Ford unveiled the Cougar at the British Grand Prix in 1998, with ads featuring Dennis Hopper and Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild.
Lead trim: Cougar 2.0 Zetec 16V four (5-speed) · up to 168 hp
Ford Cougar1998–2002
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Ford Cougar yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactFord unveiled the Cougar at the British Grand Prix in 1998, with ads featuring Dennis Hopper and Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild.
The Ford Cougar is a D-segment coupé produced and sold in Europe between 1998 and 2002 and in Canada and the United States from 1999 to 2002 as the Mercury Cougar; it was originally intended as the third-generation Probe, but after the US rationalised its three coupés the Probe name was dropped. Ford's second attempt to reintroduce a sports coupé in Europe in the vein of the Capri (the first being the Mazda MX-6-based Probe), it was based on the Mondeo, went on sale in Europe in December 1998 to mixed reviews (partly for the new, controversial New Edge styling) and never matched Capri sales — only 12,000 reportedly sold in the UK in its first two years. It was built at Flat Rock, Michigan and finished at Cologne for Europe, with European lighting, Ford badges and RHD conversions for Britain and Australia; Ford unveiled it in July 1998 at the British Grand Prix with television adverts featuring Dennis Hopper and Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". It was retired from Britain in February 2001 and from Europe in August 2002; Australia got it in October 1999 with only the 2.5 L 24-valve Duratec V6, selling it until March 2004. Designed by Darrell Behmer as a 3-door liftback coupé in two trims (largely equivalent to a Mondeo Ghia and Ghia X), on 16-inch alloys with 215 mm tyres and with an optional "X-Pack" (heated leather seats with six-way electric driver adjustment, six-speaker RDS radio with six-CD changer), it came with the 2.0 L 16-valve Zetec (R4; 1988 cc, 96 kW at 5,600 rpm, 178 N·m / 131 lb·ft, 209 km/h) or the 2.5 L 24-valve Duratec V6 (2544 cc, 2495 cc from June 2000; 125 kW at 6,250 rpm, 220 N·m / 162 lb·ft, 225 km/h manual, 206 km/h automatic), with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. The page gives the standard 2.0 as 131 hp in its text and 129 hp in its table (and the 2.5 as 170 and 168 hp), so no horsepower is entered. Standard safety was driver, passenger and side airbags, ABS and chest-injury-reducing belts, with an immobiliser, remote central locking and an alarm. Wheelbase 2,704 mm (106.5 in), length 4,699 mm (185.0 in), width 1,769 mm (69.6 in), height 1,308 mm (51.5 in).
Collectors Spotted in the Ford Cougar Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Ford Cougar yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougar 2.0 Zetec 16V four (5-speed) | 1998–2002 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | 129 hp | 131 lb-ft | — | FWD | manual | — |
| Cougar 2.5 Duratec V6 24V (automatic) | 1998–2002 | 2.5 L V6 | 168 hp | 162 lb-ft | — | FWD | automatic | — |
| Cougar 2.5 Duratec V6 24V (manual; 2544 cc, 2495 cc from June 2000) | 1998–2002 | 2.5 L V6 | 168 hp | 162 lb-ft | — | FWD | manual | — |
Owning one
An estimate, for the Cougar 2.0 Zetec 16V four (5-speed) trim: fuel on its EPA figure and a dated national price, upkeep on a per-mile average for the kind of car it is.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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