The Ford Cougar was a D-segment coupe sold in Europe from 1998 to 2002 and in Canada and the United States as the Mercury Cougar from 1999 to 2002. It was originally intended to be the third-generation Probe, and it followed the Capri recipe of basing a coupe on the family car of the day.
Ford Cougar at a glance
| Maker | Ford, built in the United States, finished in Cologne |
|---|---|
| European sales | December 1998 – August 2002 |
| North American sales | 1999–2002, as the Mercury Cougar |
| Basis | Ford Mondeo platform |
| Engines | 2.0 L 16-valve Zetec, 131 hp; 2.5 L 24-valve Duratec V6, 170 hp |
| Gearboxes | manual or automatic |
| Wheels | 16-inch alloys as standard |
| Trims | two, roughly Mondeo Ghia and Ghia X |
| UK sales | about 12,000 in the first two years |
| Australian sales | October 1999 – March 2004, V6 only |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only.
History of the Ford Cougar
From Probe to Cougar
The car was meant to become the third-generation Probe, but after Ford rationalised the three coupes it had in the United States, the Probe name was dropped and the Cougar badge was used instead. It was Ford’s second attempt at a European sports coupe in the spirit of the Capri, the first having been the Mazda MX-6-based Probe. Like the Capri on the Cortina, the Cougar was built on the large family car of its day, the Mondeo. It went on sale in Europe in December 1998 to mixed reviews, partly because of the new and controversial New Edge styling.
Built in America, finished in Germany
The Cougar was built and sold in the United States, and cars for Europe and Britain were finished at Ford’s Cologne plant in Germany, where they received European lighting, Ford badges and, for Britain and Australia, right-hand drive. In the United States the same car was branded Mercury Cougar. In Britain it was unveiled in July 1998 at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and the television advertisement, featuring a silver car driven by Dennis Hopper, recreated a scene from Easy Rider with Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild”.
Equipment and the end
The Cougar came with the 2.0-litre 16-valve Zetec of 131 hp or the 2.5-litre 24-valve Duratec V6 of 170 hp, with manual or automatic gearboxes, 16-inch alloy wheels, driver, passenger and side airbags, anti-lock brakes, an engine immobiliser, remote double locking and an alarm. The larger engine could be ordered with an X-Pack of heated leather seats with six-way electric adjustment and a six-CD changer. It was withdrawn from Britain in February 2001 and from Europe in August 2002, after only about 12,000 sales in the UK in two years; Australian sales, V6 only, continued until March 2004.
Design and features
- Mondeo platform: a good ride and unusually generous interior room for a coupe.
- New Edge styling: the crisp look that later spread across the Ford range.
- Two engines: the 2.0 Zetec four and the 2.5 Duratec V6.
- Mercury twin: the same car sold in North America as the Mercury Cougar.
Ford Cougar versions
- 2.0 Zetec: 131 hp, the cheaper version.
- 2.5 Duratec V6: 170 hp, with the X-Pack option.
- Mercury Cougar: the North American version of 1999–2002.
- Australian Cougar: V6 only, sold from 1999 to 2004.
The Cougar followed the Capri and the Probe as Ford’s European coupe, and it was built on the Mondeo platform. More Ford vehicles are in the Ford collection.
Sources
- Ford Cougar, English Wikipedia: origins, markets, engines, equipment
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