Car reviews

Introduction

Although often known as a successor to the Ford Probe, the fact is that in 1998 Ford decided to drop Probe and start from a clean sheet. It was the third attempt at creating a real Ford sports car for the European customer. The first one ‐ Capri enjoyed moderate success in the swinging Europe of the 1960s. Based on the family car Cortina, it mainly lacked the image. Nevertheless, Ford decided to emulate the formula and base their new sports car on the 2nd generation of Ford Mondeo.

Although in its 2.5-litre version it is a proper sports car, the Cougar was dropped just 4 years after the debut. The fact that the Cougar has never been a popular car means that you can pick one up in the 2nd hand car market for a surprisingly low price. And if you're nostalgic about the New Edge design movement, you'll be very happy with your purchase.

One of the reasons why the Cougar never took off was the lack of prestige. You don't expect a serious sports car from Ford (other than the GT40 or Mustang) simply because Ford has been known to build mainly utilitarian cars for more than 100 years. The image sticks and no matter how you position it, an idea of a Ford Sports car is alien to the average European customer.

Exterior & Interior

They say there's no accounting for the taste but it helps if your taste is American. The car was built in the USA and inevitably it has some American feel to it both interior and exterior. The latter being rather boring and lacking finesse for a high-spec car like Cougar. One thing that should be mentioned, though, is that despite the somewhat boring looks, the cabin has 4 full seats which is a plus for a coupe. And, it is definitely a great improvement from the Probe era. If you choose the V6 model, you'll enjoy the leather trim and all the extras that come with it. As for the exterior, it's a typical example of the New Edge concept and if you're a fan of this design movement, you'll love the car. The build quality is good ‐ all Cougars were built in the USA and then finished and reconditioned in Europe.

Drive

The Cougar is based on the chassis of the Mondeo, and it has a good handling. It also feels almost like Mondeo, even the suspension of both cars is almost similar. The main difference is the increased size of the brake disks ‐ and they're doing the car justice. The brakes are responsive and effective. Because in essence it is nothing more than a redressed family car, high-speed bends will go to show that it's not a real sports car. On a positive side, it provides a relaxed ride as befits a proper grand tourer. The less powerful version is not a bad car but apart from the looks it has got almost nothing to separate it from the placid family car Mondeo. The 2.5-litre version, however, is a very pleasant car.

Faults & Repairs

It's known that sporty cars are usually more expensive to maintain. The Cougar is nothing like that ‐ considering that so many parts and systems are borrowed from the Mondeo, in fact it is as cheap to repair as the Mondeo. Not that you'd have to fret about repairs too often anyway ‐ the car is renowned for its reliability. The most expensive repair you can possibly encounter would be electronics, air conditioning or something to do with the body or interior. If you manage to lose a bit of the interior or crack the bumper, don't expect you'll be able to find the missing part on the shelf marked "Mondeo". For many people the Cougar will be their first sports car thanks to its reasonable price tag and low repair costs.