The Sierra XR4i is a Forgotten Fast Ford
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2024
- At its launch in 1982, the radically styled Ford Sierra replaced the Taunus-Cortina, bringing shock and awe to the British buying public. In its early life, it appeared to be sales-challenged, yet it grew not only into a long-living and highly successful family saloon, but also a motorsport legend.
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Usual thorough research, superb scripting, professional delivery and imaginative filming. Another Ed motoring tour de force. Thank you. Rob
Great video keep up the good 👍 work
An early Saturday morning upload from Edd, brilliant way to start the weekend.
As a young 15 year old in Tasmania, buying a car magazine from the other side of the world called "Car" in 1982 with the XR4i on the cover, and the accompanying article and photos, was life changing. I still have that magazine today. This car design was incredibly radical and futuristic, it is easy to forget (today) how influential this Ford was. Part of the reason I own a modest fast Ford today, a mark III Focus ST, and enjoy it's design and performance.
Outstanding! Thank you.
My Dad's workmate had an XR4i, and Dad had a white XR4x4i. When he first got it, I remember him saying, as we approached a roundabout at pace, that his friend had told him "you don't have to slow down for roundabouts in a four by four".
After a quick left/right/left of the wheel, to the cries of my mother and sister, and my gleeful laughter as we flew about the cabin, he declared, "he's right! You don't!".
Happy memories 😂
As a dedicated performance Ford fan since the early seventies that still continues to this day my wife and I had all of the Sierra models( except Cosworth) over the years including the estate versions and 4x4 models. Absolutely loved them. Great cars! Thanks Ed, brilliant episode as usual!
Like wise here Phil, got a new XR 4x4 1986 & loved it, proper workhorse & very underpowered for that chassis, even tho it went well.uses to travel from Sheffield to Cornwall effortlessly , fully loaded 3 kids in the back. Loved it. Sold it when we went to Aussie, only to find the Price of Normal Sierras in Melbourne absolutely crazy, if Id have took my 4x4 it would have fetched a mint, as ythe car was Mint, Moonstone blue & very well looked after. Those were the Ford days !!
Great video, with very good presentation and you’ve done your research 👍
In this spec it looks fabulous ! Great review - cheers from Brisbane
Great review!
Still looks modern in 2024.
Still a good looking car. Remember when the Sierra hit the market.
The Sierra seems to be all over UA-cam suddenly. I think what makes it special is the shape and that it was one of the last non-premium RWD cars. You don't see as much affection for the later Mondeo, and certainly not the Telstar :)
Growing up in South Africa, we had the XR6, XR8 and the Perana 3.4. While the XR6 is similar to the XR4 ( just with the Essex V6 instead of the Cologne ) , it did have a fairly sporty suspension which it seems the XR4 didn't, and also a large part of Sierra sales in SA were the V6 versions ( you could also get non-XR6 versions like the 3.0 GLX , 3.0 Ghia and even a cut price 3.0 LX which had the V6 but a basic spec ).
When I was in college in Durban in the late 90s , one of my mates got his first car a used 80s XR6 , and we had fun thrashing that thing the one day ( when we should have been in lectures )
My cousin had an identical one of those, same colour, reg no A70ERA back some 34 years ago, I remember being green with envy as an 18 year old back then when I went in it for the first time - it was a pretty futuristic car back in those days - a massive step on from the Cortina - which I had a MK5 version of at the time. He had subsequent XR4i models in later years, I think he had 3 in total, a silver one, black one and a white one he loved them so much. I always used to take the mick out of him all the time about the orange petrol light being on - those things were serious gas guzzlers when driven with a heavy right foot - he'd always go up the garage and put a fiver in and a few miles later the petrol light would be back on again lol. It is frankly unbelievabke that this model is now over 40 years old - it still looks pretty modern even now, but then, the Sierra was ahead of its time when launched - so radically futuristic and aerodynamic compared to the Cortina, so it did take a long time to become dated. Lovely cars the XR4i - wish I could have owned one myself, but could never have afforded the insurance and less than 20mpg fuel economy. The one thing I really loved was that central display area with the green lit up diagram of the car with the little red warning lights all over it, and the bank of orange warning lights along the top , that only the top spec Sierras got - the poverty spec models only had a digital clock in that area and no warning lights for low fuel, washer fluid, coolant level etc. The later Granada Mk3 got the same graphic info display when launched in 1985.
Its really pretty ironic that the XR4i, a car only launched in 1983 was outlived by the dated Ford Capri 2.8, but the replacement - the 5 door XR4x4 was simply not in the same league as the XR4i
My grandad had the very rare original base model that had a unpainted grey ‘grill’ and light surround with smaller lights
Very rare car nowadays. Base Sierras always cause a stir when found at car shows.
A wonderful reminder of my first car, sadly not a V6 or an XR4i, but a light blue 1982 1.6 Ghia (DKP212Y), sadly stolen in 1996 never to be seen again.
Someone nicked that?
Thank you for the mini doco, These are one of the cars that was always too rusted by age to crowd any road; but I've seen them everywhere I've lived. (East Midlands>Bay Are California>Regional Australia).
I could never forget the XR4i
A very early Sierra Ghia was a very smart looking car, I remember seeing one years ago with air conditioning, heated seats, and 4 electric windows finished metallic gold.
Never forgotten...had a red one back a long time ago.... superb car.
By people old enough to have been around, you couldn’t have missed them. But to the majority of people, who aren’t old enough to remember, the XR4i barely registers, lacking any meaningful pedigree or memorable features.
I loved my old sierra 1600 ghia,same colour as this,very comfy and lovely to drive 👍🏼
I always thought of Sierra as a big car, but seeing them now, next to modern cars, they're just not. Great video, thanks.
Great video, well researched thoughtful opinions. My friend had the later xr4x4 which looked more bland but he would drive it like a rally car, mind he was young boy racer.
In 1988 my father bought a new 1.8 LX facelift in saphire blue, having traded in a 1985 XR2 for it. I still remember the new car smell!
oh! i had a white xr4x4i 15 years ago, it is an understatement that i regret selling it.
The early jelly mould was improved upon and later styling tweaks made it a lot better. I had a number of 4 doors including the later Sapphire and they were competent cars. The Saab 900 Turbo of the day was light years ahead.
Second coolest police car after the SD1. The cars they use today I would want a blanket over my head before getting in the back, even if I hadn't been arrested.
I'm not a massive follower of police cars, but for me, it's between a V8 Rover P6 and the understated brilliance of a late MkII or MkIII Mini Cooper S.
Shame Ford didn’t gamble on an XR4i when the Sierra was face lifted in '87. I guess the more restrained 4x4 and GLS kind of ticked that box. The Cozzy was a different ball game altogether. Thoroughly entertaining review thank you.
Great video!
I had a mk1 Sierra for a year (second hand, 12 years old……7 previous owners) it was great, agile and nippy enough for me.
The boot was enormous and the driving position was quite low down which for me made it sporty to drive. My abiding memory of that car was the rear heated window didn’t work, but the blowers on the dash were so good, mounted right in the centre, if you put them on full power the warm air would shoot through to the rear of the cabin and de-mist the back window in about 2 minutes.
Sadly the vehicle was written off in a tragic minibus/junction incident.
I drove a Sierra break diesel for a while years ago. It could power slide like nobody's business, it didn't need an XR badge to have fun 😆
Not to forget they sold this car in the USA as the Merkur XR4i. V6 was replaced with a turbo version of the 2.3l pinto.
I was wondering if anyone would mention those-I really hoped those would have done better over here. Ford really dropped the ball with how they sold those here, they were fantastic cars
@@dannork1240
It was the XR4 ti in the US.
Not a pinto engine but very similar, Lima engine 👍
@@lewis72 a neighbor of mine had a white one when I was a teen. I thought it was just about the coolest car ever
Of course. I have a video written about the Cosworth where the Merkur becomes noteworthy, but it's really not a topic for a general Sierra video, as we'd be here all day if I talked about everything!
What a great example that is, I remember my dad getting a 1.8 lx from a ford dealer in barnard castle D reg, after his cortina estate this was plush. He was happy with it. But until he got his 1990 sierra sapphire 2.0 DOHC he was in love. That was a quick car for it's size in the day imo . The sierra looks tiny today. Another well informed vlog! You always have the audiences attention Edd.
What turned me off the Sierra was driving one. You looked at the body and expected something special when you fired it up. When you did, it was very dull. They soon felt loose and floppy after a couple of years too. Good stuff Ed. You pretty much nailed it.
Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth was the most beautiful car Ford built.
I personally prefer some of their '60s and '70s cars, but out of the Sierras I thoroughly agree.
Bought mine in 1987 A734 LLK. It was an ex-Ford demonstrator in white. By that I mean white alloys, 100% white bodywork, white lights (thin plastic strips on lens) and white sunroof. It also had heated seats and headlamp washers. The dogs doodahs at the time! Sold it and bought a new Renault 19 because my wife was pregnant. In 91 I got a Sapphire Cosworth G848 DKB..... #goodolddays
If Ed or anyone else is interested for extra detail, the Orion publicity shot at 15.00 is outside The Swan Hotel, Bibury. Who knows but maybe because the hotel was much loved by Americans? I remember it happening.
Better still, a mile or two away from the Classic Motor Hub.
Thank you for this video. Worth the wait. Good that you acknowledge an important and successful Ford model that is often written off as a half-baked RS500 or a failed attempt at making Americans like UK cars.
The Mk3 Cortina is one of those cars where I noticed on the 4 doors that the rear door handles are so much higher than the fronts. I now can't un-see that.
Lovely lovely motor
This version of the Sierra was sold here in the United States as the Merkur XR4Ti. The North American versions were built by Karmann, and used a 2.3L Turbocharged I4 that was built in Brazil
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car.
It was the fuel costs that put people off, 11-18 mpg in normal driving, you could push 24 on a long run.
The Manta GTE wasnt much slower and could average 30 normal driving and 38 on a run.
Petrol escalated in cost 1985 sharply and big engine cars suffered in second hand value .
I bought am metallic Blue B Reg xr4i in 1987 and once the novelty wore off sold it as it cost a fortune to run to get to work every day .
We had this in the States as a Ford Merkur XR4Ti. Used to see a few around.
The XR4Ti was considerably different, and built by Karmann.
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car.
Awesome to have this back I love it Ed sierra was fantastic I did drive a cosworth once now I drive a rare Astra gtc ltd edition 2017 it's great
21:00 Interesting views! As a touring car fan, I love the flat nose, split window Sierra XR4Ti coupe (or it's Merkur XR4Ti US version) and later slightly more conventional Sierra RS Cosworth coupe far above and beyond the more conventional looking sedan. I don't think I've ever seen a Sierra sedan here in Australia, whereas there are some RS500 race cars and private import RS500 road cars here and there.
I had a mk2 Cavalier diesel Estate as my work vehicle in the late 80's
The 4i was no hot hatch, it was the sound of the V6 which made up for the actual lack of "Hot". There were many things said about plans back then, it was supposed to become the Cosworth but due to luke warm reception of the 6 light shell firced a rethink, the Cossworth was always planned to use the shell it did and so forth.
I had a janspeed version, it had the standard rear wing but the font end had been given the Cossie touch. I liked it, a mix of both amd bloody hell get to 3200 and hold on cause things would get wild. Sadly the stupid insrance price rise due to the booming "Joy rider" scene, these cars brought about, meant I had to sell, still was a great fun car though 😁.
A proper research pice as usual, gregat vid Ed 👍
Where's our line that indicates whether a car is hot or not though? Ford's XR line was their performance line in the '80s, so this, by Ford's own definition, has to be viewed as a hot hatch. And because of the sheer capacity of the V6, an XR4i is faster than many bonafide hot hatches of the period.
@@TwinCam Ain't going to argue your logic, it was bagged and XR, so should fall into the category but that 2.8 ain't nothing special as for pace, it's got pulling power and is a great towing car however in reality the 4i was more than a GT car, and at that it was good. You could just sit back, waft and enjoy the sound of that V6. The 2.8 Capri was the same, nothing special as for pace, sound yes but the 80's saw Vauxhall bring a 150hp 2.0ltr to the table and there starts another chapter. This is the type of thing where you go into a pub with you at doors opening for a quick pint/chat and would be kicked out at closing wondering which way is home 😁 👍
Totally agree on it being a tourer rather than blaster. It doesn’t have that attitude many of us associate with hot hatches.
I had a 1990 Sierra. A GL 1.8.
Loved this review Ed.
I found my Sierra to be practical but dull. Everything about it was ok but nothing was good when it came to driver interaction.
My Dad brought me home from hospital as a newborn in an Escort GT, then quickly got a Mk3 Cortina for the rear doors. A succession of Mk 4's as company cars followed, then Sierra arrived and our last 'tina was replaced with a Cavalier 1.8i CD. Dad has never had another Ford. When I got my first company car as a rep in the mid 1990's it was Mark 3 Cavalier and it was the release of the horrible Vectra finally took me back the blue oval with a Mondeo. Strange symmetry.
I drove a Sierra fully loaded, all the way from south east England to Germany and back in the nineties. With a broken anti-roll bar. 😲
This looks exactly like the XR4Ti I owned back in the day, in Canada....
The XR4Ti was actually considerably different, and built by Karmann.
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car.
@@TwinCam the point of Merkur was to compete with German Q-cars. Ford mistakenly even gave Scorpio buyers a guaranteed future value equal to that of a 190E.
Lutz always said that if Ford decided to market the car via LM dealers as opposed to multi-European franchises, the brand would fail.
@AutoAtlantica On paper, absolutely. But I’ve always had a suspicion that Ford knew Merkur was bound for failure before they got anywhere near American roads.
@@TwinCam no that’s actually the case as interviews with Lutz have always demonstrated. Ford’s abysmal marketing led to Merkur’s downfall. Selling a $30K Scorpio alongside a larger $15K Sable at a dealership where most customers didn’t care where the driveshaft was invariably would result in failure.
I think that the XR4i was most impressive marrying the Cologne V6 with the Sierra aerodynamics. It dispelled the myth about internal competition. There was room for it alongside the Capri Injection and Ford probably would not have attempted the RS Co'sworth without doing the XR4i first. The XR4x4 was another interesting spin off.
XR4i's were quite unstable on the road , due to the power under the hood, the back end could tend to do what it wanted , then the 4X4 came along , I had a new one & it was great. 1986 in Moonstone blue, massive improvement for the sierras
A nice car, I've always loved the XR4x4. Haven't seen one on the road since I saw one in NZ in 2001. I know where there is a derelict one in red in mid Wales. It makes me cry 😢.
I wish they did an XR4x4 estate, but the Ghia equivalent would be very similar so I can see why they didn't.
There were fuel pumps that also operated vacuum pumps for the windscreen wipers.
They sold this car in America as Merkur XR4 TI,pretty cool and affordable and rather interesting for a four banger
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car.
@@TwinCam Yeah,it was the Lima engine with a turbo
I had a 1990 Sierra Ghia which was lovely to drive at the time. *The 3-door design just didn't work for me. The Sapphire version was my favourite looking back, but by then it was all over for the Sierra. I preferred the Escort Cosworth.
Ford had the same issue with radical design changes when the Focus was released. It took a while for customers to realise it was superior to the Escort it replaced.
Well, to be honest Probe III front end is more attractive than what early Sierra got.
The Sierra was never sold in Australia. Instead, Ford Australia sold the Mazda sourced Telstar sedan, and TX-5 five door hatchback. They were all powered by a two litre four cylinder engine, and were basically mildly restyled Mazda 626 models. They were front wheel drive, unlike the Sierra. They sold alongside the Mazda 626, which was viewed as the better choice. No "jelly mould", but still available as a hatchback.
You guys missed out - we had the XR8 here in South Africa.
@@Rouxenator I bet that went like stink!
I have to say I didn't know that. I knew they made it to NZ, so I rather assumed they made it to Australia too.
American market Merkur XR4Ti should have been included in your research. Turbocharged Pinto engine has far more potential today, with mods, and it was a British AND European Touring Car champion.
And I disagree about the significance of the 105E Anglia - the Zephyr Mks1, 2 and 100E Anglia had already modernised the image of Ford of Britain.
The Merkur isn't at all noteworthy in this purview. Now I have a script written for a video on an RS500, and in that setting the Merkur does become very relevant indeed, but a discussion about the Merkur in any real depth would require a video only about the Merkur. If I were to mention everything Sierra-related in this video, we'd be here all day, talking about cars like the eight-cylinder Sierras sold in South Africa.
I had one of these in the mid 90s with a moderate engine trim about 200hp. It was a very fun ride. Sad that the standard sierras was very underpowered and therefore boring.
Interesting video. Except the "Forgotten" Fast Ford part. Here in the Continent (its actual home market), every car enthusiast knows about these, and back when this was introduced, the top level 3 series was the 323i, which had guess what... 150hp. And the Cosworth was also more than a match to the M3 E30 and the 190 2.3-16 from Munich and Stuttgart. The ones that are still around (which are mostly in Germany) are priced accordingly. Just saying.😉
Anyone around at the time and certainly those into cars couldn't miss the XR4i. But anyone who came around later, which is the majority of people now, will barely have heard about the XR4i. It sits in the shadow of the Cosworth which, of course, everyone does know, and has seemingly no pedigree with which to grab people's attention. Ask anyone my age who's not a total car tragic like me, and they probably don't know an XR4i ever existed. An XR2 might just about register, but they're nothing compared to the lasting image of the Lotus Cortinas and the Sierra Cosworths.
Brilliant film thank you(:
I remember when the Sierra was launched i worked art an Austin Rover dealer at the time, and i remember the publics reaction at the time and it was a bit Marmite. Though underneath as you say they were similar to what had come before. I wounder if they had named the car "Cortina" would people have excepted it more readerly ?
The next year we had our Maestro launched and it looked less radical than the Sierra and it was the only thing we had at the time to compete with the Ford . Some rumors at the time went around saying that if the Sierra hah a slight rear end shunt it rippled the floor causing very serious damage and a possible right off ?? Don't know if there was any truth in this ??
I remember hearing somewhere that when they first took the Sierra and wanted to put a towbar on, the furthest-aft point solid enough to attach it to was just behind the engine.
@@sd3457 (:
In all honesty, I'd be surprised if it didn't ripple, as that's what all modern cars are designed to do, to crumple and absorb an impact, protecting the occupants.
Any car without a live rear axle needs more complex tow bar mounting.
Only thing missing is the sound of the engine pulling through the gears
As I said, if I could, I would.
I had a silver, a blue & two white ones when they were worth hundreds at the time. Regret selling the last one which had a tuned motor. Mad ford prices now or I'd be after another one.
I wanted one of these until I drove on, the engine design was well passed its sell-by date and wheezed like an old horse, the pinto was a better lump!
They tried to offer these in the US but the way they positioned them doomed them to failure. Merkur XR4Ti. Not a Ford not a Mercury, not a Lincoln! Nobody knew what it was. If they had been honest and said, “here is Ford Sierra from Engand” it might have had a chance but it would have pushed out cars that Ford US was already trying to position. I can say its styling informed the styling of many newer models.
Looks better with the original orange indicators.
We love gingercators.
@@TwinCam Love it! Yes we do! Nothing worse than an early W124 Mercedes with white ones when it originally had gingercators…
I didnt realise the Sierra had independent rear suspension
Very much does!
To be honest, I think the RS500 would have fallen flat on its face in competition had it not featured an independent rear end.
I've always thought these would be a great restomod.... Give it the later front and rear light treatment,, later bumpers, and, of course, a Cossie lump
IT's an odd body shape, the only other I'd compare it to is the early 2 door Rover R8 GTi
Is that related to the Merkur XR4i?
Yes it is, the Merkur has a 2.3 litre turbo “Lima” engine though instead of the 2.8 Cologne V6 on the European version
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car.
I like the unmade mk iv
PROBE RS.
The U.K. was the only European market where the Sierra was slow to take off.
Yes. I mention this after my brief mention of how people were also slow to cotton on to the Mini.
@@TwinCam the evolution of Project Toni was fascinating, Lutz being the primary reason why it retained rear-drive.
In the states we had an escort xr4ti
I think you might be confusing that with the Merkur XR4ti. Not an Escort, but an Americanised Sierra.
I think it looks unbalanced with the double spoilers in the rear, without a defined front spoiler, and I can only ever picture them in gray. Bright red would be much better! Perhaps a version with just a small lip spoiler on the boot lid
Yeah, they tried selling this in the USA as the Merkur XR4ti but it flopped big time.
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car.
The rear wheels just don't fill the wheelwells properly like the fronts do.
Why did you call this the twin cam I was expecting the i4 engine
?
At no point within this video did I indicate that this car had a twin cam engine.
I remember being entranced by the radical smooth styling of the Sierra when I first saw it in a showroom on Hardman St. in Liverpool in the 1980s - look, no grille! - that you prefer the reconservatived refurbishment is indicative of why we cannot pull off projects in the UK, like HS2 yet in France where they built for example the Citroen DS or the BX, they have TGVs and the Millau Viaduct. But said bridge is designed by a Mancunian. We're held back by British lack of taste or adventure.
I really don't understand where you're getting this analysis from, and it's proof you know little about my taste in cars. The Sierra, I believe, is rather ugly. And while discussing the styling, I proclaimed my love for Citroens from the 1970s. If those Citroens are now considered conservative, then we need a serious reality check.
@@TwinCam Well I intended my remarks as light hearted and I didn't want to get into a scrap or ought, so I know I was hyperbolic. But in my opinion we have a very serious problem with design and the acceptance of novelty; call it newness - in Britain and it is holding us back terribly. I know you love some futurism, I saw your loving review of the Espada ..... but the trouble with some car enthusiasts is that they love CAR DESIGN modernism but live in houses that are essentially nostalgic, and with most of the country seemingly brainwashed into aspiring to live in fake villagey looking houses, that is one of the reasons advances in engineering & infrastructure are so held up here. You're probably a bit young to have established yourself in a big house (and I'm not being patronising), but look for instance at Harry Metcalf's choice of car, and then look at his choice of abode. One utterly modern, one really really old-fashioned. We could never build a superb spectacular bridge like the Millau Viaduct in the heart of England because people who live in brick/fake half-timbered houses would throw stones at the public enquiry. Its a problem ..... have you ever visited a modernist house designed in the same design spirit as a modernist car? .... they are thin on the ground because the GB population is programmed to detest modernism like they are programmed to detest raw fish .... but till you have experienced thoughtful modernist architecture, you don't know what you are missing - easily the best surroundings to live in. (if this is too personal and L. O. N. G. I shall remove it after you have had a look). So basically the British system is preventing the best quality architecture and engineering from actually being built ....... and as far as I remember and judging by your review, Ford started with an exciting design for the Sierra but were forced commercially to backtrack till they had a dull unthinking grilled version - perhaps for a dull unthinking clientele ??????
Too bad there is little video of the rear of the car. A big oversight.
There’s loads! I haven’t a clue what you’re on about 😂
I have two of the Merkur XR4Ti models here in the USA and I vehemently disagree with the comments that this is not a driver's car.
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car. You'll have noticed that I mentioned the Cosworth's chassis modifications, and how they must have made a huge difference. As a result, a European XR4i is barely comparable to an American XR4ti.
Drove a 1988 Sierra 2.0 auto 5 doors hatch in the late 90’s.
Sadly it got a crushed while commuting by a sleepy crane driver and it became a total write off……🙄
Ford Europe has had a strange design culture. About every other generation or facelift is a fantastic wow-design, and every other is dulled down being afraid to be too cool for boring people. Some Fords look like they forgot to design it altogether, like the last Fiesta and last Ka.
Ah, I like the last Fiesta very much!
A girl I met in HS dad had an xr4ti. I thought it was pretty cool. The only thing I really didn't like is that gawd awful steering wheel. It just does not fit the interior at all. I myself think that's a bit nit picky but it's just so sore thumby to me
Love that V6! I still see (and hear) a XR6 on the daily school run - pity you Brits never got the XR8 - I always find the RS500 amusing because it's just a 4-cylinder, meanwhile the XR8 had a real 5.0
The XR8 had similar power as the Cossie though, and the Cossie looked sportier, being a 2 door and having the whale tail.
I dunno whether Ford of South Africa raced the XR8, but the Cossies were putting out over 500hp in race trim and won something silly like 80% of the races they were entered in in all sorts of touring car series around the world. They were monstrously successful in race trim, and did pretty well in terms of sales.
It would have been great to have a V8 Sierra in the UK, but of course, the RS500 would have been a total flop had it been V8 powered, what with compromised handling thanks to the excessive weight, and its performance would have been deeply unsuitable for late '80s touring car racing. In fact, the only successful V8-powered European touring car of the period was the Rover SD1, but for the aforementioned reasons, it became less and less competitive before being withdrawn from competition at the end of 1986.
Ha, yes the Ford Probe, wonder why it didn't sell well ?
Fuzz used them, esp the 4x4 version as a pre cossie. The Sierra base models were terrible to drive, stodgy, lumpy slow weak 1.8 engine. Slow steering and soft yet crash ride.
This looks like a US model Merkur XR4 Ti, not a Sierra. Just saying.
It’s the same car, Merkur for the US, Sierra in Europe. The Merkur was made on the same production line
The Merkur is, of course, Sierra-based, but it's an interesting blend of European XR4i and eventual RS Cosworth. You could say that Ford were using the non-critical US market as a test bed for the chassis modifications that later made it into the touring car.
Sierra? Thats a truck by GMC
Jk jk.
I always found it amusing how people from Europe especially the UK view older Fords with so much fondness.
Here in the states other than the F-150 and Mustang I cant really pick a product they had that has kept a decent reputation. Even those cars have quality issues.
Maybe the Thunderbird or Crown Victoria?
But yeah most of their products especially smaller cars left a lot to be desired. I see people from Europe especially rave online about the Focus and Fiesta. They were pretty bad cars over here and quickly earned a poor reputation in the 2010s.
Just the name Ford is...ehhhhh you're better off going elsewhere. And their decling market share shows it.
Edit: Those old Ford sedans/coupes from the 60s look a lot like crossovers today. So tall and they have ground clearance a modern sedan couldn't dream of having.
The US seems to have a very difficult relationship with Ford, and Europe is growing into a different, but similarly difficult relationship. However, back when Ford of Europe was essentially independent, before mass-proliferation of world cars, they hit the market perfectly, taking simple components and tuning them to perfection, while giving us rakish and stylish family cars that the average European family just wasn't used to. From the early 1960s to the late 1970s, Ford's everyday passenger cars made customers feel special in a way many other manufacturers failed to.
As for the more modern stuff, the Focus and Fiesta were always incredibly well-reviewed in Europe. However, the US is a different kettle of fish. People use their cars and care for their cars in a very different fashion, and they expect different things from everyday cars. If, for example, Ford, GM, and Chrysler tried to start selling US-style trucks and SUVs in Europe, they'd just be scorned at and laughed off the continent.
@TwinCam My buddy had the last gen Fiesta we had here in the US.
It was only a few years old yet just falling apart. Like the trim and interior. I've seen other Fords from the era do the same. Most notably a 2014 Mustang and a F-150. Door cards jist disintegrating. That Mustangs transmission went out at 40k miles.
I will truly never understand how on earth the Focus and Fiesta earned a solid reputation over there. It's the Corolla and Civic that are the darlings of the market. All the subcompacts here were very poorly made and obviously not deisgned with effort for the US market. So that's a reason for the Fiestas low sales. Even big time American brand lovers will always tell you never buy small American cars beacuse they can't build them.
Ford has been in a rapid decline here in the states and even the world for a while. They have retreated from several markets.
I know several people personally who had things like a Ford Escape or Fusion/Mondeo as their first car and just say how bad it was and went to the Japanese brands. Anecdotal, I know. This is all my experience and the vibes I get.
But it's undeniable they are going down hill.
The 2 litre Pinto engine was capable of putting out 200 hp without turbocharging.
all fwd cars had a front wheel torque streer and beoje front emds
I don't know what you mean by 'beoje', but as for torque steer, that's not quite true. Torque steer is primarily caused by unequal length drive shafts, hence why Hondas torque steer in a different direction to most other cars. Many front drive cars of this era, including gearbox-in-sump Minis, Metros, and everything else BL, longitudinal-engined Renaults and Saabs, do not torque steer at all.
The Audi 100 was the much better, more refined option. The 200 quattro just an animal.
I feel the 100 was rather in a different class to the Sierra. The Audi 80 was closer in specification and price, if still more expensive.
25 minutes in and still talking generically about why the sierra happened. I thought the video was about tye XR4i a car my father had to replace a cortina 1.6L and a car @ 18 and with a fresh license i was surprisingly insured to drive.
There’s a lot to Project Toni to discuss.
If you're after brain-dead swooning and going 'woah' while driving irresponsibly, then Twin-Cam isn't for you. Twin-Cam is about historical retrospectives and understanding where these cars sit within motoring and social history.
Waist of time. There is plenty of vids about the history of Sierra. And here they even didn't let him drive LOL
That’s ‘waste’ if you took the time to learn your spelling, or even listen to the video.
@@TwinCam well... world is much bigger than your trashy island. English is not my first language. I can have a convo in two more. And get my way around two more languages. Excuse my spelling. Now, you're a boring historian rather than a bloke with pair off balls whos into cars. Now kiss my lucky ball.
There were fuel pumps that also operated vacuum pumps for the windscreen wipers.