BREAKING THE MOULD (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY JONATHAN CROUCH

Introductionword count: 62

It seems hard to believe now that the humble Sierra was a revolutionary of its time. It succeeded the Cortina and represented a giant risk for market-leader Ford, as it tried to leapfrog the competition with a radical 'aero' shape. The gamble paid off, after some initial buyer resistance, and the Sierra was a huge success with private and fleet buyers alike.

Modelsword count: 93

Models Covered: Sierra - 1987-1993 (1.3 3 & 5dr Hatchback [base, L], 1.6 Saloon or 'Sapphire', Hatchback & Estate [L, LX, GL, GLX, Laser, Classic], 1.8 Saloon/Sapphire, Hatchback and Estate [L, LX, GL, GLX, Ghia, Laser, Classic], 2.0 Saloon, Hatchback and Estate [LX, GL, GLX, iGLX, iGhia, E, 4x4, 4x4 iGhia], 2.0i turbo Saloon RS Cosworth and 4x4 RS Cosworth, 2.0i Hatchback XR4i and XR4x4i, 2.8 & 2.94x4i Hatchback and Estate XR & Ghia, 1.8 Turbo Diesel Saloon, Hatchback and Estate [Classic, LX, GLX, Laser], 2.3 Diesel Saloon, Hatchback and Estate [L, GL])

Historyword count: 145

The early cars are getting on a bit now, so you're probably best to concern yourself with 1990 or younger examples. The car was in production from late 1982, so any bugs were well and truly ironed out by then. The range of cars on offer is obviously enormous and quality will vary by just as much. There are three bodyshells to choose from; five-door hatchback, four-door saloon and five-door estate, each with a multitude of trim options. The saloons were officially called 'Sapphire' but the name never really caught on, so don't be surprised to see a four-door car claiming to be an ordinary Sierra. The last cars are generally easy to spot - the front indicator lenses are white, not orange, and remained so until the end of production in 1993 when the range was replaced by the all-new (and much better) Mondeo.

What You Getword count: 100

Anything from a humble bread and butter family saloon to a tearaway sports-racer. The majority of decent cars still on sale will be the 1.8 and 2.0-litre hatchbacks and they make sensible buying. The trade always preferred the rear-wheel drive Sierra to its Cavalier competitor, mostly because of the long, 10-year production run and the relative simplicity of the mechanicals. Even if you do get problems with any of these cars, chances are, there'll be someone who can fix them quickly and cheaply, close by. There are certainly advantages to driving what everyone else seemed to be driving only yesterday.

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