This luxury American Ford cost more than most high-end European cars, and for a good reason
- The American luxury Ford Granada Scorpio 4×4 was groundbreaking
- It was the most expensive in its class at just over $25,000 in 1986
- However, it just wasn’t powerful or classy enough for the money
Published on May 17, 2025 at 5:25 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on May 21, 2025 at 8:38 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
In 1986, this American luxury Ford Granada Scorpio 4×4 was the most expensive in its class at just over $25,000, despite packing just 150HP.
In fact, at the time of production from 1985 to 1994, it cost more than Mercedes, BMW, and SAAB.
Sadly, it lacked the prestige of those luxury European brands.
However, when you take a closer look, the reason behind its elevated price tag soon becomes clear.
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So what was behind the identity crisis of the Ford Granada Scorpio 4×4?
According to automotive enthusiast and YouTuber behind the Number27 channel, the car’s conservative chassis used a stretched Sierra platform with MacPherson struts and trailing arms, which was decent but not sporty.
However, step inside the cabin, and its spacious interior offered significantly more rear legroom and boot space than its German rivals, making for a comfortable and elevated driver and passenger experience.
The cherry on top was the fact that the high-end Ford was loaded with unexpected luxury features, including electric seats, heated windscreen, ABS, cruise control, graphic equalizer, and more.
The problem was that it was all about style over substance: packing in the tech rather than focusing on all-important engineering finesse or brand value.
It may have been comfortable and quiet on long drives, but it was an uninspiring drive.
Sadly for Ford, consumers saw more value in similarly priced, more powerful, and better-respected German options.
While its hatchback styling aged better than expected, later facelifted iterations, including the Ford Scorpio Ultima, had a reputation as being both ugly and off-putting.
The later Cosworth Edition was the Highlight, with the 2.9L V6 version offering nearly 195HP and decent performance.
In fact, it was considered something of a technological pioneer as it was the first car to have ABS as standard across all trims.
Sadly, the lofty ambitions of the luxury Ford Granada Scorpio 4×4 fell short due to pricing, brand perception, and market expectations, and like this popular Ford model, it was discontinued.
For more, check out this Ford that cost more than a Lamborghini and took the company into another dimension.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
