Incredible 80s style! Ford Sierra XR4i tested

[@T66ORA]

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.

[@HubNut]

Thanks for letting me have a drive, and for your stint with Kitch. Info overload!

[@clivet3252]

@@HubNut I was gonna say, an electric sunroof on a Ford? Ford and Vauxhall always made you wind the sunroof!

[@JohnnyPaton]

@@clivet3252I had an electric sunroof on a ‘94 1.6 LX Escort.

[@2760ade]

@@clivet3252 Yes, they liked to keep you fit didn't they!😂

[@clivet3252]

@@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.

[@TofersCarTales]

It's amazing how well the styling has held up. Gorgeous car, particularly in that color!

[@Oldsmobile69]

It was extremely advanced for the time, they basically copied the prototype.

[@T66ORA]

Nimbus Grey

[@paultasker7788]

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.

[@Рашка-у8й]

​​@@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.

[@Oldsmobile69]

@@Рашка-у8й The design was advanced, the tech wasn't.

[@kevincross9206]

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.

[@Tagora2664]

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!

[@mpersad]

Lucky you!

[@caltriton6904]

Same here. I was 9 though. All my friends were jealous.

[@Kim-Jong-Un-4]

My Dad had a black B reg. I was 12. All my friends were jealous too.

[@DeGlennen]

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.

[@clivet3252]

and of course the Cosworth got the standard 3-door glass.

[@popuptoaster]

Escort Cosworth clear indicators on the front finish these off perfectly.

[@stu-nl5hd]

Them lights on the screen for the brakes is a check light, once you press the brake they go out if there working. This brings back Lots of memories of my dad's ghia 2.0 auto. Thanks

[@wirdy1]

Also had a yellow or red snowflake on the roof for ice warning.

[@stu-nl5hd]

@wirdy1 yes below 5c yellow and below 3c red for Ice. 🙂

[@howardsportugal]

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.

[@treacadelic]

The car my dad had when I turned 17 and the one I used to drive to school in the 6th form. White, A619RDM. Glorious chunk of metal. I want one again!!!

[@baggierols73]

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 👍

[@pg-rd7ik]

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.

[@williamgreer4087]

Everything about this car is so cool. Two tone paint, red pinstripe, split rear window, double spoiler... just awesome.

[@mathewmullen288]

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😂

[@conesuela1]

They just looked so outrageous when they were launched. A twin spoiler! It was just crazy!

[@pqsaservices]

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.

[@steve17361]

Awesome review. Always been a fan of the Ford XR's. Owned 6/7 XR3/3i's in the past and 1 XR4i. I remember seeing a white one about locally and always wanted to own it. However, I ended up buying a black one many years later. But one day whilst out and about I saw the white one on the road side and it was for sale. I stopped and had a look round it and it was a real sorry state. Basically a scrapyard short of a crusher car. Anyway, I wanted a few bits for mine so made the guy and offer to take it away for him. We agreed on £140. I thought I had a bargain as the bits I wanted would of cost more from scrap yard and the rest I would sell on for profit. But the best bit was the interior. Full Cosworth leather. Front and rear plus an RS three spoke steering wheel. Needless to say they soon found their way into my car along with a genuine Cosworth dash and upgraded suspension brakes and wheels. Not long followed a turbo conversion and stainless steel exhaust. Beautiful car and a real head turner. Would love to own another.

[@stevenhodgson834]

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!

[@snbala]

A classic Ford is like no other manufacturer, it has nostalgia Like nothing else to many people. No wonder they command a premium as they get older. This is a great example.

[@alexwade9921]

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.

[@alexwade9921]

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.

[@ADAMPETERS-eu7md]

Yes, I had a Y Reg Sierra 1.3L as my first car in 1992. The cross wind was indeed horrendous. I ended up rolling it after a year, landing upside down, thanks to rear wheel drive.

[@JonnyGearjammer]

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.

[@FourIntoOne]

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

[@davidbowie2046]

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.

[@jamiewilkinson9884]

Brings back memories, my dad had this car ,we loved it as kids and when we was dropped off at school or picked up my mates loved it ,even now my dad said he should of kept it ,I've shared this video with him ,thanks for this made me smile and I'm sure when my dad sees this, it's gonna make him smile too ,great video.

[@Farney-gy1qo]

Wow! 40 years old! I can't imagine our 2020 cars lasting that long.

[@jonm7272]

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 😂).

[@limpet7r63]

Most of these were terminally rotten by the mid 90s, to be fair.

[@AndyThom]

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

[@TheHitmann069]

My third car was a 'J' reg Sierra XR4x4. Did 138,000 miles in it. Fantastic, versatile car in its time. Thanks for sharing. ❤

[@vivianhughes9347]

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. 😊

[@tomf4547]

Frog island at the weekend 😉👌👌👌

[@stevenking2946]

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.

[@theheathster2]

My mum worked at a Ford dealers when the XR4i was launched. I never left the showroom, it was love!

[@davidhall7744]

This was my dream car as a 13 year old 😍 Still got my Ford ‘Cars’ brochure that I gleaned from the Motor Show in Glasgow that featured it 😉👍

[@markk9731]

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]

Have you done a text check on it's reg? You'll at least know if it was still on the road.

[@markk9731]

@@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.

[@Doug_Morgan]

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.

[@domself9611]

Oh wow!! What a fabulous video, I had an XR4i back in the day it was a fantastic car and I'm pleased to say it survives to this day. It was featured in Practical Classics magazine as one of its projects !!

[@GryphLane]

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.

[@mrjsv4935]

I too think this is the coolest Sierra version, unique styling in those rear side windows, and the rear spoiler. Childhood dreamcar for me too in the 80's, and was happy to get a white Matchbox Sierra XR4i toycar back in the 80's, which I still have it in pretty nice condition :)

[@StevensPaul]

LOADS of these still out and about over here in Arizona/New Mexico.

[@johnchapman3601]

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😂

[@quanchyplimp]

My dad put his Y reg Sierra in for a service back in 1984, the garage found problems with the car and loaned him a black XR4i demonstrator. I was 12 at this time, so yes, very impressed with the sound of the engine and the hifi system was pretty punchy too. I'm m now reminded of the Golf VR6 which is another beautiful purring sound when cruising and then an angry growling when power banding, a very addictive sound indeed and great fun to drive, especially with a full stage 3 stainless exhaust system, a lowering kit complete with Bilstein shocks/coils all round, b-e-a-utiful!!

[@bomasspot]

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.

[@Hvitserk67]

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.

[@clivet3252]

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.

[@ZIGZAG12345]

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!

[@TurboTimsWorld]

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.

[@jdtseventyfour]

Such a great car, thanks for sharing your drive and to the owner for allowing you to present such a rare example

[@jamesgovett3225]

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

[@Roger_Ramjet]

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.

[@llewsep]

Oh my word.. My dad had a '84 B plated 1.6 EMax.. 4 speed box.. Could watch the fuel gauge go down at 70 mph! lol! But had such a fantastic 4 speaker set up (Especially the little joystick control!) Such an easy car to drive, but lordy yes.. Much fun in the wet and snow! I'd happily have one, even today..

[@arkeys74]

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 😃

[@mattlineker645]

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

[@ronaldderooij1774]

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.

[@davidbrown2945]

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.

[@Whiters8]

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.

[@T66ORA]

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.

[@michaelhungate7506]

In America, we remember it as the Merkur XR4TI. It didn't do well here at all. I haven't seen one in 25 years.

[@robd1365]

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.

[@plym1969]

I can't believe it! The moment has finally arrived! Hubnut reviews a Sierra! As usual Ian does a brilliant job🙂Loved the intro ☺️

[@Braddock338]

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

[@Hythe01]

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.

[@alansorbie4038]

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.

[@chrisaskin6144]

I used to have a B reg XR4i in the same colour as this one in the late 80's. On motorways you could look at the petrol gauge and see the needle moving.

[@jamesharding3147]

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!

[@andrewentwistle515]

My favourite generation of Ford Sierra. I remember a family friend who had a base model 5 door Sierra in Beige

[@stewstube70]

Used to love these as a kid. Had a Tamiya model that I built of one in metallic blue. Was watching the road test and realised I recognised your route, I often travel on those roads on my way home from work!

[@islaws4589]

Yyyesss I loved these when they were new! There was a small Quicks Ford dealer near us that got one in & I remember seeing it in the showroom...I will have been 7! That 3 door shell with the extra pillar looked very special!

[@kennmpu1109]

you re really good with ford,these are the beautiful cars we used to admire as kids in the 80s

[@focusrssteve]

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!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Excellent review as always Ian, my late grandfather had a 3 door 1.6 L first actually car related memory for me. Guessing this is Mr Kitch's father in laws car.

[@UPnDOWN]

The very same.

[@DavidJones-dq7iu]

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

[@Pablo-sr2zx]

Who ever owns this has a gem of a car it looks very clean so no doubt its been well looked after

[@deserteagle7032]

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.

[@pizzalover3]

That's a beautiful sounding car. Thank you for the road test!

[@j-medsystems7142]

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.

[@Kai-Peter.Schellhase]

What a great car. Still remember being properly surprised by the rear spoiler as a young boy in the mid eighties.

[@mpersad]

I soooo wanted an XR4i! Terrific review.

[@Mighty_Metro]

One of my dream cars!! Thanks Ian 🙂

[@TheAlien1974]

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

[@zingo2664]

Absolutely love these cars, so special back in '83 and even more special now !!

[@Hound87]

That was a great video to watch, I really enjoyed that. What a great car that is… good work Mr. Hubnut! 👏👏

[@simonhodgetts6530]

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.

[@petedrake1]

I have an 1989 2.9 XR4X4. I absolute love it. Always loved the XR4i Great video

[@ZIGZAG12345]

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!

[@mick3387]

I just spat my tea out realising you’ve just driven past the end of my road on this review 😮 great vid.

[@gs425]

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.

[@peterriggall8409]

LUVVELLY. I think this design has probably improved with age. I particularly like the red piping stripe that bends into the grille and is repeated inside.

[@TheStwat]

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.

[@bentullett6068]

I was watching Police Stop 2 here on somebody's channel on KZbin 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.

[@freehold01]

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.

[@portnaluinge]

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.

[@jondrizzle4554]

My cousin had 2 of these a white y plate and a black A plate The black one was a rocket ship!! especially compared to the white one !!! Fantastic cars with plenty of 80s character very fond memories 😊

[@kennyg4744]

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.

[@stevebailey1322]

The GB sticker on the rear bumper looks like an original Ford one - I remember seeing magazine test cars with them on back in the day. Also, the gearknob looks to be a Cosworth one as well as the steering wheel. The original XR4i gearknobs were plastic but with the same black insert, with red writing for the numbers on the very first ones and white writing on slightly later ones. Likewise, the later ones lost a lot of the red interior trim lines.

[@T66ORA]

Well spotted Steve, there is a story about the red gear knobs, a tale for another day 😊

[@stevebailey1322]

They did a similar thing with the XR2i, that had the blue text on the gearknob, but only for a short while, then the mark 5 XR3i got a red text gearknob, you guessed it, only for a short while. All very curious! I think the leather steering wheel and gearknob are what the car really have come with when new rather than the standard plastic items, I mean if leather was good enough for the steering wheel and gearknob of the Capris at the time (even the 1.6 Laser) then it should have been on the poshest Sierras! Lovely car by the way!

[@T66ORA]

Red gear knobs were standard on early 83 MDL yr cars,these cars were critised for poor gear shift, so Ford offered a recall,of longer lever and all black knob and change of gear oil. A lot of owners took up the offer,which became standard from September 83, so that's why there are not a lot holy grail Red Gear knobs.

[@daniellee9015]

Absaloutly brilliant video ian❤👍 what a beautiful car yeah they don't make them like that any more brilliant

[@LenTexDIY]

We know them as Merkur XR4Ti in the states. I LOVED them when they came out here! They're gorgeous in my opinion.

[@shakedown1979]

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 ❤

[@FirstOnRaceDayCapri2904]

Really for 1983 when it came out it was an extremely futuristic design. The XR4i was originally intended to be the replacement for the Capri but in the end Ford decided to keep going with the Capri a little while longer.

[@44Bigs]

My parents had a Sierra Estate 1.6 in ‘L’ trim. It looks nothing like this care, except for the door handles on the inside. I always found them so futuristic!

[@germulqueen3002]

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...!! 👍🙂

[@gerardmccarthy2432]

I had the Sierra v6 3.0 Essex in SA. The racous sound and torque in 3rd gear with your foot into it was memorable.

[@jesusvillalobos6987]

Growing up in Venezuela These Sierras were popular cars. The XR4i and later the Sapphire were my childhood dream.

[@Lot76CARS]

Wow that brings back some memories, when I was smoking around in a 1.6L and then (wow) a 1.8GL the company car policy never got me close the these.. it was the one I wanted, followed by the XR4x4 when we had a period of lots of normal passenger cars with 4WD I.e. Cavalier, Citroen BX and Peugeot 405.

[@andrewmorton3177]

Lovely car! I’m almost certain the 2 red lights on the display go out once you’ve pressed the brake pedal for the first time & proof the brake lights after start up. My Dad had a couple of 2.9 Granada Scorpio’s in the late 80’s & early 90’s & that’s how the display worked on them. Always loved the Sierra ended up buying myself a 2.0i GT in the mid 90’s when I was only 21 (the insurance was a tad steep) but an XR4i was always a bucket list car for me. Excellent review as always.

[@TheDern]

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.

[@martinlaver007]

My Dad used to have a white XR4x4 (G reg). Man, I loved that thing. So cool at the time.

[@HA05GER]

Im guessing this is kitchs father in law's motor. As an avid ford fan i approve this video.