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:
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Just Say NO - 2000 Mercury Cougar
By No Thanks - June 2 - 7:53 pmCougars are really beautiful cars. BUT dont let looks fool you! Mechanically, this car is awful. The interior & exterior lights would flicker horribly. At night, I could barely see. & eventually, it got to the point where I wouldnt even drive the car at night. I would feel the car begin to sputter & shake whenever I drove uphill. I tried to help these problems but after 4 alternators, a complete rewiring, new struts & a new rear axle: I traded it in! It was so disheartening to think that I had such a hot car but I didnt feel safe in it. I hated driving it so much that in the 4 years I had the car, I only put 20,000 miles on it. I would not recommend a Cougar to anyone.
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My 2nd Lemon - 2000 Mercury Cougar
By Raff - May 21 - 10:00 amI am the un-proud owner of a 2000 Cougar, after Ford replaced my 1999 Cougar that was plagued with issues. The 2000 is no better! New transmission in under 18K miles, sloppy front end, multiple front tire rebalancing, bad oil seal on the pan, coolant leaks, radio problems, bad left/front half axel, new brakes in under 20K miles, bad steering knuckle, and the list goes on!!! Holman service is a disaster to boot. They replaced the trans and while driving home from the shop, the front left tire fell off! Almost got killed on that one. Never again would I buy ANY Ford product!!
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Sleeper hit! - 1996 Mercury Cougar
By silveeto - May 21 - 3:40 amI fell into owning this car accidentally. My aunt was moving and had no room for it anymore, so I traded her a set of couches and a couple hundred bucks for it. I figured Id just flip it and make a few extra bucks. NOPE. What I thought was an old mans car actually turned out to be a fun sporty powerhouse of a car that I just cant part with now.
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too many problems - 2000 Mercury Cougar
By Nkb310 - May 10 - 4:06 pmthe second day i braught it home, it has trouble starting, i got new battery, new starter, and it still wont start properly..its not reliable...i dont want to be stranded, a week after having it i had to get 2 new altenators put in...and it howls wich i dont like...i have had nothing but problems since the say i baught it which is too bad becuase i love everyhting else about it, i love the driving, the stereo, the appearance, and even the annoying cup holder...
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Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By manx kitty - April 25 - 7:36 amThis is my 3rd car and it has been great - no problems whatsoever! It is now 6 years old and has a little over 85,000 miles and the only thing it has been in the shop for is the alternator which went out at 5 years/70,000; however, alternators are a common replacement item on cars. Great gas mileage - I get 6 days out of a tank of gas. I have/will continue to recommend this car to anyone.
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My Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By Chassidy - April 6 - 1:50 pmI love my little cougar, it gets me where i need to go with no problems
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The Cougar Curse is here as well. - 2001 Mercury Cougar
By clayman - March 29 - 10:00 amLoved my cougar when I got it.Parents wanted a good car that could handle LOTS of miles for when I left for college(I drive back and forth from Norman Oklahoma (Go Sooners!),sometimes twice a month, the car is a little over 2 years old, and has 87,000 on it)At 11k, brakes where bad, 34k new transmission put in, week later the drivers side window stopped.CD player skips like mad.Trunk pop still does not work.At 60k ,transmission replaced again. 6 months ago,the door handle on the pass side broke.I constantly find nuts and bolts on the floor of the car, from diffrent places in the dash.
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pain in the wallet - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By cpjones - March 29 - 10:00 amI was dating my future wife who wanted to buy a chrysler, but i talked her out of it, I wish she had not listened to me. I never thought of myself as a mechanic but thanks to this car I have learned alot about fixing cars(repairs are so expesive that i could not afford to have the dealer do them). To say that I dont like this car is an understatment. I feel that ford should be ashamed for even putting this car on the market. When I called ford about the electrical problem, they gave me the sorry about your luck speach.
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All in all, a great vehicle - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By Julie - March 28 - 2:20 pmI bought this vehicle after driving a 1993 Ford Probe for 5 1/2 years. It had several things go wrong within the first few months. I figured it was right off the assembly line so it was normal to have a few bugs worked out. The airbag & engine lights came on, it sputtered and died when I drove through puddles. All that were caused by faulty sensors and a loose serpentine belt. I had an extended warranty so thankfully I didnt have to pay for any of it. After it was fixed, I never had another problem.
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Lemon any one? - 2002 Mercury Cougar
By nichole57 - March 23 - 9:30 amThis is the worst car ever! Ive had it four months and its a death trap. Ive already replaced the fuel line and pumps,spark plugs, cat. converter, starter, pumps and hoses that were fried by exhaust. I got into a bad accident due to the brakes,power steering and emergency brake failing. This car was a terrible buy. Its very comfy and sleek and OK on gas mileage. When not in the shop it is actually very fun to drive because of its pick up and go.
