Ford Cougar 2.5 V6

17 years ago

I originally bought my T Reg Ford Cougar 2.5 V6 for £9995. I kept it for around 2 years and replace it with a family car.
I drove around 30000 miles in this car without any serious problems and without breakdown. It only went to the garage once and that was only to have a recall done on it that the Mondeo v6's had done.
As far as looks go the Cougar has taken a lot of stick in the past. I thought that at the time it was one of the very few with good looks and that edge over most other normally priced cars. The sleek lines and curves made it something to look at even if it was a Ford.
The bodywork was well finished and stuck together with quality. There were no uneven joins in the panels etc. The wheels were well suited to the car but to be honest if you want a Cougar they should be easily changed with different alloys. Doors fit well and the boot and bonnet shut with a reassuring clunk and quality. Doors are fitted with flush painted handles, which provide that extra level of finish.
Under the bonnet you have that V6 Duratec engine. It is actually nearer 2.6 liters than 2.5. The engine bay is near full with the engine in there but it is still possible to perform those basic servicing tasks without having to take half the engine out to do it. Spares for the engine should you need any are not overly expensive as the engine is shared with some of the other engines in the Ford range. At the other end the car has a decent exhaust tail pipe finished in chrome, which makes tt easy to clean and keep looking good.
The interior of the car is sort of what you would expect from ford. The V6 comes with leather as standard and provides an exceptionally comfortable seat, even over longer distances. I have a bad back and found it more than comfortable. There is plenty of height and leg adjustment for the larger driver. The dashboard is a little different but everything is in the right place. The dials are all central and easy to read and understand. The overall dash finish could do with some refinement, as there were a few rattles here and there. I would still give this area the thumbs up. There were also plenty of areas to put the usual in car junk. The radio was one of the better Ford CD units providing plenty of base and noise.
Starting the engine on the V6 is great if you like that sort of thing. The V6 provides a loud and crisp noise when you start up and give the accelerator a heavy press. Acceleration is 0-62 in 7.6 seconds. Whilst not breath taking it is faster than most normal cars on the road so you get quite a punch when you want it. Like other V6 cars torque is at good levels so passing and pulling away are very quick and efficient. Passing is not a problem for this car. Stopping is good with an ample set of discs on front and rear.
Driving the Cougar is great. At first you need to be a little careful. I came from driving a compact 2 liter Megane Coupe to the Cougar. The Cougar is a lot bigger and thus a lot heavier. Flying up to a corner in a compact car is one thing but do it in Cougar and you will know all about it. The Cougar does not have very stiff suspension so add that to the extra weight and cornering can be a little exciting. Having said all this the Cougar is responsive enough to be able to handle it without any serious problems.
Do not worry about fuel, its a V6, there is no point in worrying.
If you are looking at one of these then beware. Whilst it is a fine motor car a lot of the official dealers don't seem to think so. You WILL buy at a premium and sell at a loss. They do not hold their value very well at all. I sold mine 2 years later for £5500, quite a drop from £10K.
Now for gripes about the car.
The standard wheels came with 215 tires. I was told when I looked for new ones that they were only made for this car and some old Porsche thus putting them in to the pre-order category and pumping up the price. I like to be able to go and buy something and not have to wait for it.
The front electric windows never looked like they fitted very well. They did but the design just made it look that way. As the doors had no frames at the top the glass went straight to the top of the bodywork. Whilst this never leaked the rubber on the bodywork that sealed the car was easily rubbed when you got in and out and as a result easily damaged.
The boot was a little narrow for the size of the car. Bearing in mind that it was based on the Mondeo you would expect the boot to be a better width, but I suppose the angled rear quarters put pay to that one.
As with a lot of coupes the rear seats are effected by the slant on the rear wind screen. If you are tall and sit in the back your head bangs on the roof. Having said that, you don't buy one of these to constantly seat 4 people.
Other than that I could not complain to much. These are no really problems but things that I did not really like and would have changed if I could have.
Overall the car gets the thumbs up from me although I would never have paid the full new price. If your looking for one try and get a used one with the X pack. This gets you the usual plus a defrost front wind screen. Make sure you get the V6, if not for the sound then the power, the 2.0 is a waste of time in this car. You need the V6, at high revs when passing this car sounds fantastic.