2002 Mercury Cougar

January 30, 2003 | Wayne

This post was written by guest author, The One and Only Wayne.

In 1998, the Mercury released the Cougar as a 1999 model. It was a departure from the previous model, which had been a large, rear-wheel drive coupe with no sporting intentions. This new Cat was not only front-wheel drive, but smaller, lighter, and, dare I say, sporty. Possibly the most noticeable thing about the new Cougar was it’s styling. And that’s what first drew me in. In 2002, I was finally able to purchase one of my very own, and it’s still the best-looking car on the road.

The concept behind the styling of the Mercury Cougar is what Ford calls “New Edge.” It combines sharp edges and shapes with a smooth overall shape. The overall impression is that this is a much faster and exciting car than the previous model, which this most certainly is. While seen rarely in America (Mustang and Focus), this theme is widely used in Europe in vehicles such as the Ka, Mondeo, Focus, and the Cougar.

Yes, you read that correctly: the Cougar is a European car. No longer is it the Mustang twin that the nameplate started out as. This brought with it advantages, but may also have helped lead to this model’s downfall.

The Cougar is (or was, seeing as production has now ceased) built in Michigan, not imported from Europe as one might think. They kept the vehicle in tact, however, retaining a European feel and quality. Unfortunately, one thing that did not make the transition was the engine. The 2.5L Duratec V6 was detuned so that 87-octane fuel could be used. This brought horsepower down to 170 from an engine that should be able to produce at least 200. This affects not only the car’s performance, but gives the Cougar’s competitors, almost all of which sport stronger engines, another selling point.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a still a sporty car, but straight-line acceleration is not this car’s strength, running to 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds. What it can do is corner. The 16″ BFGoodrich Comp T/A VR-4 tires that came on my V6 Sport model have more grip than one would ever need, which makes sense because these are the same tires that were recently used on the Ford Mustang Cobra. This car will take turns at seemingly any speed, never feeling uncontrolled and producing just the right amount of squeal from the tires.

Of course, performance isn’t the only thing one should worry about when deciding which car to buy. Since most of the time one will be inside of the car, it has to be comfortable and interesting. The interior of the Cougar packs both of these qualities, something I had not initially expected.

Designers carried the styling from the outside to the inside, with good success. The dash has sweeping lines and different textures. The gauges have a light metallic fact that look great in the day and provide great contrast to the green lights at night. Controls for the rear-window defroster and traction control are mounted in attractive, prominent buttons just above the climate controls, which consist of three simple knobs, as seems universal these days.

The seats are supportive, especially when performing some hard turn, and feature standard electronic height adjustment. The back seat is a little short in legroom, but this car was not intended to carry anyone but the driver and passenger. The trunk area is impressive for a car of this size, and if more room is needed, both rear seatbacks fold down. Overall, the interior is pretty well thought out and works well.

The final price for my Cougar was around $19,000 for a V6 Sport model. It has every feature possible in the car except for leather seats, sunroof, and automatic transmission. I’ve got everything I need or want, including alloy wheels, ABS, 6 disc in-dash stereo, trip computer, chrome exhaust tip, aluminum door sills, alloy pedals, A/C, and four wheel disc brakes. It’s great value, especially when compared to other cars out there.

The price drops even more now that Mercury will take $3000 off any Cougars that are still around.

Something that stands out in my mind is how this car has changed in the last four years, or how it hasn’t. The sport compact segment is fickle, and if something isn’t new, it’s often not worth even looking at. Ford gave the Cougar what amounted to paint and spoiler packages while the public was looking for performance. A 200 horsepower “S” version was being prepared, and was actually in the 2001 product brochure, but the plug was pulled at the last minute. Ford dropped the ball on this car, a car that everyone had high hopes for, and it’s the Cougar fans that have suffered.

The Mercury Cougar is a well-engineered and entertaining machine, but had some crucial shortcomings and too small a marketing budget, but I still love it.

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cars, guests, reviews, Wayne