Overview & Reviews
Depending on how old you are, you probably have different recollections of the Mercury Cougar: Baby boomers will likely remember the original V8-powered pony car and its evolutionary change into a big, personal luxury coupe. Car enthusiasts of a younger vintage are probably more familiar with the Cougar as a small, spry front-wheel-drive sport coupe. About the only common link between all Cougars is their Ford genetics.
Debuting in 1967, the first Mercury Cougar was closely related to the second-generation Mustang. Mercury's version was marketed as being more plush and European. Coupe and convertible versions were offered, and this was the first time that "XR-7" appeared as an option package. From a performance standpoint, these early Cougars were highly regarded, especially as they could be equipped with a variety of powerful V8 engines.
By the mid-1970s, however, the focus on performance had diminished. The Mercury Cougar of this era was more of a personal luxury car. Mercury even experimented with sedan and station wagon variants. The Cougar finally settled into its role as a luxurious coupe at the dawn of the 1980s. As a close relative of the Thunderbird (atop Ford's new "Fox" chassis), the Cougar remained rear-wheel drive and could be V6- or V8-powered.
With consumer tastes shifting away from this type of vehicle in the 1990s, Mercury cut all previous ties for the Cougar's final iteration. As a smaller front-wheel-drive coupe with a focus on style, this Cougar was meant to draw in young buyers who otherwise perceived the Mercury brand as being old and out of touch. However, this approach didn't quite work as well as Mercury had hoped. Faced with disappointing Cougar sales, Mercury finally pulled the plug on one of its most popular and well-known nameplates in 2002.
Most recent Mercury Cougar
The Mercury Cougar spanning from 1999 to 2002 was based on the Ford Contour (and the associated Mercury Mystique), a small sedan with European breeding. Mercury hoped these underpinnings would give the Cougar a sparkling on-road personality while the coupe's sharp "New Edge" styling did the rest, yet this generation of Cougar never met with much success. Some say the car's branding as a Mercury ruined its chances with the younger consumers the company was after, though our experience with the car gives us a few theories of our own.
The Cougar had the makings of a credible entry-level sport coupe thanks to its accurate handling, head-turning exterior styling and an available 2.5-liter V6 with a five-speed manual transmission or four-speed automatic. It also had a generally well-laid-out and comfortable interior (rear seats excepted), a surprisingly utilitarian hatchback body style and a price that was considerably less than other competing models of the time.
On the other hand, the car was merely adequate in a lot of ways. Steering feel was heavy, and acceleration was nothing special, even with the 170-horsepower V6 (the standard four-cylinder put out a meager 125 hp). Outward visibility was also poor. In a comparison test of six sport coupes we conducted in 2001, the Mercury Cougar finished last.
Needless to say, this wasn't one of our favorite sport coupes. Shoppers still interested in a used Cougar from this vintage, however, can pretty much look at any year, as Mercury didn't make any significant changes during the model's four-year run. Slightly altered front styling went into the '01 model, when the instruments and steering wheel were also revised. For the Cougar's final year, Mercury released the 35th Anniversary Package with chrome wheels, hood scoop and an in-dash CD changer. There were also a few special appearance packages, such as the C2, the Zn ("Zinc Yellow") and the XR.
Past Mercury Cougar models
The last and best of the traditional Mercury Cougars came along in 1989. Along with the still-related Thunderbird, the Cougar was redesigned atop a new chassis with an independent rear suspension, and to everyone's surprise, gave up its V8. Instead, this Mercury Cougar used a pushrod 3.8-liter V6 with 140 hp (supercharged to 210 hp in upscale XR-7 trim).
The 1991 model year saw the demise of the five-speed manual transmission and the dropping of the supercharged V6 in favor of Ford's classic 4.9-liter pushrod V8, rated at 200 hp. A better 205-hp 4.6-liter SOHC V8 replaced it in 1994, when the body got a styling refresh and the motorized seatbelts were traded for dual airbags. More styling changes came in 1996, and the interior was made over for the Cougar's last year in 1997.
The basics stayed consistent throughout this Cougar's model cycle. A 200-inch-long body, roughly 3,600 pounds of weight and numb steering kept it from being truly sporty, but rear-wheel drive and the all-independent suspension gave it respectable handling and a rather serene ride. Acceleration was fine with any engine besides the basic V6, though gas mileage was pretty dismal regardless. Interiors are attractive (despite Ford's old hard-to-use radio) and four adults will fit, though the Cougar's interior space and comfort are more in line with that of a midsize car than its size and weight suggest.
There are definitely smaller, lighter, faster, more efficient ways to cruise the streets in two-door style, but if rear-drive, a V8, a decent-size backseat and a low price are of top importance (and muscle cars aren't your thing), this generation of the Mercury Cougar is probably a pretty good pick.
User Reviews:
Showing 41 through 50 of 442.00-
Fun! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
By AJ - January 20 - 7:43 amI love this car. It is a blast to drive, especially on a windy road. Even though it is nearly 7 years old, it still looks and drives like new.
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I love/Husband Hates - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By kac4 - January 11 - 3:23 amDoes someone have an answer ? when my husband first bought this car for me this summer it had 112,000 on it. An let me just tell you I can usually get miles out of my cars. but so far I havent been able to, we thought that the headlights were the ownely thing wrong. But we were wrong there is a electrical problam, the wheel bearing, the radio buzzes, if I use my rear wiper then my front ones go off too!Then we went too go get a new excaust an come too find out the k-frame rotted out so bad that I could put my foot through one of the holes. Im lucky my family didnt get hurt. So anyways my car has 18 open recalls did it get fixed NO !! I say ford should do something about this.
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Been Good to me - 2000 Mercury Cougar
By mercowner - January 5 - 10:00 amBought it new and nothing has gone wrong with it yet. Im pretty tall and fit fine in it, which is kinda surprising for being a sport-compact. I average 25 mpg with a v6 and an automatic. Thats with a fair mix of city and highway driving. It is an oddball tire size, so they can be expensive, but I went one size up to a common size and they were cheap. It didnt change the ride or speedometer to where Id notice. Overall if I had the initial buying decision to do over again, Id still buy it.
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Great Car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By Mike - December 24 - 3:06 pmBought the car (V6 and auto) almost 7 years ago and driven 61,000 miles. Have owned about 30 cars over the years including real sports cars and this is about the best. No major problems with the car. Spent less than $100 fixing problems over the years. Put on new tires once and new brakes once. Love the looks of the car and it is unbelievable how much we have hauled using the hatchback. Get 35 miles per gallon on highway at 75 mph and about 24 around town.
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Great on gas but a MONEY PIT - 2001 Mercury Cougar
By richie19r - December 15 - 5:20 amBought it with 79k for my wife in 98. Has 112k now. Car looks great outside, inside is a little small. I dont know what everyone is talking about with the gas, i average 35 mpg going 60, and about 32 mpg going 70. so far, replaced both rear shocks, fuel pump, both timing chains, water pump, plugs, wires, all 4 brakes. Now I have about 3 different noises coming from the car, in which all i cant find. Im tired of dropping money into it. As soon as something is fixed, something else needs fixed. I dont recommend it to anyone that cant work on cars!!
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Great - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By Cougar - December 10 - 3:36 pmGreat Car. To the person who bought their Cougar with 100K miles and ripped it for "poor quality". Anyone who buys a car like a Cougar with 100K miles and expects it to be "ok" needs to research more. And to think Ford should repay the customer who bought a used car with 100K is just down right funny. By the way, my cougar didnt start having troubles till 120K miles. Got rid of it in 2008 cause the tranny went out. I loved that car, no problems till 2008. If you keep up the maintenance on any car, it will last.
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Great, Reliable, Affordable - 2000 Mercury Cougar
By david689 - December 9 - 11:30 pmI drive my Cougar every day, 60 miles each way almost with no problems. Gets pretty good mpg. Sporty and safe, the Cougar is the best of both worlds. Not too roomy inside but thats expected.
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EXCELLENT CAR FOR THE $$$ - 2001 Mercury Cougar
By ANTHONYN925 - December 9 - 2:00 amBETTER THAN THE FORD MUSTANG. YOU REALLY DONT SEE THAT MANY OF THEM ON THE ROAD, SO WHEN YOU DO, PEOPLE STARE ALITTLE LONGER AT THE 2001 COUGAR.
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Beautiful Car - 2002 Mercury Cougar
By KoJoe - December 8 - 10:00 amGreat car, Birthday Present, Plenty of room Friends love the sporty look and just fun to drive!
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Overall nice car - 2002 Mercury Cougar
By rick - October 12 - 4:53 pmBought new in 02 for wife who is tougher on cars than I am. Only mechanical issue in five years has been rear brakes and coil pack. Its got decent power for a 2.5 litre V6 and still gets around 27mpg. Rear visibility isnt good and took some getting used to and it has a killer blind spot. Turning radius is terrible when youre used to foreign cars, but it handles and rides very well. Seats are comfortable and head and shoulder room are more than adequate for me (6 feet tall, 210 lbs.) The tach has no redline and with the 5 speed stick and the engine being so quiet, thats an issue. Not surprised that Ford made this nice car and almost immediately discontinued it.
