Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra | |
---|---|
TD I4 | |
Transmission | 3-speed automatic 4-speed automatic 4-speed manual 5-speed manual |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 2,609 mm (102.7 in) |
Length | 4,531 mm (178.4 in) |
Width | 1,727 mm (68.0 in) |
Height | 1,367 mm (53.8 in) |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Ford Cortina Mark V Ford Taunus TC3 |
Successor | Ford Mondeo |
The Ford Sierra is a
The Sierra debuted at the 1982 British International Motor Show in
Designated internally under the "Project Toni" code name,
Initial development and reception
By 1978,
Ford had confirmed during 1981, a year before the Sierra's official launch, that its new mid-range car would carry the Sierra name, signalling the end of the Taunus and Cortina nameplates after 43 years and nine generations respectively 20 years and five generations. In September that year, it had unveiled the Probe III concept car at the
After the sharp-edged, straight-line three-box styling of its predecessors, the Sierra was nicknamed "the jellymould".[8] The shape served a purpose though, producing a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over the boxy outgoing Taunus's/Cortina's 0.45.[9] This aerodynamic design was key for reducing fuel consumption according to Ford, and was even used as compensation for the V6-engines. The interior was more conventional, taking a page from BMW by its dashboard, angled to the driver.[10]
Sales were slow in the first months – aggravated by heavy discounting by Ford dealers of surplus Cortina stock from the autumn of 1982 on, with more than 11,000 new Cortinas being registered in 1983. However in 1983, its first full year of sales, the Sierra managed nearly 160,000 sales in Britain, outsold only by the smaller Escort. Ford had also launched the more conservatively designed Escort-based Orion saloon that year, which found favour with buyers who would otherwise have been the Sierra's target customers.[11]
In West Germany, it proved popular from an early stage; within months of its launch, it was reportedly achieving treble the number of sales that the Taunus had been attaining – though in West Germany, the Taunus had not been quite as popular or iconic as its Cortina equivalent had been in Britain.[12]
It was later in the Sierra's life that the styling began to pay off; ten years after its introduction, the Sierra's styling was not nearly as outdated as its contemporaries, even though all major competitors were newer designs, though the Sierra had been tweaked on several occasions and many new engines had been added. The most notable changes came at the autumn of 1987, with a major facelift and the addition of a 4-door saloon (UK: Sapphire). As other manufacturers adopted similar aerodynamic styling, the Sierra looked more normal. At its peak, it was Britain's second best selling car in 1983, 1988 and 1989, and was still Britain's fifth best selling car in 1992. Its best year was 1989, when more than 175,000 were sold. However, it was outsold by the Vauxhall Cavalier in MK2 form during 1984 and 1985, and then from 1990 until its demise by the MK3 Cavalier. Nevertheless, it comfortably outsold its second key rival, the Austin Montego, which was launched in April 1984. Between 1985 and 1988, the Sierra faced fresh competition in Europe from the likes of the Renault 21 and Peugeot 405, while Japanese carmaker Nissan was producing its Bluebird model in Britain from 1986.
Early versions suffered from crosswind stability problems, which were addressed in 1985 with the addition of aerodynamic nolders (small spoilers) on the rear edge of the rubber seals of the rear-most side windows. These shortcomings saw a lot of press attention, and contributed to early slow sales, when it was outsold by its key rival the Vauxhall Cavalier in 1984 and 1985. Other rumours that the car's design could hide major crash damage (in part true, as the new bumper design sprung back after minor impact and couldn't be "read" to interpret major damage) also harmed the car's reputation. This reached near-hysterical heights in its early months on sale, with UK press making a report that Ford would reintroduce the previous Cortina model out of desperation. These reports were swiftly denied by Ford. However, sales began to rise during 1983, and it finished as Britain's second best selling car behind the Escort. After being outsold by the Cavalier for the next two years, it regained its lead of the market sector in Britain during 1986, and a refreshed range (with more engine options as well as the introduction of a saloon) enjoyed a surge in sales from 1987, though the MK3 Cavalier finally outsold it in 1990. Even in 1992, the Sierra was still Britain's fifth best selling car. It was nicknamed "the salesman's spaceship" on account of its status as a popular fleet car in Britain.[13]
In contrast to the Sierra's exterior design, its drivetrain was conservatively engineered, retaining rear-wheel drive and the same engines and transmissions as the Cortina/Taunus which were effectively 12 years old as they were first used on the TC1/MkIII generation in 1970. Much of this was done to appease the important fleet market which was wary of complexity. However, there was much modification; for example the engines were fitted with breakerless ignition, improved carburettors and the option of fuel injection, whilst 5-speed transmissions were now available. Most competitors were already switched to front-wheel drive around that time. Ford claimed however this set-up was required to offer V6-engines, which had to contribute to the Sierra's driving comfort. New for the Sierra was a diesel engine, although the engine itself wasn't new at all. Similar to the Ford Granada, Ford used an "Indenor"-engine which was designed by Peugeot in the 1950s. While the Granada was offered with 1.9, 2.1 and 2.5 diesels, the Sierra unit had a displacement of 2.3 liters. This rather outdated engine was replaced in 1989 by an all-new, 1.8-liter turbodiesel, developed by Ford itself. The Sierra had a four-speed manual gearbox as standard, with a five-speed as option but standard on the 2.3D and 2.3 V6. At a time when the rival Vauxhall Cavalier was offered with a five-speed, this led to some critics commenting that the Sierra was somewhat underpowered. In the mid-1980s, many smaller cars (some even two segments smaller) featured five-speed gearboxes as standard.
The chassis, however, was more sophisticated than the Cortina/Taunus, with fully independent suspension on both axles. The rear suspension was essentially carried over from the Granada, with trailing arms and coil springs mounted on a tubular sub-frame which also provided location for the final drive/differential housing driving the axle shafts. The front suspension dispensed with the Cortina/Taunus' double wishbones in favour of a scaled-up version of the Fiesta and Escort/Orion's layout with MacPherson struts, lower locating arms and anti-roll bars.
One striking feature of the Sierra was its closed front panel — where typically a grille was located, later found on the 1985 Ford Taurus. The air intake was situated below the front bumper, making the Sierra a so-called 'bottom breather'. The headlights were integrated in this front panel while the indicators were mounted in the bumper within a combined unit with the foglights. However, this set-up was only present on the top-of-the-line "Ghia"-trim as well on the later introduced XR4i sportmodel. The other Sierra models had a more traditional front end with a two-bar grille between the headlights, being unpainted on the base model. These models had the indicators in the bumper as well, although being slimmer but wider and without the foglights. Both the Ghia and XR4i had wide headlights with two lenses while the other models had smaller lights with a single lens. For the 1985 model year, all the lower-spec models, except the base model, adopted the Ghia and XR4i's front grille and headlight treatment. However, the second lens of the lower-spec models had no actual light within it. On the Ghia and XR4i this lens contained additional high beam lamps. The South-African XR8 model's front end was similar to the XR4i's but featured a small grille between the headlights. The rear lights of the Ghia, as well as the very early XR4i's, were the same shape and layout as other models, but featured tiny horizontal black strakes on the lenses to give the impression that they were smoked.
The car was replaced by the Mondeo in Europe in April 1993, though stocks lasted for about two years afterwards. The Sierra remained a popular second-hand buy and common sight on British roads until well beyond the year 2000.
Press evaluation
In Europe's largest auto-market, the magazine
The significance of this result was highlighted more than three decades later, in February 2015, when the magazine reported that no Ford model had beaten a Volkswagen under their road test criteria since the Sierra's "victory" in 1982.[14]
The Sierra missed out on the 1983 European Car of the Year award, ending second behind the Audi 100.[15]
Celebrity
Just before he became leader of the Labour Party in 1983, Neil Kinnock became the owner of one of the first Sierras produced for the British market, but his car was wrecked in a crash on the M4 motorway in Berkshire soon after he bought it. He escaped from the crash uninjured.[16]
In 1986 the founder of the
Willem-Alexander, then Prince of the Netherlands, crashed his Sierra XR4x4 in 1988 in the city of Leiden where he attended the university as a student.[17]
All-wheel drive
In 1985, at the
The original, rear-wheel drive XR4 was quickly taken out of production after the XR4x4 arrived. The XR4x4 originally came equipped with the 2.8 litre Cologne V6 engine using the same Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical injection system used since 1977 in the Granada, and since 1981 in the Capri, but it was replaced in 1989 by the new more efficient 2.9 litre Cologne V6 engine, with electronic fuel injection. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine also became available with the four-wheel drive system after the 1987 facelift.[23]
1987 facelift
In February 1987, a restyled Sierra was launched for the 1988 model year and a four-door saloon version was added to the range – this was marketed as the Sierra Sapphire on the UK market. The front end was completely revised, with the biggest difference seeing the indicators now positioned above the bumper and to the side of a new headlight design. While the grille again remained blanked-off, the UK, Irish, and South African versions of the newly introduced saloon version featured a unique shallow black grille between the headlights. That apart, all specifications of the Sierra now shared a common front end, unlike the original lineup. The side windows were made slightly larger with the corners made sharper to increase outward vision. The rear lights were replaced with slimmer but wider models containing separate stop lamps. The saloon got similar rear lights as the revised hatchbacks, though not interchangeable. The rear end of the estate did not change during the Sierra's lifespan. The interior was slightly modernized.
Also new to the range was a new 1.8 litre "lean burn" petrol engine, which proved to be one of the most popular choices in the Sierra range.
The XR4x4 was now based on the five-door hatchback bodystyle and featured different front and rear body-coloured bumper styling, along with wider side rubbing strips. The RS Cosworth, from January 1988, was now based on the newly introduced saloon bodystyle and featured another style of front bumper as well as the black grille which was only found on UK versions of the saloon bodystyle. The RS Cosworth received more power and four-wheel drive from January 1990. In addition, a roller cam engine was added in 1987 to prevent excessive wear to the cam.
From 1988 a pickup called the P100 was produced in Portugal using the Sierra-cab and engines, replacing the previous Cortina/Taunus-related model.
The Sierra was Ford's answer to the success of the
It was also a strong competitor for other rivals of the early 1980s, including the
Bodystyles
The switch to the Sierra from the
The company launched the
During the life of the car, two different styles of 3-door body were used; one with two pillars rear of the door, looking very much like a modified 5-door frame, as used on the high-performance XR4i; and a one-pillar design used on standard-performance 3-door hatchbacks and also at the other end of the scale as the basis for the very high-performance RS Cosworth.
At the time of the car's launch, both styles were already envisaged, and a demonstration model with one style on either side was displayed at a Sierra design exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but the one-pillar design was not launched until 1984. The three-door Sierra was later dropped in the UK after just two years, only to be revived for the Cosworth version. Production of the 3-door Sierra continued in continental Europe, including after the Sierra range was given a facelift in 1987, but this was never offered in the UK. After 1987, the Cosworth used the four-door saloon bodystyle instead.
A 5-door
-
Ford Sierra estate, with original aero design, and front panel of higher-specification models
-
1991 Ford Sierra LX Estate 1.8 (United Kingdom)
-
1989 Ford Sierra Sapphire GLS, with earlier red/white/amber rear lights (United Kingdom)
-
1991 Ford Sierra Sapphire 2.0 Ghia Automatic, showing the smoked rear lights in use from 1990-1993 (United Kingdom)
Versions
Photograph | Version | Built from | Built until |
---|---|---|---|
Ford Sierra (Mk I) | 1982 | 1987 | |
Ford Sierra (Mk II) | 1987 | 1990 | |
Ford Sierra (Mk II facelifted) | 1990 | 1993 |
Sierra model range
Powertrain Options
During its lifetime, the Sierra was available with a wide range of petrol engines:
- 1.3 I4 OHC (1294 cc; 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp)) Pinto engine;
- 1.6 I4 OHC (1593 cc; 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp)) Pinto engine, available in standard or economy tune;
- 1.8 I4 OHC (1796 cc; 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp)) Pinto engine(from 1985);
- 1.8 I4OHC (1769 cc; 87 PS (64 kW; 86 hp)) CVH Engine (from 06/1988);
- 2.0 I4 OHC (1998 cc; 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp)) Pinto engine;
- 2.0i I4 OHC (1993 cc; 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp)) Pinto engine with fuel injection(from 1985);
- 2.0i I4 DOHC (1998 cc; 120 PS (88 kW; 118 hp)) DOHC engine(from 1989);
- 2.0i I4 DOHC 16V Turbo (1993 cc; 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp)) DOHC engine, YB Turbo(RS Cosworth, 1986–1987);
- 2.0i I4 DOHC 16V Turbo (1993 cc; 227 PS (167 kW; 224 hp)) DOHC engine, YB Turbo(RS500 Cosworth, 1987);
- 2.0 V6 (1999 cc; 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp)) Cologne V6 engine;
- 2.3 V6 (2294 cc; 114 PS (84 kW; 112 hp)) Cologne V6 engine;
- 2.8i V6 (2792 cc; 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp)) Cologne V6 engine(XR4i, 1983–1985, XR4x4 1985–1987)
- 2.9i V6 (2935 cc; 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp)) Cologne V6 engine(XR4x4, from 1987)
Two diesel engines were available:
- 2.3 I4 D (2304 cc, 67 PS (49 kW; 66 hp)) Peugeot Diesel engine(1982–1989);
- 1.8 TD (1753 cc; 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp)) Endura-D engine(from 1990)
1300, 1600 and 2000 engines all had a 4-speed
The 2.0 V6 and 2.3 V6 versions of the Sierra were dropped at the end of 1985 and the 1.3-litre was discontinued in 1986. A carburetted 1.8 and a fuel injected 2.0-litre petrol engine were added at Geneva 1985.[27] In 1990, the 2.3-litre diesel was replaced by a 1.8-litre turbodiesel. The turbocharged 2-litre RS Cosworth engine featured on all three Cosworth versions of the Sierra; the three-door rear-wheel drive hatchback, the rear-wheel drive saloon, and the four-wheel drive saloon.
The sporting model XR4i utilized the 2.8 engine with mechanical fuel injection (Bosch K Jetronic) coupled to rear-wheel drive (1983–1985) and to
The well known Cosworth model was powered by a turbocharged 16-
In 1987, Ford introduced a four-door saloon (marketed in the UK as the Sierra Sapphire), which was sold alongside the hatchback and estate until the Sierra was replaced by the Mondeo in early 1993. The last Sierra rolled off the production line in December 1992.
The Sierra Cosworth line-up switched to a saloon bodystyle with a four-door arrangement in January 1988, aptly named the 'Sapphire', again with rear-wheel drive, before the four-wheel drive version replaced it two years later. The Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth was based on the second generation variant of the Sierra model, having a different front and rear fascia compared to the first generation Sierra. The same turbocharged 2-litre Cosworth YB engine found itself present in the Sapphire RS Cosworth as found with the three-door Sierra.
Sierras outside Europe
South Africa
In South Africa, the Sierra range featured both the five-door hatchback and station wagon bodies and production began at the Silverton (Pretoria) plant in January 1983.[29] The restyled Sierra range differed from its European equivalent by featuring the traditional grille of the Sierra Sapphire saloon on the hatchback[30] and wagon,[31] though later, the grille would feature on these models in Europe. The saloon, only introduced in South Africa in the second quarter of 1989,[32] was known simply as the "Ford Sapphire".[33]
Versions sold in South Africa were available with the 1.6 (
Versions were LX, GL and GLX, the Ghia trim level was not available for the South African market except on the Ford Sapphire, the saloon version.
As the 2.8/2.9 Cologne was never launched in South Africa, the venerable and popular Essex V6 remained the best normal production engine fitted to the Sierra. At the top of the range, the 2.3 GLS quickly gave way to a 3.0 GLX flagship model (producing less power but more torque than the XR6) and that was the end of the Cologne in South Africa, even the station wagon receiving the 3.0 V6 Essex. By 1985, the Sierra had become the largest Ford model in this market, following the demise of the Granada.
Towards the end of its production life, the Essex was modified again – the standard carburetted version was tuned to produce 110 kW (150 PS; 148 hp) from 1991 to 1993, while a fuel-injected version was available from 1992 to 1993. Fitted to the Sierra as the 3.0i RS (replacing the XR6) and to the Sapphire saloon as the Sapphire Ghia (replacing the 3.0 GLX), the fuel-injected Essex put out around 117 kW (157 hp) and was the most powerful Sierra/Sapphire version sold in South Africa, excluding the small number of XR8s built for homologation purposes. At the end of production a limited edition of 150 vehicles designated as 3.0i RS which based on the saloon (Sapphire) body was produced with some slight engine tweaks which resulted in a power output of 125 kW (170 PS; 168 hp). This vehicle was also fitted with the ATE ABS system as was customary only on the Sapphire GHIA models at the time. These limited edition vehicles were only available to two colours, namely red and white.
Uniquely, the 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,
The 1.6 Kent continued almost unchanged during the 9 year life of the Sierra/Sapphire, while the 2.0 Cologne was revised several times, being fitted to the Sierra 2.0 GL and GLE and later to the stripped down Sierra 2.0 LX and Sapphire 2.0 GL and GLE models. It eventually even received fuel injection in the Sapphire 2.0GLi, boosting the power from 77 kW (103 hp) to 85 kW (114 hp).
The Sierra was eventually replaced in South Africa by the Telstar in 1993.
New Zealand
Whereas British buyers rued the absence of a saloon version of the Sierra, in New Zealand, it was the absence of an estate (station wagon) there that customers missed, when
In one month in 1987, the facelifted Ford Sierra, by then a single station wagon model, was the country's top-selling car range.[41] A few fully built-up 2.3 V6 five-doors and XR4i three-doors were also imported from 1984.[38]
However, Ford cancelled the Sierra once Mazda, which developed the Telstar, could offer a station wagon. The Telstar wagon, while popular, never reached the Sierra's heights, especially its competition successes overseas. Further reasons could be customers' knowledge of the Telstar's Japanese roots, and that the equivalent
Relative rejection of the Telstar forced Ford to import completely built-up (CBU) premium models built in Genk, Belgium from 1990: the Sierra 2.0 GLX Wagon, the Sierra Sapphire 2.0 Ghia and the XR4×4 were part of this range. The advertising copy read, "Introducing the new car that needs no introduction." However, a relatively high price did not help – the Wagon began at over NZ$31,000 – and production errors in the launch brochure showed cars with no steering wheels. Furthermore, any marketing boosts Ford could have gained through Group A touring car racing were over with the Escort Cosworth becoming the company's standard-bearer in competition (and the Escort, meanwhile, was absent from the New Zealand market).
The Sierra was withdrawn from the New Zealand market in 1992, and it would be another five years before its European successor the Mondeo would arrive there. Sierra Cosworths remain sought-after performance cars.
By contrast, the Sierra was never sold in Australia, as there was less demand for a medium-sized wagon than in New Zealand, although the RS Cosworth/RS500 was used in the Australian Touring Car Championships from the late-1980s and early-1990s.
Argentina
In Argentina, the Sierra was offered as a five-door hatchback beginning in the summer of 1984.
The 1.6L was offered in GL model only, while the LX, Ghia, Ghia S/SX and XR4 were available with a 2.3-litre
The GL model was the base model replaced by the LX with the same equipment. The XR4 was eventually complemented by the five-door Ghia S/SX.
Venezuela
In Venezuela the locally assembled Ford Sierra was launched in 1985, the 2.8L V6 engine being standard on versions sold there, including the 5 door hatchback (280 LS and 280ES) and 3 door hatchback (XR4i and 280GT)[47] as well as the 5 door station wagon (Ranchera).[48] In 1990, a face-lifted version of the Sierra, powered by the 2.9L V6 engine was offered as both a hatchback and a saloon, the latter being known as the Sierra 300 Sapphire, although unlike the Sapphire in other markets, it had a blanked-off grille.[49] Also launched in Venezuela was the XR6i.[50]
North America
In North America, the Ford Sierra was offered under the now defunct
The XR4Ti was offered from the start of the Merkur brand in 1985 until 1989, equipped as a rear-wheel-drive 2.3-litre SOHC inline four-cylinder (commonly known as the "Lima" engine) equipped with a Garrett T3 turbocharger and fuel injection. The engine produced 175 hp (130 kW) and was largely the same engine as was available in the Mustang, where it produced 205 hp (153 kW) thanks to the fitment of an intercooler.
Negatively affecting the XR4Ti's popularity, North American safety and emissions regulations (including requiring air bags for all 1990 and newer vehicles, not required in foreign markets), forced costly
Mechanicals
Unlike many of its rivals, the Sierra retained
In the beginning the Sierra used
The Sierra also had a
Special edition models
In 1983, the high-performance XR4i version was introduced. It utilised the same 2.8 L Cologne engine as used in the
In South Africa, there was a 3.0 L V6 version, called the XR6, also made in South Africa was a limited run of 250
In 1985 the XR4i was replaced by the XR4x4, which was based on the five-door hatchback, had four-wheel drive and was powered by the same 2.8 L V6 engine but wasn't equipped with the bi-plane rear spoiler. Only a very limited number of three-door XR4x4's have been built. By the end of its production in 1990, 23,540 had been produced. From 1990 to 1993 the XR4x4 was available with both the revised 2.9 EFi and 2.0 DOHC EFi engines. The XR4i also made a reappearance (as a badging exercise) in 5-door form but with the DOHC 2.0 engine instead of the V6.
In 1989, Ford nodded towards its past and created the Sierra 2.0i 2000E, a model name used with limited success on the Mk3 Cortina. The Sierra 2000E had two-tone metallic paint, alloys, light grey leather interior, and a trip computer in addition the standard features on the 'Ghia' models. It was only available in saloon form and a limited number of models were sold between 1989 and 1991. Ford used this to showcase the new DOHC twin cam engine which was also released in 1989.
In Argentina the non-injected XR4 model was equipped with the Taunus 2.3 engine and was produced between 1986 and 1991. In this market the most direct rival was the Renault Fuego 2.2.
In July 1986, a special version called the
In 1987, a 225 PS (165 kW; 222 hp) Sierra Cosworth, the RS500, was sold alongside the regular version. Only 500 were produced as the minimum number of road-going cars required to meet with newly introduced homologation racing rules, allowing it to compete in evolution form for group A racing. The car was modified by the Tickford Engineering Company in conjunction with Ford. Revisions included uprated brakes and larger brake cooling ducts and modified front and rear spoilers (a second smaller rear spoiler was added beneath the large "whale-tail"), a modified front bumper to allow extra cooling for a larger intercooler, as well as various engine upgrades including a larger turbocharger and a second fuel rail (which did not operate on road models). Race outputs were as high as 550 bhp (410 kW; 558 PS), in which the Sierra dominated group A series around the world.
Racing versions of the Cosworth were highly successful in European and World Touring Car racing throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the RS500 helped Ford to win the manufacturer's title in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship. Ford was forced to fall back on the Sierra for rallying from 1987, after the banning of the Group B formula. With only rear-drive, the Sierra struggled to compete on looser surfaces but was very quick on asphalt, Didier Auriol winning his first World Championship rally in a Sierra in Corsica, 1988. It was replaced by the 4x4 Sapphire version from 1990, which never managed to win a World Championship event but became a popular and successful car in national championships. The Sierra was replaced by the Escort Cosworth in 1993.
In 1988, a new Cosworth was produced which was based on the Sierra Sapphire saloon. 13,140 were produced until it was replaced in 1990 by a four-wheel-drive version, the Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4, of which 12,250 were built. Its replacement came in the form of the Escort RS Cosworth which appeared in 1992, which used a shortened and developed version of the Sierra platform and running gear but clothed with an Escort-esque bodyshell and the return of the whale-tail spoiler.
Turbocharged versions
Turbocharged versions of the Sierra were also available as post-production models from companies like Janspeed and, most notably, from Turbo Technics. The XR4x4 2.8 was available with a range of aftermarket kits pushing power from 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) to over 200 hp (149 kW). The 2.9 got a twin-turbo setup, available with variants up to 280 hp (209 kW). Even the DOHC version got a single turbo kit, of which only a small number were made. Turbo Technics even sold their own pre-prepared Sierra known as the Minker; only a handful were ever produced, as they cost significantly more than Ford's own RS Cosworth.
In Finland, tax laws made the 1.3 L and 1.6 L-engined Sierras attractive business cars in the mid 1980s. Beginning in 1982, a number of these smaller engines were turbocharged locally in order to gain 2.0 L engine power without moving into the higher tax bracket. The 2.0 L
Changes during production life
After the major facelift of 1987, and the introduction of the DOHC engines in 1989, further changes to the Sierra were superficial. Some detail styling changes were made in 1990, when the dashboard styling was freshened up, the front was given clear-lensed indicators, the rear given smoked rear lamp lenses, the steering wheel redesigned and a new front grille was added, together with fuel injection as standard, 15-inch wheels and rear disc brakes. UK production of the Sierra ceased in 1990 with right hand drive production moving to Belgium.
For the 1991 model year, the 1.6-litre Pinto engine was finally dropped and replaced by a CVH unit of similar capacity, marking the end of the venerable Pinto unit after it had been introduced in the Cortina/Taunus some 21 years earlier. The 1992 model year cars saw the final revisions – most notably to the dashboard which gained a more rounded instrument binnacle similar in style to the 1990 Escort and Orion, along with specification, colour, and trim upgrades across the range.
By 1989, Ford had confirmed that the successor to the Sierra (due by 1993) would feature front-wheel drive, and a number of concept cars were shown in the motoring press, hinting at what the new car might look like. It had become clear that the Sierra had fallen out of step technologically against modern Japanese rivals which offered multi-valve engines and multi-link rear suspension. All of these features appeared on the Sierra's replacement, the
Popularity
The Sierra is the tenth-most popular car to have been sold in Britain, with 1,299,993 units having been sold.[53] The first Sierras were sold in October 1982, and stocks lasted for around two years after the end of production – with more than 200 models being sold in 1994 and at least one example being sold in 1995 (in February as an M-registered model).[citation needed]
The Sierra remained a common sight on the roads in the United Kingdom and several other European countries, and a popular second-hand buy, until well into the 21st century. However, just 2,425 Ford Sierras were reported to be taxed and still on UK roads in December 2019, with 11,562 currently
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- ^ Fisher, Brian (10 March 1983). "Lotus, R-R & Co". Le Moniteur de l'Automobile (in French). 34 (764). Brussels, Belgium: Editions Auto-Magazine: 28.
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- Auto, Motor und Sport: 46.
Lade der Nation: Deutschland ist ein KombiLand, rund 20 Prozent aller verkauften Autos gehoeren zu dieser Kategorie. Also tritt der neue Ford Mondeo als Kombi gegen den Bestseller in der Kombi-Mittelklasse an, den VW Passat. Wer bietet mehr, Turnier oder Variant?". Mention of the 1982 Sierra/Passat Comparison Road-test Re-surfaced in a February 2015 Comparison Test Involving Diesel Station Wagon ("Turnier"/"Variant") Versions of the Ford Mondeo and the Volkswagen Passat. In 2015 the Passat "won". 04/2015. Motor Presse Stuttgart - ^ "Previous winners". Car of the year. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
- The Glasgow Herald, 14 July 1983
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