Find Cheap Gas Merkur
Contrast to Ford of Europe
It is interesting to contrast the relative failure of the find cheap gas for Merkur vehicles compared to the success of the European versions. The Sierra was introduced as a replacement for the aging /, which was a bold move at the time considering the Cortina/Taunus was one of Ford's best selling cars. Despite initial misgivings about the styling, Sierra went on to be the second best selling car in Europe[], second only to Ford's own . European Sierras were available in 3-door hatchback, 5-door hatchback, 4-door sedans, 5-door station wagons, and even a pickup truck called the P100. Engines were available from a 1.3 litre 60 hp 4 cylinder, to a 160 hp 2.8 litre V6, or a 2 litre, 16 valve, turbocharged and intercooled 4 cylinder as fitted to the Sierra . According to British government test figures, fuel efficient models such as the 1.6 Economy could do 51 mpg (imp) (5.5 L/100 km/42 mpg US) at a steady 56 mph (90 km/h), and 30 mpg (imp) (9.4 L/100 km/25 mpg US) simulated urban driving. At the other end of the spectrum the Sierra Cosworth would do 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds and go on to a top speed of almost 150 mph (240 km/h) (and still capable of over 20 mpg (imp) (14 L/100 km/17 mpg US) if driven gently). Oddly, the Sierra XR range and the Cosworth models are not viewed as sales flops in Europe, despite individual models selling less numbers than the XR4Ti.
Like the Sierra, the Scorpio was also introduced to replace another popular model, the , so popular in fact that in the UK and Ireland the Granada name was still used with the Scorpio name used for the top of the range versions. This started life as a 5-door hatchback, and later became available in a 4 door sedan and a 5 door wagon. An "executive express" in the form of the Scorpio Cosworth was produced, powered by a 2.9 litre, 24 valve Cosworth V6 motor. This featured 16" aluminum alloy wheels similar to the wheels, a rear spoiler, and additional ground effects.
Before Ford pulled the plug, there were rumors that it would begin sourcing South American-made Sierras, but nothing came of this. There are accounts of a 16-valve turbocharged engine that was in prototype stage as well. This engine was never produced.