The last facelift for the Sierra lineup was the car that marked the end of the rear-wheel-drive mid-size sedans for Ford in Europe.
Ford introduced the Sierra in 1982 as a three- and five-door hatchback and a station wagon. In 1990, Ford refreshed the lineup again and improved the car to keep-up with the rest of the mid-size segment competitors. The Sierra offered more trunk space in the five-door version, and its hatchback styling was still bold enough for a market that tended to ditch the old-school design with sharp lines and flat panels.

At the front, there were new, wider headlights with a grille between them. Ford considered that more air might be good for the new, or improved, engines. On the sides, the standard tinted windows gave the car an upscale look, and in the rear, the smoked taillights induced a sporty image.

Inside, there was a new dashboard design with a distinct area to store tapes for the cassette-player. On the base trim level, the Sierra featured cranked windows and not too many on-board features. But the options list was long, and a well-equipped Sierra offered air-conditioning, power windows, sunroof, and automatic gearbox. In the back, like its predecessor, the five-door version featured a folding rear seat backseat.

Under the hood, Ford enhanced the engine lineup and introduced a twin-cam two-liter engine that produced up to 120 hp on the XR4i version. A new five-speed manual gearbox enhanced the driving pleasure. On top of that, a 1.8-liter turbo-diesel engine replaced the older Peugeot 2.3-liter unit and added more performance and better fuel-efficiency to the car.