Ford's BMW - 1985-1989 Merkur XR4Ti

For the 1985 model year Ford surprised performance car fans by offering a BMW type performance car for sale at its Lincoln-Mercury dealership network called the Merkur XR4Ti. This car would receive kudos from many in the automobile press and performance car enthusiasts at the time. Unfortunately it was never the big sales success that Ford had expected. Here's why the 1985-1989 Merkur XR4Ti failed and why it's such a great car to own.

[@gregorywills2231]

I loved that car back in the late 80's. The looks were distinctive and attractive. It still holds up today.

[@clanrobertson7200]

Your comments are right on the money! I am a life long Volvo owner since 1967, and this was the most intriguing US model car to come on the market. I loved the style and cast iron block 4 cylinder turbo engine. I was surprised at the short run on the car and in 1991 went to England and drove the non turbo version and saw what a great performance version it was. At the time, there was no speed limit on the M Highways and my rental car crises at 100 mph, but the Brits were blowing by me in all types of performance cars including a larger body Ford V8. The Merkur was the only car that I was tempted to buy instead of Volvo. Today, I am restoring my 1985 Volvo Turbo, and have 2 5 cylinder models and love them all. The old professor

[@williamfairchild8119]

As a used car dealer around 2002 I brought one at auction for $100 that nobody was interested in. Perfect condition with rebuilt motor. Sold for $700 customer loved it

[@lyndonpack8048]

You should have kept if for yourself. I am sure the guy loved it! You gave it to him. You could have easily got 2 times that for it then.

[@paulmezhir8354]

I owned a black 1985 Merkur Xr4 with a 5-speed stick ....the car attracted so much attention and was a blast to drive. It was also very prone to breaking down. After replacing broken engine mounts FOUR times I traded it in for a 1989 Honda Civic Si.

[@mercoid]

Excellent presentation! And I agree with your summation. Just three blocks from my house there are two neighbors on the same street who have XR4ti ‘s in their driveways. I often walk my dog that way just to admire the cars. I remember being in the Ford dealership as a kid in ‘85 begging my dad to choose one of these as our new car. He went with the Olds Cutlass instead. 🤨

[@JoseSanchez-wb5rz]

Your Father was a smart man.

[@mercoid]

Jose Sanchez ...LoL! I was taught to drive in the ‘69 Mercury Country Squire wagon and was sometimes allowed to drive the Olds. I would rather have zipped around in one of these, but perhaps you’re right in retrospect.

[@HWolfeIII]

Reminds me of my Dad, he bought an 89 Cutlass Ciera Sedan He rebuked my attempts to persuade him to buy a performance car. Ironically, I had a neighbor who had an XR4TI then an 88? Mustang GT and sadly got killed in it, so maybe my Dad knew what he was doing...

[@oraborna]

Dodge Demon made a mockery out of BMW when it first came out , Chevy ,Ford and all others should follow with their let's say "mini" versions ..i mean put 250 hp on a light Coupe and call it Fiero , tell your Tesla friends to eat a dikk

[@whiskeybuilder6335]

After driving junk for a long time, this was a much needed breath of European fresh air. This car did set you back enough to buy a mustang gt so it wasn't as well received as it deserved to be. Just a bit ahead of its time. It was a testament to how far we were in America. A very good car.

[@chrislemaster2695]

These 2.3L Turbo 4 was also in the 1987-1989 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.

[@revolutionday1]

I also had a Mercury Cougar XR-7 with the non-intercooled 2.3L turbo motor, and a 5--speed manual trans. 1986 model.

[@godzilla12325]

The thundercougarfalconbird turbo coupe was it not?

[@mrdaykurutakuchannel]

And the mustang svo.

[@331Grabber]

Same basic engine with minor differences was in: 1983-84 Mustang Gt Turbo 1983-88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe 1985-89 XR4ti 1983-86 Cougar XR7 1983-84 Capri RS Turbo There were also some 83-86 Thunderbird and Cougar sub models that got the 2.3T

[@clanrobertson7200]

I had a friend who loved his. The old professor

[@chadkennedy529]

My friend had one of these in high school, I just remember the struggle of finding basic parts for it lol.

[@67Bigsby]

Thank you for all the in depth research regarding the XR4Ti !!!

[@KentoC58]

I still have my '87. Bought it used in '90. It's been sitting for a decade and have just now had it taken to a mechanic-friend to get it going again. Hopefully it all works out and no mice damage to the wiring. I love the car and hope to get some more years out of it. Some parts are getting pretty scarce though.

[@dsan2509]

I owned a 88 Scorpio for 9 years from 90 to 98. It was a very nice car until you have take it for service. Not many dealers wanted to work on them. Luckily had a local shop that would, but heard later after I traded it they we glad not to see it again. One time they had to replace some bolts in the rear axle and had a hard time sourcing the parts but found a VW part that worked. Trans went out around 115k only to have the rebuilt trans go boing coming home from work. I drove to the local Volvo dealer and traded it in for the new 98 S70. Oh I just recalled the steering rack had a “hard” spot that gave resistance when turning. I took the cheap way out and put in some militech lube and that would work for a long time.

[@fredaydaybae8450]

Man I had two Scorpios around the same time frames as you did but I was 16 and in high school so getting service was a nightmare but they weren't terrible. Both transmissions bad to be rebuilt and failed again but other than that the cars were so sumptuous to drive and gobbled up highway miles effortlessly. I still want another. TBH the Scorpio was more fun and reliable than my current day Bmw 550 Xi by FAR

[@tmseh]

I always liked the look especially with the biplane spoiler. Very good handling on my brief ride as a passenger. The problem was price, a plain LX 5 liter 5 speed was just under $14k and was a performance no brainer if you could live with the handling.

[@gt4654]

Did anyone notice the DMC DeLorean Motor Cars sign in the Ford/Mercury/Lincoln dealership photo?!?!

[@twstrchasr]

George Tsinikosmaoglou yes

[@josephmiller6259]

I worked at that dealer for 30 years and owned an XR4TI.

[@robertraft]

@@josephmiller6259 really? that is really cool.

[@gregghanson6095]

Had a neighbor who worked for Ford and he had a Merkur. Gorgeous car and I was jealous.

[@bryanweston7737]

I bought a brand new, black, 5 speed manual Merkur XR4Ti in 1986...it was a head turner, some of my car enthusiast friends called it "a poor man's Porsche 944" at the time. As the video states, the style was head turning and very European, handling was great, and it was also a really nice expressway cruiser, plus fairly easy on gas compared to a V8. These cars did have their foibles though. The turbo boost "power band" was about 3,100 rpm to 4,100 rpm - the engine felt strongest in that range, and yes - it sure could have used the addition of the intercooler and 30 additional horsepower that the Ford Mustang SVO had! The large greenhouse area could really heat up on a sunny summer day - the A/C took care of it, but that didn't help the engine power either. The car had an electric engine / radiator cooling fan - that would continue to run after you shut the car off on a hot day - was supposed to be only for a couple of minutes, but the switch on it would sometimes stick, and you'd come out of a restaurant or a store to a totally dead battery! Nothing like push starting your expensive, stylish new car! The Pirelli P6 tires helped the performance handling, but were absolutely worthless in the snow, or in semi-slippery / icy conditions. There were also other little problems - I worked for the advertising agency that handled Lincoln-Mercury, so I had several friends that had 1985 XR4Ti's - and they'd experienced the same issues already - told me what to expect, at roughly what mileage, and what the fix (under warranty) was! I'd tell the dealer how to fix the issue / which service bulleting to refer to, etc. - these cars were new to them too! I finally got it all sorted-out at about 25,000 miles, and decided it was time to trade it in, before more problems cropped-up. I bought a new, black, 1988 Ford Mustang GT with the 5.0 V8 and a 5 speed, and I was a lot happier! All said - I think Edsel Ford II was right - that XR4Ti would have been a lot more enjoyable with a 5.0 liter Ford V8 from the Mustang GT under its hood, along with those little warranty issues resolved!!

[@stevefowler2112]

I test drove one of the 85's when I graduated Engineering College and almost bought it as my first new car but then I saw the '86 Mustang GT and feel in love. The Mekur drove very good and was an impressive car...ahead of its time.

[@kvdude7279]

I had an '86 turbo. Loved it's performance (for the time) and the hand crank sunroof. Dashboard cracked horribly, but I got 104,000 miles out of her before I sold it. It got another 60k from that owner. Thanks for the flasback!

[@PearComputingDevices]

I believe that having at least a turbo v6 option would have massively helped the odd ball car. I remember first seeing it, I couldn't believe it was a Ford at first. Then it kinda reminded me of what the Escort GT could have been. The unique styling certainly proved Ford could build really decent upscale pony cars.

[@kgbeezr75]

That's really what this car seemed like, the logical next step for the Escort GT. Had they used the V8, or as you said, even a 6, it would have gone a long way to putting it into a different category.

[@PearComputingDevices]

kgbeezr75 Yup, I even liked the looks of it in a way. I was easily convinced it was a nice little pony. The v6 or v8 would have cemented that.

[@Indigenous_DNA]

I had an '86 in the '90s. Beautiful and well built car. Awesome handling, great turbo power, and speed. Ford/Merkur should really reintroduce a refreshed modern version of this car to the auto market.

[@kirkblackadar7299]

My Dad gave me an '86 as my first car. Imagine a young boy in a hot hatch like this in a Canadian winter?! I can fondly recall the valuable physics lessons I learned in that car. I went on to be a huge rally fan, being further inspired by the Mcreas in Scottland rallying this chassis. I have moved on to subarus, but I wish to own one of these again in the future. Keep an eye out on estate auctions. Lol thanks for the edit.

[@mrdavis3804]

Yeah, I had an 86 in Calgary in the early 90s. Best to run 4 studded winter tires on them. The way that turbo glowed. Looked almost transparent..

[@stacydornan9765]

I used to work at a Ford dealership back in the day when these cars came out,they were a lot of fun .We took them out after midnight and let them rip on the streets of Brampton -ONTARIO. They were faster than the Mustang GT

[@GoogleModerator]

Hope you didn't get any tickets eh?

[@stacydornan9765]

@@GoogleModerator Nope all good

[@Musique61414]

Ha, I wonder if the one I was looking at was bought there.

[@trevorthefilthyrat3742]

South Africa has a V-8 powered Ford Sierra. It's fast AF!

[@flyonbyya]

TREVOR THE BALD MINGE I am American that lived there when they came out. I thought it was cool as fuk ! It had no emissions controls. Gasoline in South Africa was leaded 97 octane and gas remained leaded until 2005.

[@elizabethcherry920]

Imagine if Ford offer that 302 South African spec Sierra here in the US. The funny thing is that very few people back then knew about this car along with other South African Ford oddities like the Escort Bantam pickup and Sierra P100 pickup as many are finding out today because of the internet, if these were known I think the Merkur badge would still be around.

[@AlexSpalex1]

I think Ford didn't bring the V8 XR4TI, because they feared it would cannibalize Mustang sales.

[@Lmarcanov1978]

@@AlexSpalex1 in deed, as I mentioned above, Ford of Venezuela dropped the Mustang in favor of Sierras!!

[@garethcurtis7545]

In New Zealand I owned the RS YB Turbo Cosworth..Now that was proper fast. V8 would have been a laugh too.

[@kennyjamesjustintheonly1447]

Very detailed right down to the extended description of the multi-lettered tire names. Good job!

[@papua5028]

I had a 1986 model. That car was fast. I was beating every sport 4 & 6 cyl cars around. But what i liked the best, was the super tough rust resistant body. That sheet metal was super strong like no other car in the market.

[@landyachtfan79]

These cars were a NIGHTMARE in the reliability department, but a DREAM to drive when they did run!!!!

[@fintanoclery2698]

They were fun to drive weren't they.

[@1984318i]

I've never driven one, but yeah I heard the same thing.

[@ahuehuete4703]

I leased an '88 back in the day. About three weeks before the warranty expired, the turbo died, so it was replaced for free. The thought of the turbo going belly up out of warranty spooked me, so I returned it at the end of the lease. The service department told me that had the turbo failed out of lease it would have cost over $2000 to replace. And yes, I always did the "cool down" procedure before shutting off the engine. I really enjoyed the car. It handled great and was quick, though the turbo had some lag. The interior was very nice, though the exterior was unusual. I got a great deal on the lease, which is why I leased it (2 year lease). I could have bought it at the end of the lease for $6K, and thought long and hard about it, but returned it in the end. Edit: Also, regarding the 0-60 times, I seem to recall that the numbers published by the car mags back then were closer to 8 seconds for the 5 speed (which mine was) and not 7.0 seconds. Still, that was considered quick back then, even though a 3.6L, 2013 Chevy Impala I have now is faster.

[@DStabs720]

Frank K Those Impalas are nothing to mess with. I rented one and loved it. It's crazy that pretty much every new car is faster than 20 year old sports cars.

[@ahuehuete4703]

@@DStabs720 - The ones with 6 cylinders certainly are. Most are 300 HP now. But even many 4 bangers are in the low 200 HP range.

[@vikingraiders4138]

You Americans would love the Ford Sierra Cosworth Sapphire then.

[@Chris391971]

I preferred the 3 door whale tail

[@whynotagain3639]

@@Chris391971 Yeh, three door whale tail rear wheel drive was the best looking one. The Sapphire was a boring saloon/sedan shape.

[@fredaydaybae8450]

After my Scorpio I lusted after a Sierra Sapphire Cosworth so terribly so but it was never to be. Still want one

[@whynotagain3639]

@@fredaydaybae8450 You can pick one up from £15,000+ at the moment. That's a 29 year old car though.

[@fredaydaybae8450]

Why Notagain but we never got the chance to own them here in America.

[@edysinsimon8646]

Back in 1986? I won a contest at PIR and drove the XR4TI to 1st place! It handled wonderfully! I received this "exclusive" racing jacket (read member only) and wore it proudly!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I remember the Merkur. I've always loved its styling. Why it didn't sell well is beyond me.

[@arthurcrunden6107]

Jason Carpp the Mercury dealers had no clue how to market these cars they were use to selling land yachts if the era

[@jlhkakomix]

Thank you for this video, I had a 1985 Ford Sierra XR6i v6 version it was my dad's actually and he passed to me in 1993 when I graduated from high school and had for about 10 years and gave it to my youngest brother which had it for 7 more years we really loved that car we were in south america at the time now I'm in USA and looking for one as a collection

[@rays7437]

I remember these cars. I never understood why they made them. Thanks for the video!

[@metaljew4456]

My Dad came so close to buying one of these in 1985 but we got a Mark VII LSC instead. I bought a Mustang GT in 1986 which I still own to this day! She is 34 years old and looks better now than in 86’. We had two 5.0’s in the driveway. Good times!

[@brabham74]

In 1988, I was at the Indy Car / Trans Am road races at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (Road America). Of course, the Trans Am cars of that era had little in common with the road going versions, but, never the less, Scott Pruett, driving a V8 Merkur, beat the best the world had to offer, including Hurley Haywood and Hans Stuck in AWD factory Audi's, and all the other factories too, with drivers like Lynn St. James, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Willy T. Ribbs, Dorsey Schroeder, ect. I remember Pruett's Merkur well. Flared fenders, dark blue. Great memories.

[@cathyshannon2130]

We had one of these! Great in every way you mentioned, but Edsel Ford 2 was absolutely right! The 2.3 L turbo was a let down, because it ran hot - no inter-cooler as you mentioned. There was no less than 3 or 4 sensors that had to trip before the radiator fans would come on to cool down the motor. We had to rewire the fans to come on at all times when the motor was running. We ended up replacing the top end of the motor & during that repair, discovered play in the turbo! That was it. Time to sell & nobody wanted this car. With the 5.0 engine, we would have kept the car for 20 years as per our usual timeframe, and it would have been a collectors item. Like you said, it was great and ahead of its time in every possible way, except under the hood. Even the 6 cylinder normally aspirated Sierra engine from the European version would have been superior.....I'm 4 years late to find this video, but thanks! We love your channel & look forward to every show.

[@TamasKalman]

my father had a ford sierra 2.0i "francorchamps" edition with the dohc engine and it was incredible brutal. the handling, the acceleration, it was the fastest car i drove for a while. it was regularly humiliating much more expensive cars on the highway effortlessly. with a relative light body it had an insanely good engine in it. most sierras were quite slow, so no one expected this performance out of it. it resembled a low status boring family car, but it was really a sport car in disguise. he kept it for almost 20 years and put hundreds of thousands of kilometers into it.

[@cimarronperformancewerks6611]

I had a friend who had an early model. I thought it was an odd choice, not his personality. He offered that I should drive it on an errand one day. The thing was a beast! Great fun to drive. He passed away a few years ago. Thanks for covering this unique auto and reminding me of my good friend. Great post.

[@petrbenda3406]

Awesome video as always. Keep up the good work!

[@franksunden8789]

I owned two xr4ti's,a white 85 & red 88,loved them both,never a problem at all,VERY difficult to find a nice one in today's market,or I'd have another one !

[@josephkemp4404]

@B. Chandler saddly as far as the club knows people have the cars but a very low percentage are actually on the road. Most of them just sit in people's garages. Right now we have three at our house but only 2 are on the road and then of the local group that has them I know of that has them only a couple are on the road and the ones who do take them out only register them to drive them for a few months in the summer.

[@my4cars528]

I have one, but not stock at all. It is a basket case but that is probably due to the endless mods of all the previous owners. Car of my childhood so I couldn't resist the money pit that it is.

sierra a money pit? HAHAHAHA., ok?

[@my4cars528]

@ ?

[@mikeskidmore6754]

My friend had one .. heated Leather seats .. very peppy good handling .. but here in Michigan I would assume it rusted away on him ..

[@Lmarcanov1978]

Back in 80s, In Venezuela Ford sold more units of this car than the Mustangs, even though we didn't get the Turbo version. We basically got the Cologne V6 family and I believe the 3.0 Essex on the latest upcale sedans "Sapphire". Actually, Ford Venezuela dropped the Mustang completely in favor of these hot hatches. Mechanically, speaking it was a shock for most mechanics used to big american V8s and carburators, they knew nothing about this cars and ended up screwing them even more. It competed with the Renault Fuego and Chevy Monza Hatch, it was way ahead of its time. In the later years, a lot of people started to drop 5.0s on them and the Ford Explorer V6, I think it was a 4.0 Cologne very similar to the originals. Everybody back in the day wanted an XR4, According to wikipedia, in South Africa they had the XR8 which came out of the dealerships with a 5.0, only for racing homologation purposes. You forgot to mention the Cosworth version in Europe which today is a rare and expensive item of car history!!

[@G-Confalonieri]

El XR4 fabricado en Argentina quizá? Ése no tenía turbo pero por el look veo que son idénticos. Saludos.

[@8kilosunderyep877]

Luis Marcano yeah bruh my aunt has one of these cars in Caracas back in the 90s it was a pain in the azz to fix lol Sierra

[@Lmarcanov1978]

@JSavic yeah, originally from there but moved out in 2007, I went back for week recently due to a family emergency and you can find stuff now but need to pay same or higher prices than in US! Hard times for most but nobody listened or believed when we forecast this situation years ago!!

[@hrbeta]

I owned two of them when I lived in Caracas. I loved the little critters. No maintenance problems, my father-in-law was a Ford dealer 😉

[@francoislevasseur7834]

I have one mean 1988 XR4Ti with no rust , rebuilt engine with racing parts,forge aluminium rods, free floating pistons, balanced, blue print and a 3 degree valve job (work in progress)... its capable of handling 400 hp + but running stock, cam, exhaust manifold and turbo, intake, injectors and air metering sensor, VW Bus rear axle joints(bolt on) rebuilt transmission with a shift kit, custom rad (aluminium) and independent trans cooler, can't forget new coil springs and shocks, bushings, brakes and Potenza tires etc... This car as never seen winters nor rain when possible and its a blast to drive, most of its weak points have been corrected. I love that car, and the third owner, my Dad bought it from the original owner. Too bad i can't post some pictures...

[@impalaman9707]

I was first introduced to this machine in high school when one of my classmates' parents bought him a brand new one, and you'd thought he had a Maserati the way he went about bragging about his Merkur to anyone who would listen, and when he wrecked it--he just said, "I'll get my parents to buy me another Merkur". His folks were pretty wealthy

[@UrbanSurvivalMethods]

I bought a white XR4Ti new in 1989 and I believe it was discounted plus a rebate... added nice rims and Perelli tires.... it was an excellent car...fully loaded, leather, solid, turbo, fast, quality finish inside, handled excellent, really was about equal or better then the BMW at the time.

[@Cheetorblz]

I remember seeing these in dealership along with the Scorpio. They were sexy cars at the time but too expensive for me just out of college. I ended up with an '87 Mecury Lynx XR3 manual which I loved and had no issues with until I wrecked it.

[@xrmerkur]

Fantastic video!!! Thanks for featuring the XR4Ti (Great car to own, super rare)

[@777jones]

Thank you old car memories, it is good to hear your despairing voice doing a new video :)

[@lfldsLTL4R]

For me the XR4ti was my first brand new car. I Love the car. It was fast in its day and handled very well. I did have problems with it like having to replace the turbo at least three times. I was ok with that since Ford had a very good warranty and I used the heck out of it. I do think the Ford which was known to have "the better idea" dropped the ball on the Merkurs. . .at least in the USA. They should have put the intercooler on the turbo engine and upgraded to 4 wheel disc brakes. They also could have put their SHO engine in the car which was in the Taurus performance model. That would have made the XR4ti a screamer. Well. . .I am happy that I had the experience to own one. Too bad you don't see them anywhere today.

[@wildcodefox7313]

you do, you just have to know who to talk to, just picked up a non rotted shell for 600 usd

[@mustangmike8515]

In 1996 European car magazine featured this Sierra, I thought it was going to be a new Ford model line, I was surprised to know that this actually was from the mid 80s. It was 10 years ahead of it's time and still today looks like a modern car. Is even better looking than the 1980s mustang.

[@jeffcuevas5918]

I loved these cars as a kid. I read my motor trend mags over and over. Cool car indeed.

[@blipco5]

Great topic. I remember the first time I saw one here in the US, the car seemed like it was from another planet. There is an owners group that meets up once a year.

[@josephkemp4404]

The annual gathering is organized by the merkur club of America and we all go to the all Ford Nationals in Carlisle every year.

[@berrytharp1334]

I had one for a few years. Very fun to drive.

[@1962pjb]

I recall seeing a few of these around back in the day and I realized that Ford was involved with it, but I never knew what to make of them, or their appeal.

[@mattkase6644]

Your videos are always excellent and informative. This one was no exception. Now that you've covered the SVO Mustang and Merkur xr4ti, I'd love to see you round out the Ford 2.3 turbos with a video covering the 83-88 production run of the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe!

[@dwilsonjr78]

How about an added bonus: the 1989-95 Ford Thunderbird SC.

[@vassa1972]

Great video I remember seeing these cars and woundered what the heck it was at the time it came out here in Canada.

[@TheDeeharper5]

I had a white on as late as 2015 caught on fire unfortunately! Loved it!!!

[@andynixon2820]

In the UK the Sierra was very popular , this included the XR4 four wheel drive 2.9i V6 and different variants on the 2.0 Sierra cosworth . Both fantastic cars , cosworth went like stink but the XR4 handling and torque made it nicer to drive.

[@AVC-Works]

Uhm... no the XR4i was RWD... the XR4x4 was... yep.. 4x4 ;)

[@roadrunneroperationsllc]

One of my favorite channels, good work!

[@dylaneor]

I had an 85 Xr4. Nice car to drive. Good ride and handling Roomy and practical with the hatchback. The turbo never put out the power it should have. Could never figure out what the issue was but it always ran well. No major issues with reliability.

[@RichieRouge206]

I loved the Sierra overall, especially the XR4x4 and XR4i over here in the UK. I saw a Merkur in Florida and it was in superb condition. Great video

[@jhareng]

Had the mark 1 2.8 with muther Garret etc and newer EFI 2.9 with new engine in 2002 at 100k written off. So easy to drive, could be in 3rd at less than 10mph, drop the clutch and be straight up to a 4 wheel slide at 85 across fields. Last Fords ever owned, newer dont do it for me. Bog standard reknowned as a stump puller.

[@DJSlone]

Twas my first car. Had great memories. One thing rarely mentioned was crazy nice stock speaker system. Blew a lot of hoses lol.

[@joshthemediocre7824]

I never knew they thought about putting the 5.0 in it..i'm glad they went with the turbo but it's neat to think about.

[@DannerPlace]

Also, the XR4Ti had substantial body roll. But there was a California company, Rapido Group, that sold heavier anti-roll bars, which I installed and those made a tremendous difference. They also had an intercooler kit, which dramatically improved power and performance. I also had that. Made my XR4Ti and excellent track car at Road Atlanta. I used to school the 944 Porches quite handily, LOL.

[@martinliehs2513]

I owned a used '85 for a couple of years. Not a bad car, and pretty good engine. It's hard to believe the turbo only put out 175 HP, same HP as the 2.5 l non-turbo in the Ford Fusion that I drive today.

[@knockdonkey2264]

I loved hearing about this car on the Jim Rome show

[@naughtyprofessor100]

My first car was a merkur scorpio

[@ELTALIBANEASTLA]

I loved that car best v6 ever

[@shofan70]

I just acquired an '88 scorpio. It's was way ahead of it's time.

[@ELTALIBANEASTLA]

Yeah I loved that car grew up in one I love the little pumps from the front seats 💺 and the back seats recline it was so cool the sound system was good

[@robertraft]

really? thats pretty badass, my 1st car was a pinto followed by a yugo i hate me.

[@SmallADVentures1973]

I remember liking these when they were still being made, but sadly, I don't remember seeing very many. There are 3 (1 runner, 2 parts cars) sitting for sale just a few miles from where we now live, wish I had the means/facilities and know-how, LOL! Great video :)

[@marcscordato4385]

The Saab 900 Turbo was another competitor like the Saab it was unique and distinctive .

[@davidtryon1205]

I had an 88 9000 Turbo with a few mods, it ran great and was pretty quick. I would've thought they would've been more of a competitor to these since 900's seemed like a smaller car, so technically they should've been a lil faster. My Saab engine ran forever but the car/electronics fell apart all around it. It was sad. Also the 9000 Turbo was a bit overpriced imo. Mine I got used but it had the original window sticker with it and I can't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure it was 28k'ish+ in 88. What was a Merkur 16k. Crazy difference.

[@Relic67]

I always called them xratis because that's how the font looked.

[@jackbramlett4123]

I was a Mercury service manager at the time of this vehicle. You need to research the number of recalls this vehicle produced, it was a nightmare. Sales were so bad that Ford had their sales,service,and parts representatives use them as they could not sell them.

[@racer193wr]

Had an 88 and loved it. It was used but well taken care of by the time i bought it. I had the crappy 2.3 rebuilt along with a t5 transmission ready to drop in. I was waiting to break the rebuilt 2.3 in but sadly it blew the head gasket twice and i ran out of patience.

[@nickdigger5431]

Wish I still had mine. Loved this car. Fun to drive.

[@douglasaddeo3609]

I. Had one back in the later 80s and loved it, it was a fun car to drive and drove well. I had the double rear spoiler wing on mine. I HAD THE 5 SPEED manual transmission.

[@Scott-ph2yk]

I had an 87 back in the day. Bought it new. Literally stole it via fleet purchase through work. Quickly found out about Rapido Group. Added SVO engine kit. 230hp Suspension kit and struts Borla exhaust Sierra grille, badges, and spoiler. Rear disc brake kit. Being a bachelor back then was good! My friends thought I was nuts. I let them drive the car. End of discussion. 😂 Enjoyed the heck out of the XR4!😊

[@davidkennedy1077]

They put V8s in the South African XR8, but obviously the cream of the crop of this shape was the RS500 Cosworth. This is a great documentary, I never even knew they sold the Sierra (the UK name) in America!!!

[@dannyocean9814]

It was a blast to drive. What was cool.... You could adjust the turbos wastegate. It was insane

[@RJ-vb7gh]

I remember this odd duck... I kind of found the double spoiler interesting, but seriously there were lots of other cars in the price range that looked cooler and performed as well or better... The folks that bought it were mostly into novelty, which wore off quickly and so did anyone's interest in the car. As to the turbo, most people back then weren't on board with turbos. For the most part they were thought of as unreliable and expensive to fix and that they shortened the life span of the car. With so many good go great cars, it wasn't the car's fault they didn't make it. It was because there was just something better, more appealing for the time or just plain cheaper competing with it. In order for a car to succeed and survive, it needs to find a niche and to beat out the competition in it's niche. The XR4Ti never found it's niche... It didn't have BMW's status appeal, nor did it have the Mustang's muscle nor did it have Saab's yuppy appeal, what ever that was... For the most part, people gave it a confused look in the show room and passed it by.... And seriously... if you went to a Lincoln dealer looking for a new car, you certainly weren't comparing this car to the town car you went there to buy. Cars of the era like the Buick Regatta fell pretty much between the same cracks.

[@JPIndustrie]

these cars were like the SHOs and mazdaspeed 6s of the 80s... just another idea to throw at the wall...

[@johnburch6927]

You could also walk into a Ford showroom and pick up a much better SHO Taurus for a lot less cash.

[@RJ-vb7gh]

@@johnburch6927 I don't remember how much these things cost, but I recall they were way overpriced. They appealed to wanna be somebodies, who wanted to show off with something different. The kind of people who also bought Saabs.

[@johnburch6927]

@wzrubicon 1 I'm old enough to have wrenched on them at the dealer. They did not deliver on performance or reliability. What they did do, however, is introduce a lot of technology in the domestic products. They just sucked to work on, and we worked on them a lot. Your point is valid though, just like GM and Chrysler sister brands, Ford had a lot of performance oriented Mercuries that often get over looked.

[@davidminken4094]

We had one, and I must say this was an awesome vehicle.

[@pyrexmaniac]

I owned a black 1985 with 5-speed stick. It was the most attention-getting vehicle I had owned. The build quality was astounding.....it was solid and quiet, with amazing paint quality, although the interior was a letdown. I traded it on a 1986 Mazda 626 GT coupe.

[@jeremyking6146]

Excellent informative interesting videos till the end. I really enjoy them!

[@shelliecarlson7015]

I got to drive one when I was a tech at a Mercury dealer. Surprisingly quick and fun to drive. I would have owned one.

[@thewolf8u210]

This sure brings back memories. I worked for a Lincoln - Mercury dealership just out of highschool in 86. We used to prep and deliver Scorpios to Ford executives 3 at a time. They were solid vehicles that compared to the sportier Lincoln Mark Vll which had the Mustang 5.0. Of course we raced the Scorpios on the highway on their way to delivery.

[@brianvandorp25]

I always thought it looked too much like a Ford Escort, excellent presentation as usual

[@jfredknobloch]

I had a 1987 XR4Ti....It was a great automobile. It could get you into and out of trouble in a heartbeat! A boatload of fun to drive and the handling was great! Raced a guy (I suppose?!) from Columbus to Cincinnati one night and he was in a 260Z....Anytime I wanted him it was there! He finally gave up...There's something about downshifting into 3rd at 75 mph that is really fun!

[@jfredknobloch]

And of course there were a lot of tickets! MMMRMPH! Lol!

[@Mr2pint]

I loved this car - still looks good today..

[@seanmcculley]

I still have a promotional VHS that Ford sent for this car :)

[@culcune]

If you can upload it, that would be cool!

[@thebladespawn]

Post it please

[@seanmcculley]

It's on VHS. I never had it transferred.

[@subielife4life]

Bro you gotta do us a Big Solid and PLEASE find a way to upload the video to youtube!!!

[@aussie2uGA]

I owned 3 of these cars - 85, 86, and 88. The 88 seemed so cool becuase the body cladding was painted. lol I remember that VHS tape you have too, I still have most of my dealership brochures and probably a manual as well. Great memories.

[@neozeed1984]

Thanks for another great video! It's always a pleasure to see you post a new video. I remember seeing these cars around and thinking they were odd. I never cared for bmw or other euro offerings. As much as I love my 5.0 I don't think it would have helped this car. I doubt it would help handling. My guess is that ford never got this cars intended audience to even consider it. A unique car for its time without proper marketing, most likely.

[@krane15]

The XR4Ti was my first dream car.

[@reubenj.cogburn8546]

Aside from the happy nostalgia..... I worked as a mechanic before, during and after these were on the road. The were universally hated, on several levels, by everyone in the business.

[@tempestxmen7824]

What a beauty!miss this one🥺

[@331Grabber]

A friend of mine has an 88 auto transmission XR4ti. Really beat up. But it runs and drives

[@beff5058]

I also have a 1988 auto. this video really makes me want to get it going again.

[@331Grabber]

@@beff5058 They're pretty easy. I still have a Ford intercooler conversion kit for one in my shop. At least I'm pretty sure it is for a Merkur. They sold them at dealerships for customers that were jealous of the intercooled ones :)

[@robertraft]

@@beff5058 not a better time than now.

[@bretz71]

It needs some of those triple-windshield-wipers to go with that double-rear-spoiler.

[@chuckwhitson654]

I worked at a salvage yard in the early 90s and we had a whole row of them, they were great for selling used parts

[@ronaldcolman6211]

You've been doing some (welcome) branching out lately and I have been enjoying it. Any chance we'll see the Opel Gt on this channel anytime soon? Thanks for the great videos.

[@chrissellshomes150]

Great video and awesome car back in the day, but it never had a power moon roof (only a hand crank type).

[@jimsmirh2406]

I remember the XR4Ti here. That thing was awesome.

[@billhusky]

we in Engand had 2.8 bosch tec-tronic then 2.9 efi cologne engine which were twin turbo in after market kits had a few loved them

[@christopherpike9907]

Great video My brother had one of these, very cool car

[@gonzavazquez3752]

In Argentina as well as Chile, Uruguay and Brazil was sold as the Ford Sierra XR4. It's cool af

[@jefferysmith3930]

I had a 2 page fold out add for one of these out of Car and Driver hanging on my bedroom wall in 1988. Always thought they looked cool. The only time I ever got close to on was as a thoroughly trashed trade in at the dealership where I worked in the mid 90’s. A car that was never marked properly and I’m sure despised by Ford/Mercury dealership service departments at the time

[@steveawesome9538]

Just saw one the other day. A friend's parents had one back in the day to go with their white C3 Vette.