Mercury Sharpens its Claws
January 6, 1998 -- The Cougar is a big step for Mercury, the Ford division most renowned for its stealthy ability to pilfer products from Blue Oval assembly lines, add a dash of chrome and a big "M" badge to the sheetmetal, and call them Mercurys. With the exception of Mer cury's Nautica minivan, 1997 saw this division's entire lineup populated with rebadged Ford products.
All of that changed today when Mercury introduced their all-new Cougar at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new Cougar is a serious departure from the one that was last sold on Mercury's lots in 1996 as a slightly modified version of the now-defunct Ford Thunderbird. In fact, the new Cougar is a distinct departure from anything ever sold by Ford Motors.
The biggest news about the Mercury Cougar is its arresting design. Dubbed "New Edge" by Ford, the Cougar features hard lines wrapped around subtle curves. Dramatic cat's eye headlamps sit over a modest oval grille, the only oval present on the car's ext erior, which in turn sits above an aggressive front air dam. The effect is pleasing and looks a bit like the grinning Cheshire Cat, a fact not lost upon Ford President Jac Nasser who indicated that since this car's creation Ford execs have been grinning l ike the famous feline of Alice in Wonderland fame. The rest of the sheetmetal flows naturally from this aggressive frontal treatment, highlighted by sharp creases and subtle angles along the car's flanks and a tidy back end with large triangular taillamp s.
The interior of the car is a pleasing combination of high quality materials and futuristic controls. A binnacled instrument panel houses the car's critical gauges, and a center stack of pods, home to the climate and stereo controls, looks like something pulled from the cockpit of a stealth fighter. A hatchback design increases the utility of the Cougar and is a feature not seen on any Ford products since the Aspire bit the dust last year.
Mercury used the basic architecture of the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique to build the Cougar. As such, it should be a hoot to drive. Like the Contour and Mystique, the Cougar features two engine choices: the versatile Zetec 4-banger and the responsive Duratec V6. The Cougar also has the same chassis and suspension underpinnings as the Blue Oval's compact sedans, an implicit guarantee that this cat will quickly claw its way through corners.
To this attractive and fun recipe Mercury added a few much-appreciated safety features. All-speed traction control will aid drivers when the weather turns bad and will reduce torque steer by limiting wheel slippage. Side-impact airbags will protect fron t seat passengers from, ah, side impacts.
Rumor has it that only one Ford division will be receiving New Edge cars. The cat is now out of the bag on which division will get that distinction. If the rest of Mercury's lineup gains the same sort of innovative and attractive designs featured on the Cougar, it may become the crown jewel of Ford's three divisions. Whatever the case, the Cougar is definitely the cat's meow.
January 6, 1998 -- The Cougar is a big step for Mercury, the Ford division most renowned for its stealthy ability to pilfer products from Blue Oval assembly lines, add a dash of chrome and a big "M" badge to the sheetmetal, and call them Mercurys. With the exception of Mer cury's Nautica minivan, 1997 saw this division's entire lineup populated with rebadged Ford products.
All of that changed today when Mercury introduced their all-new Cougar at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new Cougar is a serious departure from the one that was last sold on Mercury's lots in 1996 as a slightly modified version of the now-defunct Ford Thunderbird. In fact, the new Cougar is a distinct departure from anything ever sold by Ford Motors.
The biggest news about the Mercury Cougar is its arresting design. Dubbed "New Edge" by Ford, the Cougar features hard lines wrapped around subtle curves. Dramatic cat's eye headlamps sit over a modest oval grille, the only oval present on the car's ext erior, which in turn sits above an aggressive front air dam. The effect is pleasing and looks a bit like the grinning Cheshire Cat, a fact not lost upon Ford President Jac Nasser who indicated that since this car's creation Ford execs have been grinning l ike the famous feline of Alice in Wonderland fame. The rest of the sheetmetal flows naturally from this aggressive frontal treatment, highlighted by sharp creases and subtle angles along the car's flanks and a tidy back end with large triangular taillamp s.
The interior of the car is a pleasing combination of high quality materials and futuristic controls. A binnacled instrument panel houses the car's critical gauges, and a center stack of pods, home to the climate and stereo controls, looks like something pulled from the cockpit of a stealth fighter. A hatchback design increases the utility of the Cougar and is a feature not seen on any Ford products since the Aspire bit the dust last year.
Mercury used the basic architecture of the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique to build the Cougar. As such, it should be a hoot to drive. Like the Contour and Mystique, the Cougar features two engine choices: the versatile Zetec 4-banger and the responsive Duratec V6. The Cougar also has the same chassis and suspension underpinnings as the Blue Oval's compact sedans, an implicit guarantee that this cat will quickly claw its way through corners.
To this attractive and fun recipe Mercury added a few much-appreciated safety features. All-speed traction control will aid drivers when the weather turns bad and will reduce torque steer by limiting wheel slippage. Side-impact airbags will protect fron t seat passengers from, ah, side impacts.
Rumor has it that only one Ford division will be receiving New Edge cars. The cat is now out of the bag on which division will get that distinction. If the rest of Mercury's lineup gains the same sort of innovative and attractive designs featured on the Cougar, it may become the crown jewel of Ford's three divisions. Whatever the case, the Cougar is definitely the cat's meow.
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