Test Drive Ford Cougar 1998 - 2001 coupe

Feline ruined egoism

At the Detroit Auto Show of 1998, Ford presented a sports model of Cougar, who changed not too popular forb. The quadruple car on the chassis of the front-wheel drive mondeo is equipped with a row fourth 2.0 l or a V6 motor with a volume of 2.5 liters. Transmission - mechanical five- or automatic four-stage.
If you are thinking about soulful's ease that Kouguar is a husband's husband, or even know for sure that this is just two names of the same beast Panthera Concolor - you still do not right. It turns out, Cougar and Puma - brother and sister, and their common mother is Ford. From the current winter, an exotic brother is found in Russia. We tried to tame it ...
From the neighboring Skoda, a serious uncle looked at me, a serious uncle in Dublenka: Quick you, they say, and stupid. What is the meaning with the roar to carry from the traffic light and slow down to slow down on the next, where will the main flow catch up? Sorry, dear, I myself still had the same judgment in the morning, but now I have a lot of strength under the hood. They impatiently rotate the ground with the hooves - more precisely, they scratch the asphalt with spikes and suggest: well, come on, come on! How to resist here. And if you need if you posted 30 thousand dollars for this thoroughbred cat.
Red, yellow, green ... Cougar, snapped, twitching and ... immediately dishes, anxiously foaming the TC icon. It is clear, 2.5 liters of working volume and 220 Newton-meters playyuchi ripped the wheels in the slip - immediately worked, traction control, and encouraging the engine. On the second transfer of the vehicle still burns: the moment in excess, but how to realize it on a salted slush? I turn off the control of traction - only worse: the motor roars, the wheels are touched and the nose of the machine slides on the slope to the right. Eh, now there would be summer and dry asphalt!
At higher speeds and transmissions, the status quo is restored. While others accelerate, snapped by motor, Cougar in response to pressing the accelerator is powerful, but gently jumps forward, as it should be a predatory cat. And it does not matter what the speed is: 50, 100 or 150 km / h. The driver in front of the running machine usually leaves in front of such a superiority in the dynamics, hurrying to take the right row. However, it is not necessary to get involved: a powerful motor, good noise insulation - and now the arrow of the speedometer turned out to be much to the right than you expected. However, this case has ventilated disc brakes, while the ABS works almost inappropriately, without a frightening grinding. The steering wheel is good - sharp, informative and moderately easy. However, the amplifier slightly lacks performance and with a sharp turn of the steering wheel, the effort on it suddenly increases sharply - as if he rests on the retreating limiter.
I catch an edge of your eyes, more precisely, on my car, interested views. Well, to see what: smooth circuits of squat-rapid silver handsome man are fulfilled by sharp broken lines in the branded Fords New Age. And what are the front light blocks with the headlights of a feline eye and miniature, similar to lanterns, dimensions! True, the functionality of the latter is doubtful - they are clearly visible only strictly front.
Okay, adrenaline is enough. Cats because they can not only jump, but also to slide, Murlycha. So I will be under purring in a gray-silver salon. What is there on the display of the flightcomputer? Average speed, mileage on the residue of fuel - thanks. But this is interesting: the average consumption of 12.9 l / 100 km is beautiful! If softer, then, perhaps, you can do in the top ten.
The cabin is simple enough, but the details are original: look at least for ventilation deflectors and doors panel. By the way, still sitting in the car, noticed that there is no framework at the door - with a small width of the roof of the sports car, such a decision will give a little more place on the side of the head, and the door looks beautiful.
Good leather seats - Of course, with an electric heating: not sports buckets, but not sofas, but just what you need: moderately soft, with good fixation. They are adjustable in height - with an increase in 180 cm. Only in the upper position I took out the top of the roof. In the backs, in addition to the front, large side airbags are hidden; They protect not only forearm, but also head. The installation of climate control and audio system with the CD player will not be distributed - in such a car it is the norm. Canceled box control - with short clear moves; True, when you turn on II and IV gears, you catch the central armrest.
What are you in sticking sticks, yes the fingers turned the steep fan? - you ask. - Gas brake, Pouch buttons ... Does the car end with the backs of the front seats? And how are the rear passengers - it is written because kouguar quadruple? Or, let's say, what about the trunk?
Blame, carried away. Rear passengers in no way for them they built a car. They are sitting almost on the floor, in the deep bowls of the seats, clamped from the sides of the wheel arches and shovel on top of a sloping roof. So grow above 170 cm and recruit more than 70 kg. They are not recommended. But with the trunk, on the contrary, full order is huge to the incredible, as many as 410 liters! Suddenly the owner to the golf will be addicted - where are the sticks to put? Or, let's say, go to the journey - how to be with suitcases? Even skis will enter, it is worth folding the backs of the rear seats. In general, those who claim that cars, like animals, are copies of their owners. And for cats, egoism is the norm, they always walk on themselves, how much you are neither torn. Not in vain on the hub of the steering wheel, where the company's emblem is usually bangled, Cougar has a cat head with a caustic mouth.

Ford Cougar 2.5
General data: Number of places - 4; Curved weight - 1390 kg; Full weight - 1825 kg; Maximum speed - 225 km / h; overclocking time up to 100 km / h - 8.6 s; fuel consumption in conditional country and urban cycles - 7.3; 13.4 l / 100 km; Fuel supply - 60 l; Fuel - unleaded AI-95. Dimensions, mm: Length - 4699; width - 1769; Height - 1325; base - 2704; Pitch in front / rear - 1506/1491; The volume of the trunk is 410/930 l; Radius of rotation - 5.4 m. Engine: gasoline with distributed injection, DURATEC, V6 series with an angle of collapse 60, two camshafts in each head, four valves per cylinder, located in front of the cross; Working volume - 2544 cm; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 82.4x79.5 mm; The compression ratio is 9.7; Power - 125 kW / 170 liters. with. at 6250 rpm; Maximum torque - 220 NM at 4250 rpm. Transmission: Drive on the front wheels; gearbox - mechanical; Transmission numbers: I - 3.42; II - 2.14; III - 1.48; IV - 1.11; V - 0.85; s. NS. - 3.46; Main gear - 3.82. Suspension: Type Mac-Fersson, with transverse stability stabilizers, collected on subframes; In front - single transverse levers, rear - one longitudinal and two transverse thrust. Brakes: ventilated disc with vacuum amplifier and ABS. Steering: Rack with amplifier. Tires: 205/55R16.

+ Original design, excellent dynamics, efficient brakes, comfortable front seats, high passive safety, rich equipment, a huge trunk, a big mileage between services - 15 thousand km.
- limited power steering performance, close rear seats.

Ford Cougar - a car of an athlete egoist.

Yuri Neduchov
Photo by Vladimir Knyazev
 

Source: Journal "Behind the wheel"