page_title: Ford Tempo
section_title: Second generation (1988–1994)
hierarchical_section_title: Ford Tempo / Second generation (1988–1994)
caption_attribution_description: 1988-1991 Ford Tempo coupe photographed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
context_page_description: The Ford Tempo and its twin, the Mercury Topaz, are compact cars that were produced by the Ford Motor Company for model years 1984 to 1994. They were downsized successors to the boxy Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr twins. The Tempo and Topaz were part of a rejuvenation plan by Ford to offer more environmentally friendly, fuel efficient, and more modern styled models to compete with the European and Japanese imports. While the car sold well, its innovation and aerodynamic design paved the way for the even more groundbreaking Ford Taurus. The Tempo and Topaz were replaced for 1995 by the "world car" platform sold in North America as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.
  Although built on a different platform, the aerodynamic Ford Sierra was somewhat of a European counterpart to the Tempo. It replaced the boxy, rear-wheel-drive Ford Cortina while the Tempo did the same for the Fairmont in North America. The Sierra too was succeeded by Ford's world car platform in the form of the Ford Mondeo.
context_section_description: The Tempo and Topaz sedans received a major redesign for 1988, whereas the coupes were instead facelifted, all arriving in November 1987. The changes gave the Tempo and Topaz an even more similar look to the Taurus and Sable, respectively. On the front end of the Tempo, a completely restyled grille featured three thin horizontal chrome bars with a Ford oval in the center, with two composite flush-mounted rectangular headlamps with restyled front turn signal housings on either side. On the Tempo GLS, this chrome grille was blacked out, and they received a blacked-out "D" pillar. For the rear, the taillights received a major rework and were now completely flush-mounted. A restyled rear quarter window was designed to match and blend evenly with the completely restyled rear door trim. The Topaz was differentiated from the Tempo by a more formal rear window, a waterfall grille, more upscale wheels, and solid red tail-lights.
  
  The interior of both the sedan and coupe models saw a brand new instrument panel design, with a central gauge cluster (now with a standard engine temp gauge), and more ergonomic driver controls. Fan and windshield wiper controls were now mounted on rotary-style switches on either side of the instrument panel, and the HVAC controls received a new push-button control layout. Other changes included reworked interior door panels. A driver's side airbag continued as an option, a rarity then for an economy level car. On Tempo LX and AWD, the interior received chrome and wood trim on the dashboard and doors. Topaz models featured the tachometer-equipped gauge cluster and a front center armrest standard.
  The 1991 model year (the last year of the 1988 restyled look) saw the discontinuation of the all-wheel drive Tempo and Topaz, as well as the now Canadian market exclusive entry-level Tempo L. For 1992, the Tempo and Topaz saw a minor restyle; the Tempo gained body-colored side trim (replacing the black and chrome trim) as well as full body-colored bumpers. The three bar chrome grille on the Tempo was also replaced with a new, body-colored monochromatic grille, while the Topaz's chrome grille was replaced with a new non-functional light-bar.
  Also for 1992, the 3.0 L Vulcan V6 engine, borrowed from the Taurus and Sable, was introduced as an option for the GL and LX models, and was the standard engine on the GLS. The 1992 model year would be the last year of the GLS, as it was discontinued (along with its Topaz counterpart) in 1993. This left the Tempo with only two trim level options, GL and LX. 1992 also brought about a slightly redesigned gauge cluster, with tachometers now reading up to 7,000 RPM instead of the previous 6,000 RPM. Also, a fuel door indicator was added to the fuel gauge (an arrow pointing to the side of the car where the fuel door was located). 1992 was the only year for American models to have an available 120 MPH speedometer (GLS, XR5 and LTS models only); all other model years read to 85 MPH. 1994 was the last model year for the Ford Tempo (and Mercury Topaz), with production halting in the first quarter of 1994.
  Trim levels for the second generation Ford Tempo are as follows:
  L (entry level model, discontinued in 1991)
  GL (mid-level model)
  AWD (although advertised by Ford as a separate trim level, the AWD model was actually built on an LX body, as evidenced by the body code. Discontinued in 1991)
  LX (luxury model, only available as a four-door sedan)
  GLS (replaced Sport GL as the performance oriented model, discontinued in 1992)
  Trim levels for the second generation Mercury Topaz are as follows:
  GS (Topaz equivalent of the Tempo GL, mid-range model, available between November 1987 and 1994)
  GS-AWD (Topaz GS with all-wheel Drive as standard, available between November 1987 and 1991)
  LS (luxury/high end trim level, discontinued after 1992)
  LS-AWD (Topaz LS with all-wheel drive as standard, available between November 1987 and 1991)
  XR5 (sport performance model available from November 1987 to 1992, only available as a coupe; came with the 3.0 L V6 engine as standard for 1992)
  LTS (four-door vari
caption: 1988–1991 Ford Tempo coupe
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