In another departure from tradition, the Sierra was initially unavailable as a saloon. At its launch it was available as a 5-door hatchback and a 5-door estate, and from 1983 as a 3-door hatchback. Until the launch of the Orion in 1983, the larger and more expensive Granada was the only saloon-bodied car available in the European Ford range.
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.
The Ford Cortina had been manufactured in saloon and estate bodystyles but after the switch to the Sierra, combined with the redesign of the Ford Escort to Mark III level in 1980 and the introduction of the Ford Granada Mark III in 1985, Ford had changed its saloon-based line-up into a hatchback-based one.
The company launched the Ford Orion in 1983 to fill the gap in the saloon range between the late Cortina and the new Sierra. Ford found that customers were more attached to the idea of a saloon than they had expected, and this was further addressed in 1987 by the production of a saloon version of the Sierra. In the UK, this model was called the Ford Sierra Sapphire. This differed from the other Sierra models in having a traditional black grille, which only appeared in right hand drive markets. The 3-door Sierra was dropped in the UK in 1985, although the Cosworth version continued. Production of the 3-door Sierra continued in Europe, including after the Sierra range was given a facelift in 1987. The remodelled 3-door was never offered in the UK, having been withdrawn in 1984.
Sierra model range
Drivetrain options
The Sierra was available with a wide range of engines:
- 1.3 OHC (1294 cc; 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp) Pinto engine, available in standard or economy tune;
- 1.6 OHC (1593 cc; 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) Pinto engine, available in standard or economy tune;
- 2.0 OHC (1998 cc; 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) Pinto engine;
- 1.8 OHC 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp) Pinto engine (from 1984);
- 2.0 OHC 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) Pinto engine with fuel injection (from 1985);
- 1.8 OHC 90 bhp (67 kW; 91 PS) CVH Engine (from 1989)
- 1.8 TD 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) Endura-D engine (from 1989);
- 2.0 DOHC (1998 cc; 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) DOHC engine (from 1989);
- 2.3 V6 (2294 cc; 114 PS (84 kW; 112 hp) Cologne V6 engine;
- 2.3 D (2304 cc, 67 PS (49 kW; 66 hp) Peugeot Diesel engine;
- 2.8i (2792 cc; 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) Cologne V6 engine (XR4i, from 1983)
- 2.9i (2935 cc; 145 PS (107 kW; 143 hp) Cologne V6 engine (XR4x4, from 1987)
- RS Cosworth (1993 cc; 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) YB Turbo) (from 1986)
1300, 1600 and 2000 engines all have a 4-speed manual gearbox; a 5-speed manual gearbox was optional with 1600 and 2000 engines, and standard with the 1600 Economy engine, the 2300 and 2300 Diesel. An optional 3-speed automatic transmission was available with 1600, 2000 and 2300 engines.
Sporting models utilized the 2.8 / 2.9 litre V6 engines coupled to a four wheel drive system (GLS4X4/XR4x4) and, more notably the well known Cosworth model which was powered by a turbocharged 16 valve 4-cylinder engine known as the YB which was based on the Ford 'Pinto' block. The Ford Sierra Cosworth was first introduced in 1985 as a three door hatchback, with a 2 litre DOHC turbo engine producing 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp). At the time Ford wanted to compete in group A touring cars and therefore eligible to produce a limited run of 10% of the initial production, therefore this would be 500 cars. this was known as an 'evolution' model. Ford employed Tickford to help with the development. The Sierra RS500 as it was known sported a small additional rear spoiler, and larger front chin spoiler, extra cooling ducts for the engine, brakes and intercooler. Under the bonnet a larger turbo and intercooler was fitted along with an extra set of injectors, so instead of the standard four injectors it was built with eight, although in road trim these extra injectors did not function. These modifications produced 225 PS (165 kW; 222 hp) in road trim and around 550 hp (410 kW) in race trim. They were very successful in motorsport[citation needed] and are highly tunable road cars with a very large following.
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.
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