According to Mercury brand gurus, the third important ingredient of a specialty coupe is affordability. A last minute revision after the Cougar was already in production dropped prices further than the already low starting point. Unless you go gonzo with the ordering form, a Cougar can barely be loaded up beyond the average price for a new car. So the new Cougar looks good, is fun to drive as long as the automatic transmission is left back in the factory and is affordable. Mercury met its goals.
Utility is a good reason to buy a Cougar.
Fold the rear seats and this sport coupe's trunk can swallow immense amounts of baggage, sports gear and other detritus. But the trunk opening is high off the ground and somewhat narrow, so muscle is required to load heavier items. Still, it's far more useful than the teensy trunk you'd find on a Mustang or Prelude. Build quality and long-term durability, however, might be question marks here. Our test Cougar exhibited a few exterior assembly flaws, most notably a large gap between the driver's side frameless window glass and the rubber seal that should keep water out but doesn't.