Edmunds’ Professional Overview
Original design, well-tuned suspension, large luggage room. Speed from four-cylinder unit are District of Columbia dating sites unable to match juicy appearances, heavier direction, compromised outward presence.
Car overview
Plus don’t count on Cougar customers as cross-shopping for the big Marquis; this kitty kat aims at an alternate group.
Featuring Ford’s short-lived New Edge design motif, Cougar’s find integrates streamlined, curved primary forms with creased straightedge details. The most fascinating elements of the Cougar’s look are the cat’s eye headlamps with smoked lenses, huge triangular taillights, sculpted gates and cover, therefore the personality range that operates over the reduced portion of the greenhouse.
Underneath this eye-catching facial skin were components which are a great deal more common. The Cougar is created for a passing fancy European-engineered system that produced the old Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique. What’s more, it offers around 70 per cent of their components with those two lifeless entry-level but fun-to-drive sedans.
Therefore, the Cougar is endowed with a fantastic suspension, natural managing traits and effective brake system. This means plenty of fun on curvy roads. The one and only thing slowing the Cougar lower was its heavy steering feel and engines that do not very carry out properly making use of the automobile’s exciting styles. Ford offers either a 125-horsepower four-cylinder system or a 2.5-liter V6 that produces 170 horsepowerpared on the engines based in the Acura RSX therefore the Volkswagen GTI, the Cougar is a little shy on energy. Traction controls can be acquired throughout the V6 recreation, but the audience isn’t convinced you will need they.
Mercury was actually originally about to offering a superior version known as Cougar S just last year, that includes the existing Ford SVT Contour’s spectacular engine, but that car is shelved. As an alternative, two special versions — the XR and C2 — might be offered once you find the Cougar V6 Sport. The XR try sheathed in unique red or black paint and rides on 17-inch machined aluminum wheels finished with black-painted harbors and red middle limits. It provides a rear spoiler and unconvincing artificial bonnet information. The C2 will get unique French azure paint, with French azure instrumentation and a French Blue spoiler. The machined aluminum wheels has French azure heart limits. Why don’t they refer to it as the Cougar FB? Because you may also get it coated in white, silver or black colored, also.
For all Cougar rooms, you will discover the standard controls design with an extremely unusual looks. Accessing the seat is actually very simple, using a forward traveler chair that slips onward once the backrest is folded and then returns to the preset position once cyclists include protected in straight back. The rear chairs tend to be fast and put the rider high in the car; taller grownups can find that her minds is squashed into the headliner. Fold those chairs lower, and you’re blessed with a giant cargo area.
A CD player try common, helping to make feel in a vehicle sold to teenagers, and a handy six-CD in-dash changer try optional. The instrument cluster displays satin aluminum-faced gauges and graphics, and several hardware become complete with satin aluminum paint. Similar to almost every other youth-oriented vehicles offered ever since the Audi TT concerned promote a couple of years back. Part airbags were common on V6 Sport designs, but unavailable on regular Cougars. If you need stomach, you’ve gotta bring a V6 system.
Regardless of the relative decreased oomph, the Cougar still has a lot to provide. It really is affordable, functional, enjoyable to drive and neat to consider. But without extra energy and a diet plan, it can’t hope to contend with trucks like Acura RSX and Toyota Celica.