| Lincoln-Mercury
Division Ford Motor Company Dearborn, Michigan |
| Engine |
390-hp, 427
cu. in. V-8 |
| Transmission |
3-speed automatic |
| Steering |
Power-assisted |
| Suspension |
Heavy-duty |
| Brakes |
Disc F, Drum R |
Check
list |
| Engine |
| Throttle Response |
Excellent |
| Noise Insulation |
Fair |
| Drive
train |
| Shift Linkage |
Very
Good |
| Shift Smoothness |
Good |
| Steering |
| Effort |
Very
Good |
| Response |
Very
Good |
| Handling |
| Predictability |
Very
Good |
| Evasive Maneuverability |
Very
Good |
| Brakes |
| Directional Stability |
Excellent |
| Fade Resistance |
Very
Good |
| Interior |
| Ease of Entry/Exit |
Good |
| Driving Position |
Very
Good |
| Front Seating Comfort |
Very
Good |
| Rear Seating Comfort |
Fair |
| General |
| Vision |
Good |
| Heater/ Defroster |
Excellent |
| Weather Sealing |
Good |
| Trunk Space |
Fair |
|
The Mercury Cougar
is one of our favorite sporty cars. We like it because it embodies
a combination of comfort, convenience and vice-free handling
better than any of its competitors. In every sense of the word
it's a premium car. Particularly
pleasant is the obvious emphasis that Mercury has placed upon
creature comfort in the design of the Cougar's interior. The
bucket seats are very comfortable (Detroit's best, we think).
For those who want it, an adjustable steering wheel is available,
permitting the owner to virtually put on his Cougar like a
tailormade suit. Controls are well placed (with the exception
of the windshield wiper switch), and, equipped with the versatile
3speed automatic transmission, the Cougar can be one of the
most pleasantly effortless cars on the road.
But before you conjure an image
as remote from a sports car as an ocean liner, Cougars are
available with several different engines offering several
different levels of performance-including the brute, tiresmoking,
hell-bent-for-action GT.E package which comes with a detuned
version of Ford's 427 NASCAR "Wedge." It's impressive
all right, but for most types of driving we would be just
as well satisfied with something tamer. But any way you build
your Cougar, you'll love it. |
