Mercury’s Cougar combines rebellious styling having sporty addressing and you can a readily available V6 motor

Get a hold of Car

The latest 1967 Cougar joint style and gratification, and Mercury says it made an effort to achieve that exact same equilibrium whenever designing that it newest age bracket design that have front side-controls drive.

Design Roster

Several motors come. The bottom system is the Zetec, a two.0-liter twice over-talk, 16-device inline-cuatro rated within 125 hp and you may 130 legs-lbs out of torque. Recommended was a two.5-liter dohc, 24-device Duratec V6 rated within 170 horsepower and 165 base-lbs out-of torque.

You might tell hence engine the automobile have by deciding on the newest rims and you will rims: Six-talked 16-inch wheels include the latest V6 model, five-talked fifteen-inches tires feature the new cuatro-cylinder model. A straight back spoiler comes standard with the brand new V6, but could become removed to own a good $235 borrowing; it’s a great $235 solution on cuatro-tube.

Feet Cougar has cooling, 15-inches aluminum rims, stamina window, electricity door hair, energy level-variable seat and you can Are/FM/cassette stereo. The activity V6 option is sold with the spoiler, 16-inches wheels, disc brakes, fog lights, recreation seating, high-peak slim, and you may a leather-based-wrapped controls and you can move dick. A convenience class contributes cruise handle, buttocks washer therefore the superior music. An automated alert exists only to your V6 model. Solutions tend to be top airbags, Abs and you may traction control, a beneficial sunroof, and an out in-dashboard Video game user.

Walkaround

Having its catlike headlamps and capturing outlines, brand new Cougar ends up nothing else on the go. This coupe has effortless, cut counters laid out from the clean folds and you will sharp intersections. Areas of which vehicles turns out it absolutely was cut having a beneficial clear blade, as the rear fender is game, and you will reminiscent of the brand new Lexus South carolina. Which vehicles also offers particular nice exterior details: Small triangles tell you the region into jacking points. Top indicators act as turn indicators in order to aware motorists across the street.

Cougar looks ready to have high increase and you will wandering courses. Part of the cause for this really is their apparently long wheelbase that have Western european-build short overhangs.

Interior Possess

This new exterior’s New Edge college off construction is sent inside with a sweeping arch that surrounds the driver’s website name. It’s an incredibly functional environment that’s humorous on eyes. Stylish products ability white numbers on a dark-gray background. Switchgear seems large-technology and that best single men dating site Chicago is extremely functional. Tough round sky vents ability individual incorporated towards the/away from switches.

Leading container chairs was company and you can supportive. Getting into back is easy therefore the rear buckets try believe it or not safe. Scooped away chair bottoms provide an excellent headroom, when you’re space under the side seating will bring in balance legroom. Still, this can be no sedan. Not one person may wish to trip for long periods of time back around.

Operating Impressions

Cougar even offers surprisingly a dealing with and you can solid balances at the rates because I came across at the Path Atlanta, an excellent gutsy highest-rate path-race circuit in northern Georgia. No place is actually that it a whole lot more noticeable than at the entrances to make dos, a relatively sluggish technology destination in terms of body character. Brand new turn-in section for it proper-hands area was at the top of a hill which can be instantly preceded of the an instant leftover. We crested the newest mountain topped call at third resources. Since the automobile is cresting this new hill, this new suspension try unloaded and there’s little pounds for the rims – an emotional place for smooth braking. But very difficult stopping is needed to slow the automobile and you may it’s easy to braking system too late and take after dark turn-during the part. Stopping and flipping at the same time is definitely problematic and it’s really extremely difficult on suspension system unloaded. You can spin the car in this instance.

But the Cougar considered rock solid on turn-into the part, enabling us to open the brand new V6, dive down the mountain or take another selection of large-rate shape flat out. In contrast, an earlier-age group Mitsubishi Eclipse GS believed unclear therefore 2, and this quicker log off speed from the spot. An effective Saturn SC2 thought outright crude, though it managed fairly well. From higher-price turns, new Cougar are brand new Rock of Gibraltar. Its steering given most useful end up being compared to most other one or two vehicles and you may brand new suspension system offered additional control.

Cougar’s program is dependant on new Ford Shape and you can Mercury Mystique, but trips to your a broader song – the distance between your correct and you can left rims – and you can uses a much tighter suspension system to excite fan people. A rigorous chassis, solid anti-roll pubs, and you can large-rate springs are created to boost addressing. Particularly designed system mounts are made to attenuate audio. Pounds shipment was . Leading suspension uses MacPherson struts which have coil springs and lower A-hands. The rear try an excellent Quadralink system which have strut-style of coil springtime/dampers and you will passive buttocks direction.

The new racetrack take action is followed closely by a long blast from mountains northern from Atlanta where in fact the Cougar clung toward path such as for instance a pet clinging to help you a tree. This new Cougar considered at home on the hills and you may seemed appropriately entitled truth be told there. The stability offered believe if you find yourself its clean addressing and brisk throttle reaction recommended demanding operating. Brand new brakes, which use rotors lent throughout the large-results SVT Ford Figure, performed as opposed to fade in spite out of constant hard fool around with.

My personal thoughts were strengthened a week later, where in actuality the Cougar’s real direction and you may well-tuned suspension system assisted it cut cleanly by way of a strict autocross path close Baltimore. By comparison, an SC2 did actually assemble pylons, and the fuel steering pump into the a keen Eclipse GS couldn’t maintain steering inputs through the slalom.

The base Cougar try an incredibly able to vehicle you to prompts saturated riding. Ford’s 4-tube Zetec system provides good response from the road speeds. It engine weighs in at below the new V6, and that enhances the balance of one’s auto.

However, it appears to be a pity purchasing an effective Cougar without having any brilliant Duratec V6. Smooth and you can advanced level if you’re cruising, they gives off a pleasurable growl whenever riled. Although it cannot provide the Cougar this new strike out-of a keen Acura Integra GS-Roentgen or Honda Prelude SH, this may match these two athletics coupes toward north Georgia’s mountainous roads. Only aren’t getting spoke toward a drag battle to have green slips as you you will lose. Low-price and you can position-begin acceleration is good, but passageway electricity is superb. Finest rates is actually projected at 137 mph, however, we haven’t tried you to.

The newest simple-shifting 5-price instructions gearbox was eliminate really into the V6, having percentages one to complement the newest torque of motor. I strongly recommend it. Brand new five-rates automatic is made to promote simple moving forward and to get rid of trying to find gears when travel down and up enough time levels.

Bottom line

Riding lovers in the market for a sport coupe should simply take a close look at the Cougar V6. People that require an attractive, important coupe can’t go wrong to the 4-cylinder model. Both are valued aggressively to contend with particular designs out of Japan.