s elevate the expertience for me. They are fantastic. ..even the baby 2L we got in Taunuses where i live. The styling: I turned teenager in 83, and yes.. I remember being amazed at that spoiler, and the overall look of the car. I'm with you. Because of the engine, mostly, people can keep their Cosworths. I'd have one of these, if buying a Sierra.
BOUGHT A USED 1987 IN THE LATE 90S. LOVED IT !!!! MY CHEVY FRIENDS THOUGHT ME MAD !!!! MUCH FUN. SOLD IT 2 BUY A 2003 SVT FOCUS !!!! MUCH FORD FUN !!!! SOLD IT 4 A ST FIESTA
I drove one when it was first released and the steering certainly felt very light and that spoiler didn't do a lot for rear vision! The XR4x4. improved things a lot.
The cassette radio, it is a Philips player marked with Ford. Had the pleasure of trying the XR4i for a short drive when it came on the market, but had a fortnight's experience with the XR4x4 when it appeared somewhat later. It was simply an experience and was a trip from Oslo to winter Western Norway with many winding roads, up and down. What I remember in particular was that it was fond of petrol, not stable at high speed on winter roads either, but more than an experience at lower speed with lots of snow and lots of bends. Remember that the XR4x4 was supposed to go to Norsk Luftambulanse as a medical car in a leasing agreement. My fortnight with the car was the break-in period for that car. Asked later what happened to it. Sad, but after a fortnight in service it was smashed. After all, this was one of the first passenger cars after the Audi Quattro to have 4x4 and a slightly large engine. It's easy to believe that 4x4 surpasses the laws of physics, and with blue lights as an emergency car it probably went fast.
![Is The Ford Sierra XR4i A Fast Ford FAIL Or Forgotten Gem? (1984 2.8 V6 Road Test) [Merkur XR4Ti]](/img/n.gif)
Thanks to @HubNut for the honest review.
Car was owned by FMC for 6 months,then sold by Strath ford, Dumbarton,Ford Main Dealer to a company in Glasgow who had it for around 12 months before I part exchanged my XR3 for it.
Thanks for letting me have a drive, and for your stint with Kitch. Info overload!
@@HubNut I was gonna say, an electric sunroof on a Ford? Ford and Vauxhall always made you wind the sunroof!
@@clivet3252I had an electric sunroof on a ‘94 1.6 LX Escort.
@@clivet3252 Yes, they liked to keep you fit didn't they!😂
@@2760ade I remember you'd always see the reps furiously winding, whereas if you had a Japanese or French car all you had to do was press a button.
Out of all Sierra's, the XR4i is the one I prefer the most. Combination of the big lights mk1 front end and the rear quarter styling with the split windows make it the best looking Sierra in the line-up. Nice and sporty looking as well. The rear glass of a standard 3-door car was absolutely massive in comparison. .
An XR4i would fit nicely on the drive next to my Escort XR3.
and of course the Cosworth got the standard 3-door glass.
Escort Cosworth clear indicators on the front finish these off perfectly.
Wow!!! My father had a Caspian Blue XR4i when I was 15 in 85, and I loved it. It felt so special at the time and quite outrageous. I'd have one any day!
Lucky you!
Same here. I was 9 though. All my friends were jealous.
My Dad had a black B reg. I was 12. All my friends were jealous too.
It's amazing how well the styling has held up. Gorgeous car, particularly in that color!
It was extremely advanced for the time, they basically copied the prototype.
Nimbus Grey
I'd have this over a Cosworth I think mostly because it is v6 and sounds much sweeter. Not too fast so you can enjoy revving it out.
@@Oldsmobile69advanced is hardly the proper word. The wet noodle chassis, powertrain and suspension basically made it a facelift of an early 1970's Taunus. Cabin had a decidedly low-rent feel to it with exposed screws and nasty plastics. A contemporary bmw e30 or even the humble 1982 Opel Ascona felt decidedly more 'advanced' in comparison.
@@Рашка-у8й The design was advanced, the tech wasn't.
Everything about this car is so cool. Two tone paint, red pinstripe, split rear window, double spoiler... just awesome.
My Dad had a 'B' Reg 2.0 Ghia, as his last company car, after a string of Cortina's, all 2.0 Ghias. I always thought it was so cooooooool!!!
One issue he did have was that the ride was too soft, it gave my Mum car sickness! He ended up having stiffer shocks fitted which solved that 'problem'. I still love the look of the interior, especially the dashboard. It seemed so futuristic in 1984!
Thanks HubNut for bringing back some lovely memories.
Jonathan.
I loved the styling of the Sierra, also known as the jelly mould. Once everyone took to it, all cars looked like it. The XR4i looked menacing on the road. That huge rear spoiler and 2 doors, you knew it meant the business.
Wow! 40 years old! I can't imagine our 2020 cars lasting that long.
Very very few 1980s Fords are left, that's why they're valuable now. Total rotboxes that literally rusted to bits beneath you. Were great to drive but build quality, what a joke. Only British Leyland was worse (nobody mention Lancia 😂).
Most of these were terminally rotten by the mid 90s, to be fair.
That brought back some good memories Ian. The chap who owned the chippy in our village bought a brand new early XR4i, which I'm certain was on a Y plate. In silver, with pepper pot alloys, it looked & sounded ace. As young kids, we'd be eating chips in the bus stop opposite of an evening & it was always a treat to see him roar off in it.
I was a young Ford mechanic back when these (and the Sierra range generally) were newly released. Worked on a fair few of em....happy days nice and simple compared to today
Did you know that all of the Sierra hatchbacks were originally intended to have the whacky dual wing spoiler? Apparently, that’s how it was developed in the wind tunnel but the marketing folks baulked at the appearance and bean counters the cost, so it was deleted from the majority of the range. The result was a car at launch with horrendous cross wind instability at motorway speed. Apparently the smooth airflow coming from the rear of the car would blow around and take the car with it, much like a balloon on the end of a stick. Within a year they’d developed a fix. Some little ‘bats ears’ that fitted behind the rear edge of the rearmost windows. The stuck out about an inch and broke up the airflow a bit to stabilise things. Look out for the ‘bats ears’ next time you see one.
My Dad’s 2.0 Ghia had the picture of the car with the opening doors. In the middle of it there’s a double snowflake symbol in two colours. When the first part lit up it meant less than 4°C (risk of black ice) and when it came fully on with both colours it meant less than 0°C.
Biggest mistake I ever made selling mine, in silver A390UGC.
Will forever regret that. Bought mine after a friend got a white one.
So much fun to drive.
My dad bought one new in '83. I was a teenager at the time and compared to his previous vehicles, it was like sitting in a spaceship. In my opinion the XR4i was the best car he ever owned, and that would include the Sapphire Cosworth and BMW 535d that he bought later. Obviously not the fastest of the bunch, but the XR4i was the most reliable, had the most character and had that amazing engine noise. I bought it from him when he eventually wanted something new in the late nineties and it was great fun to drive, but by that time it was ready for some restoration and after a while I had to part with it. Apparently it was restored and I regularly check the small ads, hoping that one day I'll be able to buy it back. Fingers crossed!
Have you done a text check on it's reg? You'll at least know if it was still on the road.
@@ianandjohnandmaniandreni9323 Yes, it's SORN'd at the moment, not insured and the last MOT was in 2009. Between the last two MOTs it did 7k miles, so someone was enjoying it.
90s Ravers's car. My mate had a black A-reg with a Cossie wing, that replaced the double-decker. Used to go to early 90s raves in it 👍
My cousin had an XR4i 4x4 estate (French spec) and what a car it was.....my dad & John Welch alongside the massive input of Martin Schanche gave birth to the Sierra Cosworths - all of this was a jellymould Cortina! Firsf car I drifted was an Opel Ascona, then a 1934 Bentley.
An interesting video. I also grew up in the 80s and I remember Ford having an advertising campaign on MTV where the slogan was "The changing shape of Ford" which definitely made a big impression on me. The car really had a futuristic design for its time and contemporary competing cars such as the Mazda 626 seemed old-fashioned in comparison. Personally, I have the most experience with the Ford Granada and later the Scorpio (first generation). I really liked the Scorpio and think that as a family car it was quite reasonable with plenty of space and a large degree of comfort. However, my father was a big fan of Peugeot and we therefore had a new 505. The design seemed old-fashioned compared to the Sierra, but the 505 had very good driving characteristics and not least excellent comfort. We went on long trips with the car all the way to the south of England a couple of times from Norway and I remember the trips with great pleasure. I doubt a Sierra could have done better beyond the fabulous design that really stood out at the time.
It was ahead of its time. It's interesting how the more conservative Cavalier outsold it but then Vauxhall eventually adopted the rounded styling, first on the Carlton and then the Cavalier.
I'm also a big fan of 505s! Was it one of those massive estates/station wagons, that could be optioned with 7-seats?
They must have been pretty solid cars since there are folks in the Middle East and some parts of Africa still using them!
I had one of these as a company car in red and absolutely loved it. At the time it was so fast for me but I just remember the torque and the V6 sound. Great car and thanks for the review.
This brought back great memories. As soon as I saw it I guessed "Ford management car"! Essex registration and fully loaded with extras! I was living in Brentwood up until 1988 and the place was teeming with management cars, with Warley HQ and Dunton research centre nearby. A really great video. Thanks for posting. 😊
Frog island at the weekend 😉👌👌👌
We got one of 21 mk1 2.8 xr4x4's left on the road. Owned it for 30 years, Even has working abs and optional extra air conditioning. Still a fun car to drive.
I always loved this car. It was rare here in America, where it was sold, as Ian said, as the Merkur XR4ti. Merkur is German for "Mercury", as it sold in Lincoln/Mercury dealerships. It had the turbocharged version of the 2.3 Pinto engine here, which had anywhere from 160-200 HP (this engine was also fitted to the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and the Mustang SVO). 160 HP was the version that was de-rated for an automatic transmission, and 200 HP were the last versions of the engine, with an intercooler (which was forbidden for the Turbo Coupe and XR4ti, until 1987, when the Mustang SVO was discontinued and Ford let everyone have the full potential of the engine 😅 ). Mercury was the upmarket brand in North America, and Ford's rationale behind this car was to lure Yuppies, who adored 3 series BMW coupes, into Lincoln/Mercury dealerships.
Got to drive a T Bird with that engine last year! Only a brief one so wasn't filmed. Seemed an odd choice of powerplant.
@@HubNutthe Lima / Pinto 2.3 had a decent racing history and the US at that time just got out of an oil embargo and saw fuel price spikes plus the EPA started clamoring for increased fuel economy so every US automaker went turbocharged only two really got the reliability handled GM with the Grand National, cyclone/typhoon and Ford with the mustang, Thunderbird and xr4ti.
There were several of the XR4ti Merkurs in my area. The Merkur Scorpio too, also a nice car.
Merkur never got the intercooled version of the 2.3 TC. The rating was 175 hp for the manual cars and 150 for the auto. 87-88 Turbo Coupe T-Bird was the only car other than the SVO to get the intercooled engine. 🙂
@@HubNut I owned an 88 Turbo Coupe for a few years. Nice highway car, had a huge fuel tank and would go forever. Around town the car was sluggish because of the vehicle weight.
Such a great car, thanks for sharing your drive and to the owner for allowing you to present such a rare example
The most ergonomic dashboard I’ve ever owned in a car.
I had a black 1985 over here in Canada. Bought it brand new, ours came with a 2.3 l turbo charged putting out 175 ~ 185 hp and was called the Merkur XR4ti as you mentioned. It was the first car I owned that came with heated seats.
There was 2 side window style on the 3 door shells, the XRs had 2 rear side windows each side and the normal specs had 1 side window each side.
My dad had one of those in about 1984 - metallic black. 8 year old me - a big fan of "Knight Rider" - thought it was the absolute cat's pyjamas. Loved the sci-fi on-board computer etc - and the fact that it went like the proverbial off a shovel!
I always loved the Sierra, the first one was the 2.0is, then I upgaded to the 4x4 facelift 2.9i, I have it for 6 years. loved it
you re really good with ford,these are the beautiful cars we used to admire as kids in the 80s
I was obsessed with these too. Another early Sierra thats even rarer is the 2.0iS. Five door with pepperpots. Not seen one in decades.
Yes very rare, had XR2 trimmed seats,5 door, first Ford EFi powered.
They had pepper pot style wheel trims,not alloys, replaced by the GLS as the warm Ford sporting saloon for the next 7 yrs or so.
Lovely car. My dad had a D-reg Sierra in black, D922 UAU.
Always loved them. They came a couple of years too soon though - people just weren't ready for that shape.
I consider the original normal four door Sierra as one of the icons of car design. In the same leage as the Jaguar E type. Such a beautiful car. Never owned a Sierra, though.
That is a tremendous combination of seriously tidy condition and A-reg "patina". The fact that just about everything still worked well is even more impressive! What an incredible example!
I clearly remember one of those parked outside my school in the mid 80’s
Never normally saw rear wing extravaganza like that where I grew up 😃
My parents had a white Sierra glx hatchback, it was a 1.8 turbo diesel and had features like body coloured bumpers and wing mirrors, red trim and headlight wipers. It was sluggish until it had injectors and fuel pump fixed. Good memories of that car and first car I had a drive of, under supervision on the local airfield.
Great to see I've owned 3 4i's, love them. 2 in white 1 gun metal grey.Sold my last 1 for £200 20 years ago😂
Superb Ian. I worked in a used car dealer from 89-91 and all our stock was between 1908 and 1990. I was lucky enough to drive a load of these and also some other now iconic 80's cars. I do remember we had a few of these that had prop shaft issues and had to be sent off to get re-balanced.
Used to go to school sometimes, in one of these. My mate’s dad ran the Halewood factory, at the time, and they got not one, but two company cars - my mate’s mum had an XR2, a Capri 2.8 Injection and, in 1984, one of these for 6 months… it felt quite special, at the time.
Always loved these, thank you Mr hubnut and the owner for showing us this lovely motor, if i ever was to own a sierra it'll be either an early xr4i like this, or really late saffire 4x4 with all the toys thrown ate!
That's a beautiful sounding car. Thank you for the road test!
Geez what a nice looking car, that V6 sierra is a car I would definitely like to have, too bad Ford didn’t sell them here in Australia
The Mk1 Sierras are fascinating cars - I remember them being launched, and a neighbour taking delivery of an early white GL model. I thought it was fantastic - years ahead of our Austin Ambassador. I think my favourite Sierras are the mild facelifted mk1s - they all got Ghia style headlights, and a number of improvements to solve the side wind stability issue that caught many a Sierra driver (Frank Williams being one) by surprise on the Autobahn. There is a brilliant article on the gestation of the Sierra’s design, written by someone involved in forming it - Patrick Le Quement. Quite a sad end - the lack of sales success saw Uwe Bahnsen, who had overseen all of Ford Europe’s 1970s cars (notably Granada mk2, Cortina mk4, Capri mk3 and Escorts mk2 and mk3) sidelined and eventually let go from Ford as a result.
My favourite generation of Ford Sierra. I remember a family friend who had a base model 5 door Sierra in Beige
My brother's sibling-in-law worked at a Ford dealer in '85. He had a white XR4i, quite a unique car in Finland at the time. I was only 6 but still remember it well. That might be the only time ever having seen one in real life.
Styling-wise I prefer the smaller headlamps & cleaner look of the lesser spec models.
I had an 87 XR4Ti when we lived in the States. Heated Recaro front seats, air conditioning, power locks and windows, sunroof. And I could make the Garrett AirResearch turbo glow after a good run. Wonderful car. They lost the whale tail in 90-91 for a more subdued version.
I remember my dad's friend had one from new, he lent it to us while he went on holiday what a monster of a car I loved it my parents had a marina 1. 3 so it was a revelation
That was a great video to watch, I really enjoyed that.
What a great car that is… good work Mr. Hubnut! 👏👏
I just spat my tea out realising you’ve just driven past the end of my road on this review 😮 great vid.
Brings back great memories, company I worked for senior sales managers had these as company cars, complete with the Philips transportable phone. Few occasions I got to drive could not believe the levels of road holding especially at speed around curves compared to usual company fare of Cavaliers and 1.8LX Sierras😂
A rare car even when new! The later XR4x4 was a popular choice where we lived in rural Wales in the late ‘80s. I always loved the sound of the 2.8 and 2.9 V6s.
One of my dream cars!! Thanks Ian 🙂
That is for me a serious piece of cool. Having spent a fair amount of learning to drive in a D-plate 1.6L this would be the stuff of dreams. The spec’ and subtle mods, awesome ❤
My father had one, he had many cars during his life. But this was the one he loved the most and the one that identified him. Thanks for the video
LOADS of these still out and about over here in Arizona/New Mexico.
Ooh yeah, I could see myself driving one of those! Another great vid Ian, many thanks for sharing.
Never forget seeing a black one around 1983/84 - It was parked up at a boot fair and people were standing around it as if it had just beamed down from space. Nobody knew what to make of it. I don't think any other car made such an impact since.
Much Love. I drove the US XR4Ti "Merkur" from 1985 until 1998, daily driver, I know that car well, and love it very much., So stupid that I told it.
Two of the main things I care about are ride comfort and steering feel. This one being lowered does make the drive less interesting to me, as we'll never know how it's supposed to ride. Better, I presume. I'll never understand lowering. But my goodness I always loved the design of that car. It's aged so gracefully too. What a beaut!
Loving the twin camera view too!
It was a monumental pain to edit!
The goal is to lower centre of gravity, providing more grip and agility through the bends
They rode and handled really well as standard, although they did lean a bit on corners (mind you, so did the Cosworth & XR4x4 in standard form).
@@stevebailey1322 I don’t see any issues with rolling :)
What a beautiful car always makes me smile when I see one they really were brilliant cars so underrated but the style has aged well
Thank you very much for this fantastic video. The fan base of the XR4i drivers are falling down on their knees making this fantastic video.We feel the passion with which you are driving this legend.
South African market also saw the introduction of a 5.0-litre XR8 between June 1984 and 1988. A limited number of 250 Sierras were made for the purposes of homologation,[35] as this model was the premier Ford used in Group A racing. They sold out before being made, and a 2 batch of 250 was made. The XR8 was fitted with the Windsor 302 ci engine from the US Ford Mustang, and the Borg Warner T5 heavy duty transmission. Front brakes were AP Racing four-piston callipers on 280 mm discs. Max power is 209 PS (154 kW) and a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph) was claimed ( civilian version). [36] The XR8 is easily recognized by having four cooling slats between the headlights, whereas lesser versions were sold with the original smooth front.
i m in Botswana next to south africa these cars were imported from South Africa,THE XR6 was my dream car.
Back in the mid 90’s , a genius mate of mine was an electrical engineer designing ECU’s for many makes of cars. He always drove a battered old Sierra, considering his high pay, I asked him why the hell he drove that Sierra - his answer ‘ just about the last car made without an ECU’ !
I was watching Police Stop 2 here on somebody's channel on TH-cam and on that Police stop episode it highlighted why these became rare as one clip showed one in a police chase. In the comments, possibly a young American commentor, was amazed how quick the Sierra was for a small engine car.
Also if you want a very interesting car to test get in touch with the guys at Car Throttle as they have just purchased a amazingly rare and HubNut quality Mazda Xedos with the supercharged engine.
As soon as I saw the number plates I knew it was ex-FMC car - the Brentwood registration number, the tin number plates and the fitting of optional extras.
Thanks for the explanation about the XR4 window glass. I wondered about that when I owned one in the late 90's.
I absolutely loved it and it got many an admiring looks. Mine was in the dark metallic blue colour.
The XR4i looked beautiful when it was launched & it STILL looks good today!! I remember seeing a black one in a shopping centre, when it was new & I loved the sporty look of it & like you, I think I prefer it to the more sporty Fords that have been on the market since...!! 👍🙂
My dad had every Cortina going but was a bit older and couldn't stomach the styling of the Sierra when it came out & bought an Escort instead. I was devastated! The Cossie came out while I was at university & I was too busy chasing girls & drinking beer to notice until it was nearly all over 🥴
In NZ now a Sapph goes for well over $100k & the last XR4i I saw for sale was $44k.. considering a standard Mark 5 Cortina goes for $30k that's "good value"..
That all pales in comparison to an XB Falcon GT (thats the "Mad Max" Ford Falcon V8 for those of you who didn't grow up downunder) which will be $150k+, making the Cossie + the XR4i absolute bargains 🥳
Wow! I actually remember one of these parked on a road close to where I lived. It used to bring a real smile on my face and fascination; "how could it be, xR4I?" It was this exact colour as well so I'm guessing they were only ever produced as this? The finer detail gives this identity for what it is.
The Merkur XR4Ti here in the (formerly) good old USA. A guy on my street had one back in the day and loved it. It was the only one I've ever seen in the metal.
The advert campaign for this car was" Man and high performance machine in perfect harmony"-Says it all !
I had a 2.3 automatic Sierra for 9 years. It was one of the most reliable cars I ever owned and one of the most enjoyable.
What I enjoyed most was being on the M1 at 70 miles an hour with another Sierra up my exhaust and when traffic cleared in front burying the throttle and leaving them for dust. I bought the car second hand with 19000 miles on it and as in those days of Ford ownership the exhausts went at 22000 so off to Quick Fit, 2 complete exhausts fitted and an offer of a, "Life Time Guarantee", for £25. Best £25 i ever spent had another 3 complete exhausts fitted. Don't think Quick Fit made any money out of me and these days I won't go any where near them.
Excellent stuff. Dad had 3 sierras in a row, two 2l ghias and an estate gl. Loved the ghia's that I learned to drive in and borrowed when I passed. It was mentioned that the tyre wear had increased substantially after I passed my test in '86. The estate was very very lairy in the rain.
Great car. Love the shape and would consider one of these. I can't understand why these were overlooked, as they are just as good as others. Lucky enough to see these, as well as a two door and 4 door regular saloon
I still have my XR-6 since new. Owned and driven tons of lengendary cars, but always kept this car. Never let me down once.
My brother owned a 2.0is hatch back in the day- with the ol' Pinto...
Was surprisingly punchy !!
This is beautiful! My favourite style of Sierra with those big headlights and split rear side windows 😍 And I love that is specced to the likes of the owner.
Also, loving the dual camera setup 😃
Ford really were good at dashboards . The later sierra with the 4 spoke wheel and also the mk2 granadas were my favourites. What a great car
Creak and rattle central if I recall.
Plastic everywhere .
But nice to look at .
I loved driving it. I had one for 5 or 6 years
I remember my Dad owning a 1986 Sierra XR4x4 in the late nineties. 2.8 V6. Lovely car and probably my favourite of all the cars he's owned over the years. Reg was C200 ORM.
I had one back in 95 ,i put peaugeot 205 gti 1.9 alloys on it ,i absolutely loved it!
I'm not surprised this is rare, and worth a fortune! I had a 2.0 LX, lovely car but one thing MK1 Sierras did very well was rust, and very quickly!
The Belgian Biplane! A mate had a very second hand one of these in the ‘90s. He was adamant it was basically a Porsche 928 minus a couple of cylinders. His was rough as you like and had mushrooms growing in the footwells. I do miss when car designs were as brave as this though.
Amazing intro to another great video absolutely love 80s ford's,really enjoyed this one 😊
Nothing said ‘hot version’ in the eighties more than a red key line stripe. It definitely looks good in this colour.
Absaloutly brilliant video ian❤👍 what a beautiful car yeah they don't make them like that any more brilliant
I had a xr4i for 10 years, changed the rear axle for the 4x4 unit, lsd and rear discs changed the handling for the better great reliable car
I remember my mum getting a Sierra as a courtesy car after someone crashed into our Citroen AX (don't ask, apparently my Dad knew someone at the rental place who gave us an upgrade) and it being so huge my Mum described it as a boat, yet driving it about in 2023 it fits in with all the small hatchbacks.
Had a 1.8 Sierra and even that Engine when You floored it it really shifted nicely and could blow many away ,but was a good all round workhorse, plenty of room for the kids and didn’t cost the Earth to run , XR2 was nice as well
One of my dream cars. That twin side window and twin rear spoiler are the best. I’d have one of these over a Cosworth in a heartbeat.
The problem for teenage me when they were new was the mechanically identical Capri 2.8 Injection Special was the one I wanted. This possibly affected sales of both.
The V6 mk3 Capri is also a dream car of mine.
Like your dad, I had a H reg 1.8LX with the tinted rear lights. It looked great in Mercury Grey metallic. The 1.8cvh would spin the wheels with lots more grunt tghan the previous 1.8 pinto i had.
Loved these cars, had one in the early 90s for years.
Mine was a Roy Grimshaw tuned version with a RS500 body kit on it.
As I recall it was bored out to 3.1, lightened/balanced flywheel, fast road cam, full race system, k&n, fully adjustable suspension with upgraded brakes and wouldn't idle under 1200 revs and drank fuel like a tanker. There was talk that 1 owner had it off the 150mph (ford clocks though so pinch of salt 😂) clock very late at night and it definitely kept with cossies.. I loved B548FFM until it's unfortunate demise....
Beautiful 80's madness. I love it.
Growing up in Venezuela These Sierras were popular cars. The XR4i and later the Sapphire were my childhood dream.
I loved them, my dad had a fair few xr4, xr4x4i, i had a xr4x4i myself as well as a sapphire 2.9i.
Dad had a succession of Sierras after a good few Cortinas. Started with a white 2.0i S which was followed by a grey xr4x4. The new shape Sierra came out so he part exed the xr for a red gls4x4.
All fabulous cars and many happy memories smoking other cars on the road!
Love these. There was one that lived by me in the late 80s early 90s. In black stunning car. One of the reasons I love cars
I love the XR4i much more than the Cosworth. The styling with the separated windows in the back is so special and the sound is fantastic 😍👏🏼 wish I could find one in Germany! I grew up with 2 Sierras… 1.6 and 2.0… 🤗
I prefer the previous generations of Fords, the Taunus and the mk1 Granada, to what Ford was doing in the 80s (wouldn't say no to a mk2 Granada though), but the sound of one of those wonderful Ford Cologne V6s elevate the expertience for me. They are fantastic. ..even the baby 2L we got in Taunuses where i live. The styling: I turned teenager in 83, and yes.. I remember being amazed at that spoiler, and the overall look of the car. I'm with you. Because of the engine, mostly, people can keep their Cosworths. I'd have one of these, if buying a Sierra.
BOUGHT A USED 1987 IN THE LATE 90S. LOVED IT !!!! MY CHEVY FRIENDS THOUGHT ME MAD !!!! MUCH FUN. SOLD IT 2 BUY A 2003 SVT FOCUS !!!! MUCH FORD FUN !!!! SOLD IT 4 A ST FIESTA
I drove one when it was first released and the steering certainly felt very light and that spoiler didn't do a lot for rear vision! The XR4x4. improved things a lot.
The cassette radio, it is a Philips player marked with Ford. Had the pleasure of trying the XR4i for a short drive when it came on the market, but had a fortnight's experience with the XR4x4 when it appeared somewhat later. It was simply an experience and was a trip from Oslo to winter Western Norway with many winding roads, up and down. What I remember in particular was that it was fond of petrol, not stable at high speed on winter roads either, but more than an experience at lower speed with lots of snow and lots of bends.
Remember that the XR4x4 was supposed to go to Norsk Luftambulanse as a medical car in a leasing agreement. My fortnight with the car was the break-in period for that car. Asked later what happened to it. Sad, but after a fortnight in service it was smashed. After all, this was one of the first passenger cars after the Audi Quattro to have 4x4 and a slightly large engine. It's easy to believe that 4x4 surpasses the laws of physics, and with blue lights as an emergency car it probably went fast.
Stereo made by Grundig
@@T66ORA I'm agree, but it's still a Philips. Grundig had a very close collaboration with Philips at the time.