I remeber thinking this was rapid and then got smoked by one that looked the same. We pulled up and he went on to show me the fat turbo under the bonnet. Was but 22 years ago. Was that East London by any chance. Till this day still one of my all time favs,
Back in the 90s a friend had two of these. I drove both and really like the ride, handling and the lovely V6 sound. Fond memories of them. However, I preferred the Cavalier GSi I had at the time, it was quite a bit quicker and achieved much much better mpg.
I had a B reg one in white. One day in the wet I approached a roundabout and in 2nd gear took the opportunity to enter it. The back wheels lit up and I ended up going round it sideways. It was brilliant
I owned an XR4x4 for many years and was so happy with it I spent a few bob having it bored and stroked by Power Engineering, came back with 3.7ltr under the bonnet, uprated brakes, suspension, bushes exhaust etc. left many a cossy driver scratching their heads when they couldn't shake me or I overtook them, lol.
Having worked for ford for some years, sold quite a few of these from new, I can say this. The blue ones of which there were at least two but I think three (it's 40 years ago and iam getting old) usually came with a blue cloth interior. You could on a blue one option a grey cloth, the ones I sold 30-35 I would say about 10-15% went for the grey. Again you could option electric front windows until the became standard in late 1984. The small car which appears on the display had in its centre a yellow/orange symbol that came on from 0-4 degrees and a red one which indecated zero degrees black ice warning. As for performance we'll mixed. All were good for the time, very good but only a hand full managed the figure stated by ford in its commercial and some posters of '7.7 spine tingling seconds to 60.'. I did own two of these a cardinal red one and a late gun metal grey one. Dad had a stratos silver one and my brother a mineral blue one (blue interior and electric windows). All four were brilliant for the time, but I do have to say dad's really was always the quickest of the ones. All dashboards cracked, we changed ours over ourselves (took us about 3 hours). Ford knew of this problem and added a compound to the mix to stop it reoccurring. If anyone still has one... Keep it they are great. Don't roll it as the ' 6 lite bodyshell' is now very rare to replace.. 🎉
I actually preferred the XR4i to the Cosworth. The XR4i sounded nicer, had no turbo lag and i personally preferred the styling - although it was considerably less powerful. I've only driven each fairly briefly. They're more different than you'd think with the V6 being the relaxed tourer to the Cosworth's maniac boy racer appeal. They are both good cars and will appeal to different folks.
We got a mk1 2.8 xr4x4....owned it for 31 years, sits with modern day traffic with ease, unlike the 4i, it handles well in all weathers, there are big differences with the interior, no info display, but abs and aircon, and a much nicer cloth interior that has worn very well
I had one from 92 to 2000, no air con no power steering in red and grey plastics, I changed out the complete rear axle for the 4x4 rear with lsd and discs, spax springs and shocks , full Janspeeds, and 15 inch compomotive rims on 195/50s handled amazing with modified delivery head easy showed a 944 the way through the A roads, great times and I drove it anywhere never missed a beat
That’s a really good perspective on this fast Ford, thank you. From what I remember, when they were new, they looked great in black. The standard Sierra was really common, on every street across the UK, the XR4i, with its unique body, was a head turner. What did it for a lot of fast Fords was the 80s\90s joyriding phenomenon that made these type of cars difficult to insure. I loved the original XR3, before the i, a really (slow by modern standards) classic.
That has a Cosworth grill doesnt it? Ithought the XR4i had the slab front panel. Love it regardless, that bodyshell is much classier than the Cossie to my eyes!
I really miss my red xr4i. One of the best cars I've owned. Unlike the very overated rust bucket other ford xr cars I've had. The 2.8 lump is wonderful and a hoot to drive.
I always thought the Sierra was revolutionary when it came out , the transition from the box shaped Cortina to the rounded Sierra was hard to take for some people me included , i owned several over the years but never had the XR4 unfortunately.
When released in 83 the XR4i was meant to steer people away from the Capri as it was an old design. However despite the Capri was out dated by modern hot hatches, it still captured the imagination of the public and people still loved it. The 4i was in the real world a much better car even though it produced 10 less horsepower of the 2.8i Capri and slightly slower 0-60. By 85 the XR4i was nomore. The Capri got upgraded In 84 (released in 85) to the special and lasted a few more year's. Unfortunately it just didn't catch the same special love the capri gave.
I remember a neighbour buying a brand new Black 1984 XR4i and going for a drive in it with less than 100miles on the clock, at the time the many warning light and car icon leds were amazing in ‘84. The body cladding and red stripe was of its day and looked really cool as did the bi-plane rear spoiler. Most cars back then had carburettors still and a 4 speed gearbox unless you went premium. It was the first car that I went over 125mph in. Fond memories of XR4i when new - oh a the new car smell back then was lovely and not plasticky
My second car was a dark blue 1987 Ford Sierra GT 2.0 SOHC sedan and it's still, to this day, the most reliable car I've ever had. I used to drive it from western France to Copenhagen and back, pedal to the metal during quite long periods of time going across Germany (very unwise but I was young and stupid). It never broke down, never overheated, only the original Motorcraft battery gave up after 10 years of service during a cold Danish winter, unacceptable. My dream, back then, would have been to get hold of a V6 version, like the one featured here. But the idea was killed by French anti-automobile taxes that were already insane at the time, forget about Denmark's...
Those joysticks are an absolute blast from the past!! I remember them well - they were the coolest thing EVER. it's a shame we don't have them on modern cars. On my car now, I have to go through my equaliser settings to fade sound. I have to go to: Comfort -> Entertainment Options -> Audio -> General Settings -> Sound Profile -> Speaker Setup -> General Speaker Configuration -> Sound Direction -> Select. Needles to say it's a bit of a faf and takes ages to get there. Sometimes old tech is better. Awful car though - the brakes were made of tin foil, and you had to plan well in advance to stop in an emergency. I never knew why anyone would buy the Sierra variant over the superior Escort (or even Orion) variants, they looked much cooler and handled better. My mate had a Mini 1275 GT, that was race tuned with loads of mods, he used to stalk XR4's and leave them in the dust, they were comparable in straight line speeds, but around the lanes he barely had to slow down whilst the sierras (even the Cossys) had to slow to a walking pace if they wanted to live.
Ford had really ruled the roost with Capri and Escort models for years. By the time the Xr4i came out, most manufacturers were jumping into the hot hatch segment and they all shared sizeable sales figures. Great car just too much competition.
Really nice video, Fords of that era had a certain charisma that in my opinion has never been replicated, I owned a Black Sierra 4x4 many many years on it is still one of the best cars I have ever owned and I have owned a few.
Love your reviews they are flawless, no nonsense and pay a lot of attention to interesting details.spot on! One thing is strange here on the continent XR4is had the fully closed snout like all v6 sierras. Maybe this one got changed for a cosworth grille?
Back in the day these were the cars people had to out do the XR3i. Problem was, the 0-60 was so close. But, the XR4i was not too difficult to wake up. The block was strong, and you could easily get a lot more power with a few simple mods. The joystick for the radio was actually not a gimmick. The Ford radios only had left and right two channel outputs. The joystick was needed to be able to have speaker front and rear. The compression needs checking on this one though, seems lagging, maybe a head leak.
I had a b reg white 4i, I was very impressed with mine, had stainless pipes , sounded like thunder, loved it, was never impressed with the 3i , looked nice but preferred the golf in 1600: guise , the ultimate for me was my highly modified r5 turbo H reg. , cheers shane uk 🇬🇧, now 60 yrs old
The designer of the XR4i admitted taking the side profile design from the Porsche 928 when drawing the car. If you squint when looking at the side you can see this inspiration. The rear spoiler does nothing for down force but it does actually reduce drag enabling a reasonable top speed relative to the power output. I had one of these in the early nineties and it was a lovely car, ultimately not dynamic enough for me at the time so I ended up swapping it for a S2 RS Turbo. The car you feature has the Cosworth grille, sometimes these can look a little odd without the cosworth bumper. The original sierra design was quite radical for the time as it had no grille intake unlike other cars of its era, that also helped lend itself to the moniker of the jelly mould car.
Always liked the XR4i I had an RS500 when I was 19 - Yes 19. Only kept it for 14 months as I couldn’t afford the insurance. I actually drove around for the last 3 months with no insurance 🙈 Traded it in at Gates of Woodford for a brand new Fiesta RS Turbo.
Absolutely mind blowing that that car is *40 years old.* It hardly looks dated at all. It still looks so so modern and very contemporary looking. 40 years before 1984 would be 1944. World War Two is still in full swing. Adolf Hitler is the leader in Germany. The Holocaust. People were flying around in Spitfires, Lancaster bombers and listening to Glen Miller on the wireless. No one had TVs in their homes. No one swore or took elicit drugs. A car from this era would look much more *"dated"* in 1984 with chrome door handles, bumpers, grills and lights. Mudguards in the outside, running boards and front doors opening the "wrong way" round. That's just sheer crazy!
Had one, loved it. It rotted away under all that plastic panelling and the gearstick snapped off on the motorway once. Get rid of the exhaust and put a nice big love trumpet in its place and it comes alive.
I had two of these, they were thirsty and the gearboxs kept breaking, thay also rust bad under the bodykit. It was a cool car to have when I was 18 though.
Yep I agree - I had a black xr4i back in 1992-1993 and it was a relatively quick car in the day - definitely quicker than an xr3i (considered a hot hatch back then) - anyway i loved it then and I still miss it
Back in the day, as a teenager i preferred the look of the XR4i over the Cossies. Those Ford 2.8's were never quick and didnt have much character. I think of the day, the PRV was the better V6 and gave 155bhp in 2.7i format. I had a Renault 30TX 2.7i and it was fairly rapid for the time.
Though the Sierra looks great even today, I remember back when they came out they were called the jelly mould… it just looked rubbish when the others cars were Ford Capris, Opel Mantas, Audi Quattros… it just didn’t stir the blood… but the wings on it were amazing as was the one colour I seemed to see them in all the time Moonstone Blue.
I had an early 1983 y reg xr4i and it looked great in black. Also I think as standard they had a flat panel between the lights. The rectangular cut out like the one featured here for the grill was from the Cosworth I think. A lot of people (including myself) retrofitted this panel as it looks better and also helps with cooling. This car must've been a fairly basic spec as I remember mine had electric windows and power steering and it certainly pulled better than this one though mine had a fast road camshaft which may have made it rev more freely. It also benefitted from having later xr4×4 transmission which certainly helped handling. I loved it and wish I'd never sold it!
I think there was a darker blue, also a lighter blue than the one in the video, i don’t remember seeing any in the shade of blue in the video either. Weird.
it didn't hit the mark because it wasn't a Cosworth.I have driven 911 s and testarossas of the time and the cossie blew them away....in a straight line!
Great video. Just quicky , anyone remeber the little kill switches? They would be in the ashtray or under the dash or possibly in or under the glove box!
I had one, same colour but painted all blue with Cossie front bumper. Cossie running gear and wait for it.. a dirty great supercharger under the bonnet. Unfortunately though that K-Jet system on the 2.8 was too restrictive for it. The car made 200 bhp at the wheels so was great fun anyway.
I never understood the xr4i . I think Ford must of had some 2.8 Capri engines they needed to shift. You could buy a escort rs turbo for similar price with similar performance, and a lot better fuel economy.
The thing to remember is that power steering was not more of an everyday item on even the most mainstream cars until well into the 1990's! Back in the 80's if you had a licence, powersteering was not a consideration as it did not exist in the majority of cars.
Had Sierras as company cars in the 80s. Cavaliers were much preferred. As a junior, we got 1.6 cars. The 1.6 Sierra was a hateful car, dangerously underpowered. The 1.8 was ok. Had a DOHC 2.0GL Sierra as I became more senior. That was very acceptable. That car seemed to have synchro on all gears including reverse. Company car; so I tried shoving it in reverse at 40mph, flooring it, and letting the clutch out. Nothing exciting happened, car slowed, a burning smell, and a cloud of clutch smoke in the rear view mirror.
Had a few of these they was great very underrated. The grey striped seat was a bit crap and the never liked the 2 spoke steering wheel but overall the car was good drank like Oliver read ...also had a scimitar with that engine that was a a sleeper
That grille is not standard for an xr4i, they came out of the factory with a smooth painted panel upper grill, with the breathing going on below. I think that one has been lifted from a cossie. The sierra did have rather a lot of different front ends. I think they also had smoked tail lights, those are standard sierra tail lights.
That car may well have come from Calderford motors Wakefield, my late Dad & myself both had Ford's that came Brand new from there Dad had an A reg 2.0Ghia Sierra & I had an E reg E138GCP Mk4 Escort 1.6DGL. Before the Sierra my Dad bought brand new from Sandal motors Wakefield a 79 V reg Datsun Skyline 240KGT reg ACP340V.. CP is either Wakefield area or anywhere within 10 miles of Leeds.
You have to compare it with what was around at the time. I was never a fan personally. I did drive a 2.8i sapphire Gina, which drove superbly. But I could never afford one at the time. I was only 19. 😂
they were ok I had a couple of them ,one was a white janspeed turbo from what I remember they just rattled a lot of plastic rattling noises especially around the rear wing ,I remember the janspeed had turbo lag then would take off it was like a boat I prefererd the 2,8 injection capri ,over that the 3.0s 60mph in second gear , it was a long long time ago
@@Dirt-Diggler didn't the diesels just have the single headlights and grille of the lower range models? I don't remember a grille on the quad headlight, higher spec models apart from the Cosworth. I can't believe he didn't know that this wasn't the original grille.
For some crazy reason when Ford decided to sell the Sierra here, they didn't sell them as Fords, they didn't do like they did with the Capri and sell it as a Mercury. They created a new brand for the car, calling it the Merkur XR4TI. Just doing that probably cost millions. Then they still sold them at Lincoln/Mercury dealers anyway. The name was awkward. They only sold a few over about 4 years. They introduced one more Merkur sedan, a bit larger, built by Ford of Germany, the Scorpio, which sold even fewer numbers. Merkur quietly disappeared in 1989 and was quickly forgotten.
My ideal classic car ... Love this car
Had my Cosworth Turbo powered XR4i for 22 years. Just use it as a toy now but I used to drive it all the time when I first built it.
I remeber thinking this was rapid and then got smoked by one that looked the same. We pulled up and he went on to show me the fat turbo under the bonnet. Was but 22 years ago. Was that East London by any chance. Till this day still one of my all time favs,
Fond memories a reliable comfy workhorse that turned heads.
I've owned 3 XR4I's, 1 4x4 and an early 2.8i Capri 4 speed.Loved them all,that lovely Cologne V6.
Respect with owning 3 XR4i-s
Brings back memories. Had one with group N exhaust and K&N filter. Awesome example.
Back in the 90s a friend had two of these. I drove both and really like the ride, handling and the lovely V6 sound. Fond memories of them. However, I preferred the Cavalier GSi I had at the time, it was quite a bit quicker and achieved much much better mpg.
I had a B reg one in white. One day in the wet I approached a roundabout and in 2nd gear took the opportunity to enter it. The back wheels lit up and I ended up going round it sideways. It was brilliant
I owned an XR4x4 for many years and was so happy with it I spent a few bob having it bored and stroked by Power Engineering, came back with 3.7ltr under the bonnet, uprated brakes, suspension, bushes exhaust etc. left many a cossy driver scratching their heads when they couldn't shake me or I overtook them, lol.
Having worked for ford for some years, sold quite a few of these from new, I can say this. The blue ones of which there were at least two but I think three (it's 40 years ago and iam getting old) usually came with a blue cloth interior. You could on a blue one option a grey cloth, the ones I sold 30-35 I would say about 10-15% went for the grey. Again you could option electric front windows until the became standard in late 1984. The small car which appears on the display had in its centre a yellow/orange symbol that came on from 0-4 degrees and a red one which indecated zero degrees black ice warning. As for performance we'll mixed. All were good for the time, very good but only a hand full managed the figure stated by ford in its commercial and some posters of '7.7 spine tingling seconds to 60.'. I did own two of these a cardinal red one and a late gun metal grey one. Dad had a stratos silver one and my brother a mineral blue one (blue interior and electric windows). All four were brilliant for the time, but I do have to say dad's really was always the quickest of the ones. All dashboards cracked, we changed ours over ourselves (took us about 3 hours). Ford knew of this problem and added a compound to the mix to stop it reoccurring. If anyone still has one... Keep it they are great. Don't roll it as the ' 6 lite bodyshell' is now very rare to replace.. 🎉
It hit the mark with me. I loved 'em!
I actually preferred the XR4i to the Cosworth. The XR4i sounded nicer, had no turbo lag and i personally preferred the styling - although it was considerably less powerful. I've only driven each fairly briefly. They're more different than you'd think with the V6 being the relaxed tourer to the Cosworth's maniac boy racer appeal. They are both good cars and will appeal to different folks.
As someone whose curious, was this essentially the poor mans Cosworth of the time? a bit like the modern ST vs RS?
Great review and a very nice example, shame about the Cosworth grille.
We got a mk1 2.8 xr4x4....owned it for 31 years, sits with modern day traffic with ease, unlike the 4i, it handles well in all weathers, there are big differences with the interior, no info display, but abs and aircon, and a much nicer cloth interior that has worn very well
I had a turbo fitted to mine and it was electrifying quick. I loved my XR4.
That sounds good, the xr4i was sluggish.
Bet the turbo changed it up a lot. 😂
I had one from 92 to 2000, no air con no power steering in red and grey plastics, I changed out the complete rear axle for the 4x4 rear with lsd and discs, spax springs and shocks , full Janspeeds, and 15 inch compomotive rims on 195/50s handled amazing with modified delivery head easy showed a 944 the way through the A roads, great times and I drove it anywhere never missed a beat
That’s a really good perspective on this fast Ford, thank you. From what I remember, when they were new, they looked great in black. The standard Sierra was really common, on every street across the UK, the XR4i, with its unique body, was a head turner. What did it for a lot of fast Fords was the 80s\90s joyriding phenomenon that made these type of cars difficult to insure. I loved the original XR3, before the i, a really (slow by modern standards) classic.
Probably the best looking Sierra, love it
Really enjoyed this
My 18yr old brother had an xr4i when I was about 10. I was SO jealous!
Still am 35 years later 😄
That has a Cosworth grill doesnt it? Ithought the XR4i had the slab front panel. Love it regardless, that bodyshell is much classier than the Cossie to my eyes!
I really miss my red xr4i. One of the best cars I've owned.
Unlike the very overated rust bucket other ford xr cars I've had. The 2.8 lump is wonderful and a hoot to drive.
Special car that! I love those. Would have one over a Cossie in a heartbeat personally.
I had one it had a drink problem
😂
😂😂😂 even human has same
🤣
So did my ex wife.
Give me an XR4i over an XR3i anyday, and love the window arrangement
Yup, you can't beat that glass-in the-gap-surrounded-by-frame combo. 😅😅😅 Weirdo.
I always thought the Sierra was revolutionary when it came out , the transition from the box shaped Cortina to the rounded Sierra was hard to take for some people me included , i owned several over the years but never had the XR4 unfortunately.
When released in 83 the XR4i was meant to steer people away from the Capri as it was an old design. However despite the Capri was out dated by modern hot hatches, it still captured the imagination of the public and people still loved it. The 4i was in the real world a much better car even though it produced 10 less horsepower of the 2.8i Capri and slightly slower 0-60. By 85 the XR4i was nomore. The Capri got upgraded In 84 (released in 85) to the special and lasted a few more year's. Unfortunately it just didn't catch the same special love the capri gave.
It was too slow and the Capri was more fun to drive , and look better .
I love the XR4i! And the awesome Ford V6 soundtrack!😁
Love these, they were sold ib the USA as the Merkur XR4Ti but with a turbo 2.3 version of the Pinto called the Lima.
I remember a neighbour buying a brand new Black 1984 XR4i and going for a drive in it with less than 100miles on the clock, at the time the many warning light and car icon leds were amazing in ‘84. The body cladding and red stripe was of its day and looked really cool as did the bi-plane rear spoiler. Most cars back then had carburettors still and a 4 speed gearbox unless you went premium. It was the first car that I went over 125mph in. Fond memories of XR4i when new - oh a the new car smell back then was lovely and not plasticky
Wanted a cossie, but could only afford the very poor relation...it ain't ticking any boxes.....large....Great vlog,....respect...
My second car was a dark blue 1987 Ford Sierra GT 2.0 SOHC sedan and it's still, to this day, the most reliable car I've ever had. I used to drive it from western France to Copenhagen and back, pedal to the metal during quite long periods of time going across Germany (very unwise but I was young and stupid). It never broke down, never overheated, only the original Motorcraft battery gave up after 10 years of service during a cold Danish winter, unacceptable. My dream, back then, would have been to get hold of a V6 version, like the one featured here. But the idea was killed by French anti-automobile taxes that were already insane at the time, forget about Denmark's...
Had 2 xr4is an xr4x4 loved them all
Those joysticks are an absolute blast from the past!! I remember them well - they were the coolest thing EVER.
it's a shame we don't have them on modern cars. On my car now, I have to go through my equaliser settings to fade sound.
I have to go to: Comfort -> Entertainment Options -> Audio -> General Settings -> Sound Profile -> Speaker Setup -> General Speaker Configuration -> Sound Direction -> Select.
Needles to say it's a bit of a faf and takes ages to get there. Sometimes old tech is better.
Awful car though - the brakes were made of tin foil, and you had to plan well in advance to stop in an emergency. I never knew why anyone would buy the Sierra variant over the superior Escort (or even Orion) variants, they looked much cooler and handled better.
My mate had a Mini 1275 GT, that was race tuned with loads of mods, he used to stalk XR4's and leave them in the dust, they were comparable in straight line speeds, but around the lanes he barely had to slow down whilst the sierras (even the Cossys) had to slow to a walking pace if they wanted to live.
Ford had really ruled the roost with Capri and Escort models for years. By the time the Xr4i came out, most manufacturers were jumping into the hot hatch segment and they all shared sizeable sales figures. Great car just too much competition.
I really liked the XR4i it was a comfortable long distance cruiser .
Great cars...had three in my lifetime..two of which were XR4x4i models..
Ive still got my matchbox XR4i somewhere in the loft 😊
Blue by chance?
Had a white RS 500 lookalike, had the rs bonnet,bumper, proper rims ect, a power engineering conversion, it was no cosworth but was pretty nice .
Really nice video, Fords of that era had a certain charisma that in my opinion has never been replicated, I owned a Black Sierra 4x4 many many years on it is still one of the best cars I have ever owned and I have owned a few.
Love your reviews they are flawless, no nonsense and pay a lot of attention to interesting details.spot on! One thing is strange here on the continent XR4is had the fully closed snout like all v6 sierras. Maybe this one got changed for a cosworth grille?
Back in the day these were the cars people had to out do the XR3i. Problem was, the 0-60 was so close. But, the XR4i was not too difficult to wake up. The block was strong, and you could easily get a lot more power with a few simple mods. The joystick for the radio was actually not a gimmick. The Ford radios only had left and right two channel outputs. The joystick was needed to be able to have speaker front and rear. The compression needs checking on this one though, seems lagging, maybe a head leak.
I had a b reg white 4i, I was very impressed with mine, had stainless pipes , sounded like thunder, loved it, was never impressed with the 3i , looked nice but preferred the golf in 1600: guise , the ultimate for me was my highly modified r5 turbo H reg. , cheers shane uk 🇬🇧, now 60 yrs old
Absolutely amazing 🎉
The designer of the XR4i admitted taking the side profile design from the Porsche 928 when drawing the car. If you squint when looking at the side you can see this inspiration.
The rear spoiler does nothing for down force but it does actually reduce drag enabling a reasonable top speed relative to the power output.
I had one of these in the early nineties and it was a lovely car, ultimately not dynamic enough for me at the time so I ended up swapping it for a S2 RS Turbo.
The car you feature has the Cosworth grille, sometimes these can look a little odd without the cosworth bumper. The original sierra design was quite radical for the time as it had no grille intake unlike other cars of its era, that also helped lend itself to the moniker of the jelly mould car.
Friend of mine had one with a KAT kit and was super charged. Real flying machine
Always liked the XR4i
I had an RS500 when I was 19 - Yes 19.
Only kept it for 14 months as I couldn’t afford the insurance.
I actually drove around for the last 3 months with no insurance 🙈
Traded it in at Gates of Woodford for a brand new Fiesta RS Turbo.
Absolutely mind blowing that that car is *40 years old.* It hardly looks dated at all. It still looks so so modern and very contemporary looking. 40 years before 1984 would be 1944. World War Two is still in full swing. Adolf Hitler is the leader in Germany. The Holocaust. People were flying around in Spitfires, Lancaster bombers and listening to Glen Miller on the wireless. No one had TVs in their homes. No one swore or took elicit drugs. A car from this era would look much more *"dated"* in 1984 with chrome door handles, bumpers, grills and lights. Mudguards in the outside, running boards and front doors opening the "wrong way" round. That's just sheer crazy!
Had one, loved it. It rotted away under all that plastic panelling and the gearstick snapped off on the motorway once. Get rid of the exhaust and put a nice big love trumpet in its place and it comes alive.
Never confusing...... simply a wonderful car with plenty of poke.😊😊😊😊😊
I had two of these, they were thirsty and the gearboxs kept breaking, thay also rust bad under the bodykit.
It was a cool car to have when I was 18 though.
I had 2 gear boxes in mine,I did tow horse boxes though,still the best car I owned.
Both these and the 2.8 xr4x4's were prone to gearbox issues. I got through 2 boxes in mine!
The good old days, man 💚
That seems to rev up slowly, Ive got a 2.9i XR4x4 and it definitely pulls quicker than that.
Yep I agree - I had a black xr4i back in 1992-1993 and it was a relatively quick car in the day - definitely quicker than an xr3i (considered a hot hatch back then) - anyway i loved it then and I still miss it
I had both, the 2.9 was much nicer to drive with more torque.
All the cologne’s were asthmatic imho , much preferred the easy torque of the Essex.
@@muckle8the 24v was ok!
Is that a standard colour? I remember them being a darker blue. Caspian blue?
Also the front grill cut out isn't standard either.
Back in the day, as a teenager i preferred the look of the XR4i over the Cossies. Those Ford 2.8's were never quick and didnt have much character. I think of the day, the PRV was the better V6 and gave 155bhp in 2.7i format. I had a Renault 30TX 2.7i and it was fairly rapid for the time.
I have an XR2i, 1992. Yeah thats far more my style. I like my hot hatches really but i appreciate anything old school
Though the Sierra looks great even today, I remember back when they came out they were called the jelly mould… it just looked rubbish when the others cars were Ford Capris, Opel Mantas, Audi Quattros… it just didn’t stir the blood… but the wings on it were amazing as was the one colour I seemed to see them in all the time Moonstone Blue.
Nice Video, great car! very entertaining and brings back memories of the 80's. Cheers.
I had an early 1983 y reg xr4i and it looked great in black. Also I think as standard they had a flat panel between the lights. The rectangular cut out like the one featured here for the grill was from the Cosworth I think. A lot of people (including myself) retrofitted this panel as it looks better and also helps with cooling. This car must've been a fairly basic spec as I remember mine had electric windows and power steering and it certainly pulled better than this one though mine had a fast road camshaft which may have made it rev more freely. It also benefitted from having later xr4×4 transmission which certainly helped handling. I loved it and wish I'd never sold it!
I think the Sierra XR4i is the car "The Professionals" would have driven if it had continued through 1984-85.
The colour does not seem like the original blue they came in?
I think there was a darker blue, also a lighter blue than the one in the video, i don’t remember seeing any in the shade of blue in the video either. Weird.
@@brutonstreettailor4570 yes that's my recollection too
it isnt mine was matalic blue but different shade to this
It should be lighter metallic blue I had an a reg one ,best car I ever owned.
My good friend had one years ago, good fun in the wet.
I knew a guy in the 90's who had a black XR4i, lowered on saph cossie wheels, that was a good looking car.
it didn't hit the mark because it wasn't a Cosworth.I have driven 911 s and testarossas of the time and the cossie blew them away....in a straight line!
2:20I used to not like the styling.. but now i like it... The same thing I can say about the band 'oasis..😊'
There's a head gasket leak , losing compression.
Love old fast ( not so fast ) fords , the xr4x4 was a lovely car
Great video. Just quicky , anyone remeber the little kill switches? They would be in the ashtray or under the dash or possibly in or under the glove box!
I had one, same colour but painted all blue with Cossie front bumper. Cossie running gear and wait for it.. a dirty great supercharger under the bonnet. Unfortunately though that K-Jet system on the 2.8 was too restrictive for it. The car made 200 bhp at the wheels so was great fun anyway.
I have 3 xr4i greatings from Sweden 😊
I never understood the xr4i . I think Ford must of had some 2.8 Capri engines they needed to shift. You could buy a escort rs turbo for similar price with similar performance, and a lot better fuel economy.
true,but the styling and shape is miles apart
I guess it wasn't sporty enough, especially when compared to the Alfa GTV6 - its main competitor.
The thing to remember is that power steering was not more of an everyday item on even the most mainstream cars until well into the 1990's! Back in the 80's if you had a licence, powersteering was not a consideration as it did not exist in the majority of cars.
Had Sierras as company cars in the 80s. Cavaliers were much preferred. As a junior, we got 1.6 cars. The 1.6 Sierra was a hateful car, dangerously underpowered. The 1.8 was ok. Had a DOHC 2.0GL Sierra as I became more senior. That was very acceptable. That car seemed to have synchro on all gears including reverse. Company car; so I tried shoving it in reverse at 40mph, flooring it, and letting the clutch out. Nothing exciting happened, car slowed, a burning smell, and a cloud of clutch smoke in the rear view mirror.
Cavs were so much better than the Jelly Molds
Back in the day, I think you were either a Ford person or Vauxhall person... Very rarely both😂
Imagine how bad the 1.3 sierra was!
Gutted I never owned a Sierra, had MK3,4 and 5 cortina then ended up with a Cavalier 😭
Then onto the Mondeo 👌
Great review, takes me back to my 2.0l Ghia
Had a few of these they was great very underrated. The grey striped seat was a bit crap and the never liked the 2 spoke steering wheel but overall the car was good drank like Oliver read ...also had a scimitar with that engine that was a a sleeper
That grille is not standard for an xr4i, they came out of the factory with a smooth painted panel upper grill, with the breathing going on below. I think that one has been lifted from a cossie. The sierra did have rather a lot of different front ends. I think they also had smoked tail lights, those are standard sierra tail lights.
Had a few of these including the 3.0s but swapped it for a astra gte 16v that car was in a different league when it came to speed.
That engine makes all the right noises! love it!!
Always wanted one nice cars 👌 I would buy one now if I could find a good one
That car may well have come from Calderford motors Wakefield, my late Dad & myself both had Ford's that came Brand new from there Dad had an A reg 2.0Ghia Sierra & I had an E reg E138GCP Mk4 Escort 1.6DGL. Before the Sierra my Dad bought brand new from Sandal motors Wakefield a 79 V reg Datsun Skyline 240KGT reg ACP340V.. CP is either Wakefield area or anywhere within 10 miles of Leeds.
You have to compare it with what was around at the time. I was never a fan personally. I did drive a 2.8i sapphire Gina, which drove superbly. But I could never afford one at the time. I was only 19. 😂
Jelly mould style is generous. It has all the aesthetic appeal of a slapped arse, to be honest.
Likes the Riken tires on it.
I had a second hand one of these in 1990. It went well but the brakes never inspired confidence and I found it terrifying in the wet.
they were ok I had a couple of them ,one was a white janspeed turbo from what I remember they just rattled a lot of plastic rattling noises especially around the rear wing ,I remember the janspeed had turbo lag then would take off it was like a boat I prefererd the 2,8 injection capri ,over that the 3.0s 60mph in second gear , it was a long long time ago
Thats a cossie grille on it.
Or diesel
RS500 grille
@AndyK.1 Diesel grill is blocked off on the rear 👍
@@Dirt-Diggler didn't the diesels just have the single headlights and grille of the lower range models? I don't remember a grille on the quad headlight, higher spec models apart from the Cosworth. I can't believe he didn't know that this wasn't the original grille.
A reluctance to rev over 4k is a feature of the Cologne V6 😂👍
For some crazy reason when Ford decided to sell the Sierra here, they didn't sell them as Fords, they didn't do like they did with the Capri and sell it as a Mercury. They created a new brand for the car, calling it the Merkur XR4TI. Just doing that probably cost millions. Then they still sold them at Lincoln/Mercury dealers anyway. The name was awkward. They only sold a few over about 4 years. They introduced one more Merkur sedan, a bit larger, built by Ford of Germany, the Scorpio, which sold even fewer numbers. Merkur quietly disappeared in 1989 and was quickly forgotten.
4i,s bad ass motor specially in black
Cologne V6's sound great
Ford's anwer to the 6000 SUX in Robocop. 😁
Seriously loved Sierra's when I was a nipper, but preferred the facelift headlights.
Robo cop came out in 1988, the XR4i is older than that.
I remember the Ford advert for this claiming it would cruise at twice the speed limit. This one looks as if it would struggle to get to 140mph.
My XR4i drove this summer 130 miles per hour. Easily. 😊
Just viewed the performance part, theres something wrong with that, it should pull cleanly to 70 in second, and pull hard from 4k rpm onwards.
Lovely cars but they weren't known for being very powerful!!!
Turbo technics did a twin turbo conversion kit for this 😁
My XR4 had electric windows. Either a previous owner added them or they were an optional extra.
Over the Atlantic it was called the merkur XR4I my parents Sierra a 2 litre ghia injection was the same colour
Regarding the red pinstripe it goes with the superman outfits we all used to wear of the time..😊
Or was that just me..😂
yanks and auzzy had the xr4ti, while south africa had a v8, along with the mercury capri xr2