Friday 7th February 2014

Shed of the Week: Ford Cougar V6

Shed's been seduced by the charms of a Cougar

---

Ah yes, the Cougar. Nowadays of course the word means something entirely different, and we're not talking about spotty cats here. Well, not the ones that move around on all fours. At least... oh, never mind.

Back in the late '90s Ford fancied the notion of reviving the Capri. They'd already had a go with the Probe, and the Mazda MX-6 before that. The idea with the Cougar was to make something that looked like a million dollars, or a few hundred anyway, with a decent motor bunged under a smoothly Brylcreemed body and some comfy leather seats in the cabin.

The recipe sounded good, and it should have worked, but the Cougar's disappointingly uninspiring drive (and perhaps its Mondeo heritage) dragged it down from the word go. Rather than a million dollar motor it had about as much contemporary appeal as a barrowload of Weimar Republic Papiermarken. After receiving a frosty reception from the gentlemen of the press, it trooped sadly off the stage in 2002 after only four years in production.

Still, time moves on, and tastes change. As a marker for the early days of Ford's New Edge styling and an alternative to the spine-splinteringly hard-riding motors we're being fed by today's carmakers, the leather-lined Cougar should have a more than passing interest to Shedmen - especially one like this privately owned specimen sporting a healthy service history.

The Cougar we were intending to feature was a very nice £990 one in Melina Blue with 84K miles and a fat history file, but it sold just as Shed was writing about it. Fortunately, PH Classifieds came to the rescue with this equally nice (and similarly well cared for) option, albeit with a few more miles.

The V6 Cougar is actually a pretty reliable old thing. Apart from the usual rubbishy Ford air-con it did have an issue with the IMRC control unit atop the front cylinder bank that managed the secondary inlet butterflies. When the gears inside the box became sticky (as they did, through heat build up) you'd end up with insufficient power to pull the skin off custard at engine speeds above 3,200rpm or so. Cougar aficionados fixed it by removing the plastic cover to boost cooling to the box and doshing a dod of graphite lube in there to keep the wheels a-spinning.

Early V6 water pumps suffered from plastic impeller failure, resulting in cooked heads. All-metal pumps are of course available today so this is not a problem. Nor is cambelt failure as the cams are chain driven. ST Mondeo V6s used to chomp through front lower wishbones but the Cougar was not burdened with these tinfoil items. Tyre wear on the specifically made Pirelli and Michelin 215/50 16 OE tyres was a bit heavy, but you can cut your costs by switching to more affordable 205/50s. It's all good really.

For more speed you can swap in the ST200 motor entire, or just the ST200 inlet system comprising of the throttle body and upper and lower inlet manifolds, plus the injectors or an adjustable fuel pressure regulator to keep the mix rich enough. Losing the main cat or the pre-cats in the exhaust manifolds is of course completely illegal and must never be done under any circumstances. Leave it like it is and you might get mpg in the mid-30s if you lounge it around, which is arguably the best approach.

The Cougar is not a sporting car. Think of it as a big Puma and you'll be disappointed. Think of it as a reliable and surprisingly comfortable coupé and you won't be. There are certainly worse alternatives to the Alfa GTV, Fiat Coupé or Peugeot 406 Coupe. The speedy sale of that blue one might be telling us something.

Here's the ad.

FORD COUGAR 2.5  24V  GHIA X SPECIFICATION,  EXCELLENT CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT Highly Maintained with FULL SEVICE HISTORY. FULL 12 MONTH MOT (With No Advisories) TAXED end MAY. Book Pack, Service Record Showing 11 Service Stamps ( 8 x Ford Dealer ) Massive history file of Ford Invoices Drives Absolutely Superb, Without Fault. Fantastic Spec Including - Full Leather Interior, Auto Air Con,  Drivers Powered Seat, Electric Tilt and Slide Sunroof, Rear Parking Sensors,  Quickclear Heated Windscreen and Heated washer jets, Electric Windows / Mirrors, 17'' Alloy Wheels with good tyres, 6000 RDS EON CD + Boot mounted CD Auto-Changer, Rear Spoiler. Any Trial / Inspection Welcomed, Please Call For any further information required. Thank You.

[Trusty Steed]

I am oout!

[gambisk]

Always had a soft spot for these since first seeing them as a impressionable 12yr old at the ford dealer I walked past on the way to school. I'd no idea they where available for shed money either, off to the classifieds for me.

Edit: after a closer look at this one I wouldn't go near it with a barge pole, badges, wing, rear lights, alloys are all danger signs for me.

Edited by gambisk on Friday 7th February 09:27

[Howrare]

Transformers badge on the bonnet = runaway

[Zircon]

Blimey.....not for me thanks, would have any of the alternatives you named way before I went for one of these.!

I see it has a Transformers badge, I wish it would transform into something else!

Edited by Zircon on Friday 7th February 09:23

[g3org3y]

Is the emblem on the steering wheel standard fit?

[only1ian]

Apart from this example being a pig with after market wing?, wheels, rear lights? and badges. I deeply disliked these purely because they felt and drove like an American cruiser and not something well suited to British B roads. A global car that was average everywhere!

Much like another American globalised export McDonald's it wasn't as good as it looked and would leave you feeling dirty inside, soulless and unfilled! Unlike the afore mentioned Fiat, Alfa and Peugeot ;-)

Edited by only1ian on Friday 7th February 09:24

[GTEYE]

In theory this should have been a good car, as the Mk1 Mondeo on which it was based was a fine steer for its time, and should have given the Cougar promise. However, the Cougar was developed Stateside, and perhaps this is where it went wrong.

IMHO it never quite looked right, and the interior managed to look rather US-Ford cheap, worse than Euro-Ford cheap.

Shame really...

[Krikkit]

Howrare said:

Transformers badge on the bonnet = runaway

And those hideous rear light covers, and the spoiler. Sorry shed, but that's not the right example of an excellent choice!

I like this one better: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...
MDSH up to 109k, now on 117. Unusual colour, £780.

Edited by Krikkit on Friday 7th February 09:26

[JDMDrifter]

WOW a real supercar!

I remember a few years back visiting Supercar Sunday at Gaydon. There was a parade put on by 3 of these just doing wheel spins and being chavs, whilst the commentator endlessly waffled on about their supercar credentials

Personally I think they're vile excuses for a car, not that nice looking and nothing particularly special about them.

[Shaw Tarse]

I like the Cougar, but not this one.

[Usget]

You actually looked at that example and went "Yep, that's the best Cougar £990 could buy"?

[ToothbrushMan]

it probably deserved to do better. i think the engines could have been more inspiring. cant remember the last time I saw one on the roads-theyve all but vanished!

[Geoffcapes]

The Ford Cougar. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Quite possibly one of the most boring cars ever made.
Should have been good, but ended up being an epic fail by Ford.

4 years in production? I'm surprised it lasted that long!

[allan howell]

The Cougar to me is a fantastic car, I have a T reg in Silver 2.5 V6 Automatic with only 22000 miles and full service history all MOT's I'm the second owner the car is in fantastic condition is garaged every day cleaned every day it has full black leather and drives like a dream, I just thought i should stick up for this wonderfull car,

[MysteryLemon]

My Dad had one for a good 10+ years. Only sold it last year actually. Was becoming a bit of a money pit.

Never really got it out for a good drive myself but the times I did get a chance, I was always very underwhelmed by the power. Always expected more from a (what? 170hp?) V6 but the Uno Turbo's I used to run around in felt like rockets compared to the leisurely Cougar V6.

It was a nice car to be in though. Full leather, comfy front seats. The rear seats were awful. And it's a good looking car imo.

Edited by MysteryLemon on Friday 7th February 09:47

[MrGeoff]

Will make a great Ferrari replica! Ha Ha.

[X5TUU]

I'd love to know why so many of these sport Decepticon or Autobot badging ... I've never understood that

Plenty of non modded/Barry examples for less to not bother with this chavtastic example

[FerdiZ28]

I had a V Reg one through uni. V6, X Pack, Silver.

Added an induction kit purely for noise and enjoyed the car, frequently travelled from Colchester to London for beers at the weekend and it was a comfy cruiser.

Very soft handling though and the fuel consumption did not pay back in performace. Really comfortable seats and driving position, I considered it my first "grown up" car after three Peugeots.

Annoying things were:

BEEEEP when it thought you only had 50 miles left to a tank (frequent)
Tyre wear on the front as mentioned in the text
Awkward rear profile (always liked the front)
Difficult to park because of massive arse

I'd say one for £1000 would represent a great buy, can't see anyone regretting it.

[Kitchski]

That's just a shed, and not in the good way.

I'd go for an ST24 over that. We managed to find an ST200 for £1k once, too. I'd have the Mondeo every day of the week over a Cougar. They look bloody awful. Not Probe awful, but not far off.

Bad SOTW for me, and I don't normally say that.

[P-Jay]

Usget said:

You actually looked at that example and went "Yep, that's the best Cougar £990 could buy"?

Judging by the write up and the slightly late post - I guess they got left in the lurch last min when the other one sold and picked the first one they found.

I guess if you've got a grand to spend on something a standard one would be a laugh for a bit, but this one is a right mess, it's a fking Autobot!

Hmmm, what's worse for your image, a bright red XR3i convertible with genuine replica cosworth wheels or a cougar covered in Halfords crap?