OLD TOP GEAR (1993), NEW FORD MONDEO, SIERRA, CORTINA & JEEPERS JAMBOREE, 1/3

The new Ford Mondeo (1993) is featured in this episode. First of all, Michele Newman shows some of the predecessors to the Mondeo, the Mk1 Cortina, the Mk2 Cortina (1600E version), Mk3 Cortina & finally the MK4/Mk5. Afterwards, Quentin Wilson features the Ford Sierra & explains the plus & minus points of owning one.

[@alexday5892]

I miss the days of Quentin. I always liked his style

[@shahinrezaii9732]

5:38 That hesitation of how hard should I close this damn door, and then the sound of a jar of coins shattering =)) Priceless footage! Edit: 5:50 these quality door locks, I laghed my ass off

[@TheWacoKid1963]

5:55 She's just pleased the seat folds down for a good ride :D

[@howardmckeown7187]

i had lots of those, lol

[@mazambeliqbal3487]

Lol 🤣

[@brianknowles1727]

they knew how to do it in those days feed him first

[@dreamopeth]

Lmao best comment ever.

[@mica412]

You took the words right out of my mouth. I just hope to God, the chips were hot enough!

[@Puddingtops]

Lol ! So true! 👍

[@diwiak]

take me some 2 seconds to get this "joke" 😮😮 true reality

[@andrewbeech2199]

Nice one Brian !

[@jeff4362]

Just checked the car details on GOV UK. Both the Mark 1 and 2 in this video are still taxed and on the road! The Mark 3 built 1972 has been untaxed since 2009. Mark 4 is also still on the road! The white Sierra is untaxed since 1999, the grey one untaxed since 2001. The white one at the garage is untaxed since 1999, the grey estate at the dealership untaxed since 2012, and the white one at the end untaxed since 2006.

[@E34Benzin]

That old commercial was really cool! :)

[@IrishWannabe]

Ford Sierra 👍 The Mondeo could never be as good as the Sierra was

[@Eaze107]

Both are good cars for different reasons. You can't really compare the two imo

[@hyperactive99999]

she only knows its a really smooth sophisticated ride

[@Cortinaman63]

I have owned a 1974 Mk.3.Cortina (over 44 years), now being restored to "Brand New" on my channel, it spent 12 years off the road stored in damp conditions and rust took hold everywhere, so needed a full shell rebuild, most said it was beyond saving, but after lots of new old stock panels, years of work, and thousands of pounds spent, the new 100% rust & filler free shell is now at the paint shop, if you like the Mk.3 you might find the work on mine interesting, as it is a very rare model, with fully traceable history right back to the factory production line, (one of Fords Press fleet promotional cars), and the only one that survives.

[@johnj3577]

Respect to you sir! Most of us don't have the time or patience to finish such a job. Hope it all works out, its great that people like you exist to look after our fondly remembered old motors.

[@rupogti]

That mondeo looked worn out even when it was new!!

[@tomrichardsfresh.1984]

Could of cleaned it😂

[@znoop72]

When the Sierra finally was a good car, they stopped making it. And made the horrible car that is Mondeo mk1-3 :S

[@Runeakb]

Danish police had many problems with its Mondeos. The brakes were underdimensioned and the headlights were too dimm.

[@znoop72]

@@Runeakb The Mondeo had brake rotors/discs that would rust to the hub. Changing them was a nightmare. The headlights turned yellow on the mk1. You could however replace the glass lens inside them.

[@danmar007]

:-)

[@peskachina]

I was expecting James May at the wheel of the Cortina ;)

[@chrisblay]

Wow, this really is from 1993. One of the clips shows a 1988 E reg Escort or Orion which reminds me of a car I used to own at the time. I was persuaded to drive a Sierra to Germany and back in 1993 fully loaded with 5 people and luggage. It was only upon returning that we found out the anti roll bar was broken. I wonder what Clarkson thinks when he looks at these old Top Gear’s and how they turned out in the end?

[@rowgli]

That poor lady at the start spent such a long time wrapping those chips... for Jeremy to instantly unwrap them.

[@avec4amadman1]

I thought it was Susan Boyle

[@syxepop]

Oh, and for our UK viewers, we in America did experience this 1st generation (today's on its' 3rd one on both sides of the Atlantic) Mondeo, it was made and sold here as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique. Their biggest complaints were the too short (for almost any size adult) seat bottom and the "sticker shock" (big price increase) over its' American immediate predecessors, the Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz.

[@otterhead44]

and the cortina too

[@IASEAGLE5]

And let's not forget the XR4Ti...

[@alanwayte432]

A nation of burger munchers so no surprise it was to small

[@bonkeydollocks1879]

Blooming heck Michelle Newman!

[@DurkoppFordertechnic]

The chap saying about one of his customers has a car with 150,000 miles, how things have changed. My Peugeot 407 had 300,000 miles when i replaced it. Engine was still in great shape.

[@groovygraham]

Having owned a Mk11 Mondeo for 10 years I can honestly say what a superb car it was to drive. Ultra reliable (1.8LX Petrol). I only parted with it as it had got to nearly 16 years old and it needed the front arm bushes doing (Again) and I had been offered a 2002 facelift focus at a very good price. Sadly worth very little in 2011 so it went for scrap. I paid £2900 for it in 2001 with 34k. Only cam belt and front arm bushes were the big bills.

[@jonathanbywater2063]

Cortina 1600E was a nice car

[@dickheaddude3524]

This is not a car review. This is history lesson.

[@PhaQ2]

Reading through comments it's nice to see my thoughts are echoed by many. It appears Ford across the pond was a decade behind the times until the mid 80's.

[@LAG09]

Says something about how unrefined cars were back in the day when even in the adverts you could hear the doors making a loud "CLONK" when you shut them.

[@TheJrg0198]

The mondeo dated quicker than the sierra also the sierra still looks good today

[@johndavies3969]

Lol Sierra looks good today. Ok then Biggles!!!

[@sahhull]

Sierra looking good? You need to give Specsavers a visit

[@marcustaylor670]

Agreed if you can find a good one. The first good looking Mondeo came out in 2015. I didn't think my MK2 Mondeo was as nice to drive as any of my Sierras but it did handle better.

[@johnn278]

@@johndavies3969 The Sierra does look good today, I saw one for sale at a garage recently amongst a bunch crappy modern eco bubbles, much nicer!

[@IrishWannabe]

Agreed!

[@robbiecrosbie4506]

I had 4 sierras 1 hatchback and 3 sapphires. Great cars. Never had any problems with any of them. Last one I had was a j reg a d I only sold it cos of the job I was doing and I was driving 25k a year. Sierra was a 1.8 and very thirsty. Still miss it though

[@flybobbie1449]

My work colleague in the early 1980's had Sierra as a company car, i drove it once. Massive under steer to the point of being scary. A mechanic told me they were't reliable cars, but cheap and easy to fix.

[@guitarfoundry]

I've never been a Ford lover..I've always found them boring and built to a price...However..I've owned a Mk1 Mondeo Diesel and years later a Mk something or other on a 54 plate..I bought them out of necessity because i needed a 'no brainer' car...Both of these were two of the best cars I've ever owned in terms of reliability and ease of ownership..They cost me a pittance to run and they never, ever let me down..EVER..the diesel had 259k on the clock when i sold it..it was really tatty when i sold it but it kept going..The second one still looked really clean.. I have a Ford Transit Connect Sport van as a second vehicle..Again, it is built to a budget, but i have to say, it is brilliant and so easy to own..That's the beauty of Ford..You can buy one and forget about it..I'll never be a 'fan' of the brand, but of the four i've owned, they've all been dirt cheap to run and proved to be very reliable.

[@nw8000]

I would be happy just watch all old Top Gear if they are this good

[@localdriver]

From the days when Top Gear was actually worth watching.

[@andrewhatton2774]

Loved the part were he shuts the passenger door on the MK3 cortina and it looks like the hinge pins have already dropped, oh them good old two doors shuts with sounds of a empty biscuit tin.

[@bmused55]

I feel old. I remember getting into a Mondeo the year they were first on sale and thinking "Nice car".

[@jesuspobre88]

Loved the advert for the Mk3. Smooth bastard. Knocked her bandy!!🤪

[@mjames2117]

I recall the Sierra 4x4 2.9 such a great car/engine..

[@KretinoSantino]

Sierra 2.3D, my dad bought it on aftermarket and he sold it when it had 650,000 km and engine was still in good shape, only exterior and interior did fade.

[@jacobrhodes7433]

That 'A' reg Sierra 2.3 Ghia with the pepper pot alloys is a working class mans dream.

[@marcustaylor670]

I bought the Ghia alloys off a fellow sierra owner for extra street cred on my 1.6L, with fat 195/14 tyres.

[@climbjay]

I remember the mondeo release being a big deal in my house as my dad was gonna be getting one as a company car... even brand new it looked like a 20 year old heap of shit 😂

[@DurkoppFordertechnic]

Most cars back then looked like heaps of shit, and within no time at all were rusty heaps of shit

[@marcustaylor670]

I loved the sierras but could never get into the Mondeos, the new 2015 on models are the first ones to get my attention. The Mondeos did solve the rust problem, I had an 8 year old 1.6 sierra with holes you could put you fist through on the rear arches and bits falling off the doors when you closed them. When I had an 8 year old Mondeo it didn't have a spot of rust on it.

[@stevetaylor5933]

But they drove well and went for ever! Unfortunately every one had a cracked bumper!

[@video99couk]

@@DurkoppFordertechnic Most cars yes. But my 1994 Toyota Celica still looks beautiful today, 24 years later. Some cars are just that bit better than the rest. Mudanos on the other hand... Sticky tape holding the bumpers together was almost a factory standard.

[@stevetaylor5933]

@@video99couk Toyota celica? That's your car of choice and you judge other cars?

[@dominichadley2712]

I love the Sierra Sapphire 😍

[@johns5493]

18yrs old and my 1st car was a 1600E. Loved it. Many followed MK3 2000E MK4 2000GL MK5 2000 GL Sierra 1800 LX auto Sierra 2000 Si 😀

[@jesuspobre88]

1st car was a 1600E. Bit special for your 1st. Kudos. When I was 19 I bought an Escort 16 Ghia mk2 thought I'd arrived! Good memories 👍

[@johns5493]

@@jesuspobre88 Indeed they were my Ford friend, indeed they were 👍

[@thebernism1]

But how fast does it go round our track?

[@KlingonGamerYT]

MY god the fast show sketch was spot on lol

[@bradscott1177]

That Sierra section went very heavy on the Peter Gabriel songs! 😂😂

[@wojciechgrodnicki6302]

The early Cortina looks like the first Ford Falcon. Those tail lights.

[@regularroy9542]

5:34 went for kiss, then realized it was Dad...

[@chilman6461]

Haha 😅

[@realitychecks2920]

“It’ll go along at 70mph all day” hahaha

[@notroll1279]

...If you REALLY floor it 😀

[@driffbro3380]

Somewhere in the middle of the video audio started to sound like my neighbor's watching the show.

[@pattiboychannel311]

That cortina is still on the road today,

[@spaghappy]

That tiny person in the chippy!!!

[@ugojoke6747]

Back in the day I had a mk1 Cortina GT, followed by a mk2 1600E , a mk 3 2000GT and finally a mk5 Crusader. These were all easy to live with but quick to rust and with fairly poor handling. The Sierra 2.0GLSI I had later was a much better car but it was the Mondeo that really stood out being a turning point for Ford Europe where they started producing great handling cars. Its easy to sneer nowadays at the dull looks of the early versions but later versions when fitted with one of the bigger engines were very capable cars.

[@mattylamb9194]

They were really rated when new, much like the Focuses were when they came out. Fords before the Mondeo wre ecrtiicised for being very lacklustre dynamically, (not terrible, but just very average). Mondeo changed the game when it came out

[@richardbrabbs8283]

I had a mk1 1.6 mondeo it was under powered and tired when got it with 78k on the clock there was a black hole in 4th gear and it used to cripple my right knee after long journeys but in 4 years it only let me down twice (battery and starter motor died) both avoidable and cheep to fix and for that i loved it and have many fond memories of it

[@richardbrabbs8283]

@Smokeango yeah the body and bumpers were spotless the only dent was were some pratt jumped on the bonnet one night

[@richardbrabbs8283]

@Smokeango no never had a Sierra but nearly bought one as my first car i test drove a couple but got a mk4 escort instead mainly for the insurance and better on fuel always liked the Sierra sapphire its the one I'd have given the choice

[@mattylamb9194]

@Smokeango That';s why Paul Radisich's bumpers flew off with great regulairity in the BTCC championship!

[@richardbrabbs8283]

@Smokeango i agree that car was a bit special the mexico especially given the choice of any escort it would be a mk4 RS turbo it was a car i wanted most back in the day

[@danbus180]

That reminds me to order a skip next weekend

[@DurkoppFordertechnic]

Anyone else hear the sound of the mk3 Cortina doors closing, sounded like metal dustbin lids.

[@bmw320i2]

I was thinking someone should have edited that sound - what a nail

[@Cortinaman63]

The Yellow GXL 2 door Ford used in the Advert was one of their per production cars, (note it has missing exterior trim, on petrol flap and gutter rails, with vinyl roof just hanging over the drip rail, so did not have the sound deadening pads fitted inside the door skins either!, thus the hollow sound) as they shut, funny how Ford made ads to show off their "NEW CARS" that were not in fully finished, as show here,and even damaged condition, as seen in another advert with the rear valance dented in!!!, I have owned a Mk.3. for over 43 years and the doors on mine sound a lot nicer when you shut them when Ford have fitted the sound absorbing pads!!! lol.

[@394pjo]

Clarkson's enunciation still had a slight pluminess to it back then. His market trader drawl hadnt quite been perfected at this stage and was still a 'work in progress'

[@shazamkablam1420]

'93 it's the year I was born. Oh I'm a fan of Top Gear⚙.

[@carmanbazza]

Got a mk 1 si mondy now, still a good reliable car, would like a mk 3 cortina!

[@PrinceBarin77]

I can see now where Chris Morris got his inspiration for The Day Today 😂

[@xbaldwin97]

If only they knew how rare and collectable these cars are

[@junior1138]

Had three Sierras. Great cars, if a bit rust prone in their twilight.

[@uGOTxbox360D]

I want to find a garage that will change my oil and filters for £14 these days. You'd be lucky if they would open the bonnet for that now!!

[@erebostd]

If you earn the same money as the people 60 years ago, you are clearly doing something wrong

[@darfvader1243]

No Cosworth Sierra?? And no wearing seatbelts in the cortina? Fun times!!

[@silverliteway]

A very young looking Quentin...Hair is the same as today 😊

[@chryneon6638]

The high quality version can be found on TVArk.

[@alisadiq7595]

They are talking from their heart and pure soul with calm attitude... The old is better and get better.. The new programs are such a waste of time 🚶

[@grzegorz8242]

A u nas, leciał Magazyn Auto i człowiek się cieszył.

[@ciosanmihai8214]

Hello. Are there pistons with compression greater than 9.5 for a 1.4 engine? I want to put 100 octane gasoline. the goal is to choose economic consumption

[@soundseeker63]

Strange to think that nowadays, hardly anyone buys a Mondeo and silly SUVs and "premium" German cars have taken over. Sierra/Mondeo man has become 320d man. How fashions change! I kinda miss the unpretentious functionality and character of cars like the Sierra. Modern cars are so over complicated!

[@paulthomson9709]

I can't stand any suv/ crossover ! They should all be collected up and fired up in to space or destroyed !

[@MegaWayneD]

I pretty much learned most of my car knowledge on fixing my step-Dad's Sierras in my teens. Have to say, these days I've gone "premium German" too, with Mercedes C-classes. The interesting thing is thy C-class is very similar to the Sierra (certainly the later Sierra Azure fuel-injected version) the only main difference being a OBD II code reader is needed.

[@marcustaylor670]

It's because a Mondeo costs as much to fix as a BMW now and they look sh#t where the BMW doesn't. 2015 Mondeo looks good though so I might go back to Ford.

[@mattylamb9194]

@@marcustaylor670 - Mondeo is far cheaper to fix than a Beemr.I like BMWs, but you are wrong there

[@marcustaylor670]

@@mattylamb9194 - I mean't BMW's from the E46 era, I wouldn't touch the newer ones. I'm still living in 2004

[@markymark2819]

Quentin is in Birmingham for this one. 11:00 Bristol St Motors, Bristol Road.

[@adampowell5376]

I don't think that you would get away with the advertisement for the Mk 3 Cortina today.

[@kishanjadeja6894]

I still own a Mondeo lol the MK1 1.6i it's got 150.000 miles on the clock. Solid but needed alot of repairs in its life 😂

[@mc77727]

Did you ever have problems with the headlights going dull? Did the dash digital clock work especially it's backlight or the original radio backlight stop working too?

[@upupaepops1988]

Yeah! and Gina Mckee's character in Brass Eye

[@Peter-lm3ic]

I had one of the last Cortina’s in 1982 it wasn’t a bad car for its day but it didn’t have electronic ignition so you were forever adjusting the circuit breaker but the most serious fault was the camshaft. Not the camshaft itself but poor lubrication. Mine failed through its inability to climb any hill. So I took the camshaft cover off and on starting the car I noticed that the lub pipe which ran along the camshaft was pumping oil over the top of the cam shaft and that was in tick over! Oil was going nowhere near the cams! It was out of warranty unfortunately and the Main Dealer didn’t want to know. After that I completely lost faith with the standard of Ford engineering. But I subsequently In the 1980’s had a Mondeo as a company car in maroon, it was quite a good car surprisingly good, but the standard of the paintwork was very poor I would rare similar to BMC Marina of the 1970’s. Never had a Ford since, never will! I’ve moved up to BMW!

[@StuartOliver83]

Jeremy I know you won’t believe me when I say this but one day you’re going to work for Amazon after you punched a producer for the bbc,rest assured you’ll still be loved

[@Nimmo1492]

And then you're going to host a non-motoring quiz show on ITV.

[@StuartOliver83]

Hahahaaaaaaa

[@jnbr7520]

before all that he's going to turn in to a narcissistic obnoxious wanker

[@fabianwylie8707]

Maybe you are one 😅😅😅

[@MarkAtkin]

Still be loved? Not by me!

[@mishalchotai4721]

Its sad to think these cars are no longer around 😕

[@RadekZielinski.]

Every woman i can remember from my kid days worn this light blue jacket.

[@Tordyboy]

Great to see this old Top Gear. Shame about the sound.

[@darkknight6638]

About classic ford cortina is one of special and successful car in the world, since from mk-1 corporation with lotus created hi-performance sport car, light weight, hi-performance engine, driving real handling and easy control after mk-2 once again cortina to be luxury sedans, comfortable, luxury, hi-quality products ! In 70's mk-3 coke cola bottle body design have more engine to choose from line-4 ohv to v-6 ohc engine, more powerful, more stylish at mk-5 cortina back in modern family sedan and sedan wagon again, reliable, comfortable, for every family daily to drive Until in 82 ford created new generation family car have brand new featuring design most by the bodywork body line very smooth and good looking But new generation ford Sierra mk-1 engine 1.6L~2.0L line-4 ohc engine only can tell is smoothly not hi-performance and quality ! But by that engine running real smoothly in fuel economy control is good, more better early old cortina mk-2 to mk-5 ohc engine until new sierra mk-3 in 90's choose brand new DOHC twin cam line-4 engine and more better fuel injection system making engine keep hi-quality fuel economy control in the same time have more horsepower,making engine have more hi-performance ! But real sad is ford in same time stop created new XR no more 2.3L & 2.8L v-6 engine in brand new sierra, even since after ford granada, capri and scorpion stop production after Europe ford no more highest level hi-performance sport car and luxury sedan By now ford mondeo metrostar taking old granada his place About "sport" in Europe ford may be by now is ford focus ST / RS !

[@RickP2012]

The Grand Tour has just remade this episode.

[@galbmw]

it's cause ford wanted handling. and back in the days if oyu wanted handling you went for RWD. unless you were alfa romeo or honda. still the only real downside from RWD is a bit higher fuel consumption and its not very good in the snow unless its mid mounted.

[@mikeh2006]

Shame that most have now rusted away. You hardly ever see an escort these days and they were still being made in 2000.

[@futureheaded]

Michelle Newman looks and sounds like a Rebecca Front character, with the exception of the humour.

[@leopold7562]

Ah, the Mondeo, a British institution. Rolled onto the screen at 1:13 to Elgar's "Nimrod", a classic piece of rousing Brittania written by one of the best British composers. And then we're introduced to a car which was built in Belgium by the German arm of an American company. About as British as Sauerbrauten, followed by Mattentaart and washed down with a pint of Budweiser...

[@GeorgeAusters]

Hahahaha that mondeo looks like an old banger even back then

[@Sids60sSounds]

3 Vauxhall owners have been here

[@drchunkybiscuit9973]

4 now.

[@FirstOnRaceDayCapri2904]

8 now

[@simondando8142]

10......😂

[@southendparaquest]

18!

[@WitchyWhale]

32 now

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Back in the days when Jezza could do his jacket up.

[@Alex-373]

Filmed shortly before Quents fell out of love with all the cars..

[@paullawtable]

So why the Consul?

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

Parents had one of the first 1.6L Sierras. It was the most unreliable cars they had up to that point and the doors were rotten after 4 years. They had three R21s after that, that proved spacious, great to drive, reliable and after the first R21 died being side swiped by an Astra at 40mph, safe.

[@neoliberalism_sucks]

Martin Jones my parents had one too! My dad drove it a least 10 years and did big mileage. The most reliable car they ever had and never welded. Many happy memories.

[@moodyguymick]

When Top Gear was about motoring.

[@minislayer2010]

I loved my Sierra, H636 NKG

[@kts68]

5:48 ... "clang!!!!"

[@smartalec2645]

Having driven a Mk4 Cortina 78 or 79? and a 1991 Sierra 2.0 GLX, countless Mk2/3/4 Mondeo's and owning a Telstar TX5, I can sense and feel where Ford were going in terms of R&D and driving dynamics across the different years. I can see where they were going with the Mondeo - a midsize Ford which will become a global platform, although for me it was the mk3 Mondeo ST V6 2.5) where Ford had it together, I just didn't like the feel and dynamics of the first 2 generations. Global Ford offerings in the mid 1980's you had from Asia the Telstar (FWD) Europe has the Sierra (RWD), America has the Taurus (FWD). They have their own models, trims etc. Jump ahead a few years to the early 90's and midsize segment is going to FWD. The Sierra is being phased out. Telstar is still in production (Until 1999). America gains the Contour (FWD) Which will become the Fusion to the midsize line up - which looks ALOT like the Mondeo. Now look at them - they are extremely similar in appearance and in spec. Taurus is still in production as a fullsize platform after the end of the Crown Vic. Ford Australia discontinued the Falcon, their fullsize car. Guess whats there instead? Mondeo. Not a bad car by any means. In terms of business I understand - one global offering. As a consumer it kinda sucks my choice is limited, what if I want RWD and V8? No Falcon. No Crown Vic/Marquis etc. And its not just Ford doing this, its GM too and others starting to follow suit.

[@kernals12]

i've always wondered why the Sierra was RWD, all of its competitors, the Cavalier, the Montego, and the 405 were FWD, even it's AMERICAN counterpart, the Taurus was FWD

[@godawgs88100]

It could be and this is just a guess. That they thought okay we are radically changing the shape, so let's go conservative with the drivetrain. British buyers were well known for being conservative back then. And the shape wasn't setting the world on fire with popularity at first

[@RainbowDashMusic]

Ah, in other words the entire car.

[@FalconXE302]

"She doesn't know... LoL... I bet HE didn't know either...!

[@thefordrs]

Bristol Street Motors in Birmingham

[@haa1774]

Still better than new topgear

[@ElBloeTigre]

why does it say Consul on the bonnet when it's supposedly a Cortina?

[@chrisaskin6144]

The Mk 1 Cortina to give it it's full title was known as the Ford Consul Cortina. All the subsequent marks of Cortina were just known as Ford Cortinas.

[@snortyhog]

That cortina has consul on the bonnet.

[@sutherlandA1]

Early mark 1 were known as consul cortina

[@pow1983]

oh, VHS went muffled

[@nrs7_9_6]

Saludos

[@glaring]

Incredible how brits can excite for those wrecks

[@alexc2505]

Every MK 4 Cortina with a crooked number plate 😂

[@edwardtrickett6064]

Back when Top Gear was about cars, cars for the general public and featured some interesting and inciteful information. When Top Gear was relaunched in the early 00's is was fun, exciting and generally well received. Yet it was a million miles away from what it used to be. Bring it back is what I say, let's have a real, serious and genuine show about vehicles of today and not about cars that even footballers may struggle to afford.