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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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!!!

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

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 👍

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

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.

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.

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.

Awesome car for 1982, nobody was close...

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

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

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!

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.

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 :)

The most ergonomic dashboard I’ve ever owned in a car.

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!!

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 😉👍

In 1981 the XR6 Interceptor ( Cortina 3LV6) was released as a homologation special, featured triple Weber DCNF carburettors, aggressive camshaft, tubular exhaust manifold, suspension revisions, and wider Ronal 13-inch wheels. They produced 118 kW and were only available in red; 250 were produced.

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.

Amazing intro to another great video absolutely love 80s ford's,really enjoyed this one 😊

In 1983, a special of the 3LV6 was created by Simpson Ford to be an Interceptor-like Cortina and was sold through Ford dealerships countrywide. It was called the XR6 X-ocet and featured a Holley carburettor, aggressive camshaft, tuned exhaust, did 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds with a top speed of 195 km/h (121 mph).

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

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

I soooo wanted an XR4i! Terrific review.

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

South African market also saw the introduction of a 5.0-litre XR8 between June 1984 and 1988. A limited number of 250 Sierras were made for the purposes of homologation,[35] as this model was the premier Ford used in Group A racing. They sold out before being made, and a 2 batch of 250 was made. The XR8 was fitted with the Windsor 302 ci engine from the US Ford Mustang, and the Borg Warner T5 heavy duty transmission. Front brakes were AP Racing four-piston callipers on 280 mm discs. Max power is 209 PS (154 kW) and a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph) was claimed ( civilian version). [36] The XR8 is easily recognized by having four cooling slats between the headlights, whereas lesser versions were sold with the original smooth front.

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!

Gteat review.Also one of my childhood favourites! Have been driven in all the other trims avaliable but never an Xr4i. So thanks again !

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.

One of my dream cars!! Thanks Ian 🙂

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

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.

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 ❤

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.

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.

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 !!

Ooh yeah, I could see myself driving one of those! Another great vid Ian, many thanks for sharing.

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

This is beautiful! My favourite style of Sierra with those big headlights and split rear side windows 😍 And I love that is specced to the likes of the owner. Also, loving the dual camera setup 😃

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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. 😊

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.

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

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😂

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!

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

Great video Ian, you look to really be enjoying yourself

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.

It looks fantastic. Love the headlights

I always loved this car. It was rare here in America, where it was sold, as Ian said, as the Merkur XR4ti. Merkur is German for "Mercury", as it sold in Lincoln/Mercury dealerships. It had the turbocharged version of the 2.3 Pinto engine here, which had anywhere from 160-200 HP (this engine was also fitted to the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and the Mustang SVO). 160 HP was the version that was de-rated for an automatic transmission, and 200 HP were the last versions of the engine, with an intercooler (which was forbidden for the Turbo Coupe and XR4ti, until 1987, when the Mustang SVO was discontinued and Ford let everyone have the full potential of the engine 😅 ). Mercury was the upmarket brand in North America, and Ford's rationale behind this car was to lure Yuppies, who adored 3 series BMW coupes, into Lincoln/Mercury dealerships.

Beautiful 80's madness. I love it.

This is a great video!! I'm not a ford fan but really enjoyed this one, what a nice car!! ❤

Headlight washers!!!! Beautiful car. Two rear wings/ spoilers. I always forget the difference. Great work on the stream with kitch

Brilliant video and a beautiful car.

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.

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...!! 👍🙂

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

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 😃

Stunning inside and out

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..

Love the retro music and love the car

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.

Nice car another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍

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.

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

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!

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!

I had an 87 XR4Ti when we lived in the States. Heated Recaro front seats, air conditioning, power locks and windows, sunroof. And I could make the Garrett AirResearch turbo glow after a good run. Wonderful car. They lost the whale tail in 90-91 for a more subdued version.

I learnt to drive in an XR4x4 in the same colour as that one nice update hubnut

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😂

Had a 1.8 Sierra and even that Engine when You floored it it really shifted nicely and could blow many away ,but was a good all round workhorse, plenty of room for the kids and didn’t cost the Earth to run , XR2 was nice as well

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

Car phone? Salesrep suite? Spandau Ballet cassette? What more would you need to be a top dog in the 80s

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 😊

Very nice indeed, Mr Hubnut.. 👍👌😉

Back in the mid 90’s , a genius mate of mine was an electrical engineer designing ECU’s for many makes of cars. He always drove a battered old Sierra, considering his high pay, I asked him why the hell he drove that Sierra - his answer ‘ just about the last car made without an ECU’ !

My 3rd car when I was 18 ( so 1994) was a xr4i, cost £500. I scared the crap outta myself on the test drive. 😁

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

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

Great review ian,nice to see this, takes me back to my childhood, my dad had a light blue one of these and i always remember being in the back of it and the police pulling us over to inform us that there was another xr4i somewhere in essex,( im from cambridgeshire) wearing the exact same number plates, ( this was the 90s when ringing cars was too commonplace), the car was taken away from us and my dad had to go to court to get the car back proving he knew nothing about it and brought it in good faith. The car was impounded for a considerable amount of time before it arrived back without number plates awaiting the correct number plates, the strange thing was the car was wearing ele 666y and the original was a666 jeb. So after a long time of things being sorted my dad changed the flat front to a cosworth style grille with the big hole and kept the car for some years after, to this day my dad wishes he still had it and my mum still says it was her favourite car dad ever had 👍👍

Thank you, great review and what a car. The Sierra, very cool car, from the L to the Cosworth, styling and power still appeals greatly. A serious treat, thank you very much to the owner and to you Mr HubNut. A Ford Sierra stationwagon you say, now that is a HubNut review to look forward too..perhaps the diesel VAN✌😃 Cheers, solidly appreciated!