Used car prices Buy a car Other car sites Dual airbags are standard in the Cougar, with side airbags optional. Small and lithe, rather than large and ponderous, it has a distinctly European flavor and styling unlike anything else from an American automaker. The 170-horse Duratec V6 is one of Ford's nicest engines because it revs so willingly and does so without excessive vibration.
Optimum performance comes from the five-speed, but even with the automatic it is fairly spunky.
I was unable to sample a 4-cylinder, but with 125 horsepower it should have adequate performance for those who are more interested in price and fuel economy than how fast they can hit 60 mph. Clearly, creative styling is the Cougar's trademark. Its grille creates a smiling, catlike face. Bubbles in the plastic covers over the head and taillights not only add visual interest but enable the lights to be seen from the side. Particularly nice is the way the trailing edge of the trunk lid scribes a line that becomes the top of the taillamp and continues down into the rear-wheel opening as the edge of the rear bumper cover.