1988 Merkur XR4Ti review from North America
"Great bang for the buck in a sporty package"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Scrapes hell out of front spoiler.
Faulty cruise control.
Poor A/C unit.
General comments?
This american payed close attention in its German foreign language class-a great car.
It's very ergonomic, even without good A/C.
Power windows, sun/moonroof, and openable rear windows make it better ventilated than most 80's cars.
Fun to drive, but has excess body roll.
Well balanced to drive, like a poor-man's BMW.
Heated front seats come in handy on those cold winter days.
Needs more power/less body roll to really shine. Cosworth should've taken a more active roll in american Merkur development.
On the upside, the turbo and relatively standard make of the engine make it an extremely easy engine to tune for power. For around $310 US, you can buy a chip that'll up it 80 horse, making it 255hp, 290lb/ft. www.performanceford.com.
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| If working properly will be an awesome little 4 banger! |
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| Powerful comftorble fun to drive vehicle that deserves to be German |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.3L inline 4 turbo Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 75000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 156000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 13th July, 2003 |