I have a 2006 Grand Marquis with that engine and transmission, with 384,000 miles on it. It works perfectly. Neither the engine nor the transmission have ever had any internal problems. It will cruise on the highway at just above idle, getting 30 mpg. The more gears you put in a transmission, the less reliable it gets. New cars either have so many gears in them, or none at all, in the case of a CVT, they often don't make it home from the dealer. A 3 speed with overdrive is absolutely perfect with the 4.6L 2 valve in a 2 ton car.
My mom owned one. It was a 95 XR7, with the purple, blue color changing paint. I was very upset, when my parents traded it in on a Suzuki XL7. Especially, since it was paid off. It had 40 series flowmasters with chrome tips. Car was dangerous, as the rear end was known to break loose. Loved that car. 💙💜✌️
Yes! I share your sentiments about the seat pattern. It reminds me of being in a library, drs office, government building, etc etc. I remember as a kid and a teen being surrounded by this design and it kind of gives you a peaceful Asmr type feeling for lack of a better description
I am biased because I own one, but I think the prefacelift looked better, more... consistent I'd say. And having the ls trim, I got this cool old school digital cluster :)
I think yours looked better also. I hated when they did to the headlights on the face lift. i Liked your for the headlights, the digital cluster and features.
Thank you Zack. The personal luxury/midsized coupe was declining at this time and finally went under in 2002. The Lincoln Mark VIII I thought was quite nice from this era. This car had better looking headlight design before this facelift and offered digital gauges too.
Earlier cars of that gen looked much better. And the platform (MN12) felt very advanced back in the days. I can easily say that this gen Cougar outshines 1986-1992 Eldorado or Riviera by both looks and engineering.
I agree. I'm not a big fan of mid-life face lifts and the Cougar is no exception. They tried to modernize a car rooted in the 80s with that 90s "blobby" aesthetics, but it looks so weird.
Zack, I hope you get to drive a mid or late 70s Cougar built on a frame. Those were some of the most fashionable 'personal luxury' cars of the era when personal luxury cars were fashionable. At the sign of the cat® 😸😸
When it comes to late '70s personal luxury cars, the '77-'79 Thunderbird with the wrap over roof takes the cake. GM completely destroyed the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix in '78.
I like the last generation. From 1999-2002 it attract younger buyers It doesn't look like a old grandpa look, but it's a pretty cool car again. I Remember driving the 2000 model in late 1999
I was 18 when that gen came out and wanted to own it. Came really close to buying a used one a couple years later but ended up getting a brand new Cavalier. Wish I had bought the Cougar instead.
I owned a similar '90 Ford TBird Super Coupe with a boisterous V6 instead of the V8. It had the 4sp Auto. Super nice car, quick for its day, decent handling but a good bit of understeer in the dry, oversteer in the wet. No TC in those days. It did have ABS. Roomy enough to take my family on a 1200 mile round trip to Orlando. Unfortunately it had electrical gremlins so I traded it at a loss.
As a kid starting middle school when this car was built I remember thinking that this looked like a Buick Regal GS to me: which, is really all this is. A last time Boomer mobile meant to smooth over those Interstates and make you remember back to the summer of '69 when you saw the ads for the original. But, in reality was just warmed over Fox Body with nothing much else going for it.
I remember this model. It came out from 1989 to 1994 design plus I like the 1996 refresh with the rounded headlights As well as the Thunderbird. One thing That's odd about the rear taillights. Is the backup light that is supposed to be painted radish And over the years it It washes out, but I drive in 1999 to 2002 With the ford probe looking style triangle new style design at that time.
My dad had a 1994 Mercury Cougar when i was young. It was in really good shape but it was an ugly Mint Green color. To quote him "it ran really good but it was so damn ugly"😂. In my grandpas garage is a 1979 Cougar that was bought brand new by my grandparents that has 45k miles on it and it is a time capsule. Imo its a shame Mercury isnt around anymore
I had an 89 Cougar LS(3.8 V6 unfortunately) for a while...the digital gauges were cool!(Until they went out)...was pretty reliable while i had it and i liked how it drove, just wish it was the 4.6.....also drove an 03 Cougar with the 5speed man. And the 2.5 v6..nice driver but previous owner gutted the MAP sensor and felt pretty underpowered at the time.
By 1996, Ford had already given up on MN12 models. Executives were never happy with them. Concieved as a legitimate competitor to a BMW 6 Series, the MN12 was way too expensive for Ford's execs. They slowly decontented the models as the years passed, making them more & more boring along the way. What a shame. But...big coupes were essentially dead by 2000. The MN12 wasn't going to increase in sales as the 90s continued.
Dark green '97 XR7 was y first car in 2001. Never had any problems with it. I'm going to guess ahead of the video that it fails the BFB test. edit: Wow, that cup holder "flap" is horrible. The 97 had two larger cupholders where the ashtray and coin holders are on this car. The ashtray was a removable unit under the radio.
Hey i used to have one of these it was a lemon and died, got revived, died again, revived again and then died AGAIN l. I shipped her off to the scrapyard after that.
This car is cool, but...the interior is shocking. Adjusted for inflation, this would be a nearly $40k car. It's wild that Ford ever thought this was acceptable.
I never liked the squared off,totally vertical rear window roofline look,but the front end looks cool. Also,why only one reversing light?? Surely it isn't European behaviour,when quite a lot of cars have one white reversing light,& one red rear foglight?? The only American built car I have ever noticed that had factory fitted,integral rear fog lights was an Oldsmobile,in the 90s...can't think now whi ch model it was,off hand??
Has a car actually ever passed the bottle test? Maybe you should try changing the bottle because cars aren't generally meant to have a cup holder for a bottle the size of a 2 liter pepsi.
That 4.6 is not an overhead valve motor, it is an overhead cam motor. In this case a SOHC with 2 valves per cylinder. and the 4R70W transmission is bullet proof reliable. And who the hell uses a 26 oz bottle? C'mon man, get a normal cup.
This was my first car (I kinda miss it not really) mine wasn’t in near the condition mine had 200k+ and the transmission was going out, left me stranded so many times but one thing I will say in accidents they do great (I backed into a tree, slide off the road after I hit black ice into a ditch, and bumped into someone at a stoplight) and it never got a new dent or scratch, I hated mine for being unreliable but will always love it for being my first car
So funny to me cars from the 60s are all so cool even the economy cars but everything since then the economy cars are borderline hideous, from malibus to chrystler 200s and ford taurus. All ugly and nobody cares about them at all
Who doesn't love a low mileage cougar in great shape
Best comment! I wish I'd thought of that.
i first read this as "a low mileage cougar in heat" LOL
I have a 2006 Grand Marquis with that engine and transmission, with 384,000 miles on it. It works perfectly. Neither the engine nor the transmission have ever had any internal problems. It will cruise on the highway at just above idle, getting 30 mpg. The more gears you put in a transmission, the less reliable it gets. New cars either have so many gears in them, or none at all, in the case of a CVT, they often don't make it home from the dealer. A 3 speed with overdrive is absolutely perfect with the 4.6L 2 valve in a 2 ton car.
My mom owned one. It was a 95 XR7, with the purple, blue color changing paint. I was very upset, when my parents traded it in on a Suzuki XL7. Especially, since it was paid off. It had 40 series flowmasters with chrome tips. Car was dangerous, as the rear end was known to break loose. Loved that car. 💙💜✌️
It took me twenty-six years to find a 1997 30th Anniversary Cougar XR7. I liked them when new and I like them today.
Yes! I share your sentiments about the seat pattern. It reminds me of being in a library, drs office, government building, etc etc.
I remember as a kid and a teen being surrounded by this design and it kind of gives you a peaceful Asmr type feeling for lack of a better description
I am biased because I own one, but I think the prefacelift looked better, more... consistent I'd say. And having the ls trim, I got this cool old school digital cluster :)
I think yours looked better also. I hated when they did to the headlights on the face lift. i Liked your for the headlights, the digital cluster and features.
Great video! I love this generation Cougar. The mismatched rear reflector lens bothers me a little bit though. Still a beautiful car.
Thank you Zack. The personal luxury/midsized coupe was declining at this time and finally went under in 2002. The Lincoln Mark VIII I thought was quite nice from this era. This car had better looking headlight design before this facelift and offered digital gauges too.
I like the prior style from the prior generation with the backwards V shape elbow window. It looks more like a unique one. Especially the XR7
Earlier cars of that gen looked much better. And the platform (MN12) felt very advanced back in the days. I can easily say that this gen Cougar outshines 1986-1992 Eldorado or Riviera by both looks and engineering.
I agree. I'm not a big fan of mid-life face lifts and the Cougar is no exception. They tried to modernize a car rooted in the 80s with that 90s "blobby" aesthetics, but it looks so weird.
I got a 96 Bostonian Edition XR7. Love the car. needs a lot of work, but I'm trying to keep this beast on the road.
Zack, I hope you get to drive a mid or late 70s Cougar built on a frame. Those were some of the most fashionable 'personal luxury' cars of the era when personal luxury cars were fashionable.
At the sign of the cat® 😸😸
When it comes to late '70s personal luxury cars, the '77-'79 Thunderbird with the wrap over roof takes the cake. GM completely destroyed the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix in '78.
I like the last generation. From 1999-2002 it attract younger buyers It doesn't look like a old grandpa look, but it's a pretty cool car again. I Remember driving the 2000 model in late 1999
I was 18 when that gen came out and wanted to own it. Came really close to buying a used one a couple years later but ended up getting a brand new Cavalier. Wish I had bought the Cougar instead.
I owned a similar '90 Ford TBird Super Coupe with a boisterous V6 instead of the V8. It had the 4sp Auto. Super nice car, quick for its day, decent handling but a good bit of understeer in the dry, oversteer in the wet. No TC in those days. It did have ABS. Roomy enough to take my family on a 1200 mile round trip to Orlando. Unfortunately it had electrical gremlins so I traded it at a loss.
I had a 92 Cougar LS and a 99 Cougar V6. I loved both of them and the Cougar model in general. I'd love to have another one.
As a kid starting middle school when this car was built I remember thinking that this looked like a Buick Regal GS to me: which, is really all this is. A last time Boomer mobile meant to smooth over those Interstates and make you remember back to the summer of '69 when you saw the ads for the original. But, in reality was just warmed over Fox Body with nothing much else going for it.
How does this Cougar look like any Buick GS ?
@@thomasthurston6656 Just the overall design ethos: plump, festooned with the oddly out of place filigree for reason. Bloated.
my grandfather had one of these as his last car when he passed away
Loved my 1994 XR7 full Tan Leather' I agree one of the best in reliability just oil changes and regular maintenance.
Correction, Ford Modular 4.6 V8s are either SOHC or DOHC, not OHV like its predecessors (in this case, an SOHC unit)
I remember this model. It came out from 1989 to 1994 design plus I like the 1996 refresh with the rounded headlights As well as the Thunderbird. One thing That's odd about the rear taillights. Is the backup light that is supposed to be painted radish And over the years it It washes out, but I drive in 1999 to 2002 With the ford probe looking style triangle new style design at that time.
I've owned a couple of these 90s Cougars. Great car if you want something that is different but still it's very reliable even if it's not a hot rod.
My dad had a 1994 Mercury Cougar when i was young. It was in really good shape but it was an ugly Mint Green color. To quote him "it ran really good but it was so damn ugly"😂. In my grandpas garage is a 1979 Cougar that was bought brand new by my grandparents that has 45k miles on it and it is a time capsule. Imo its a shame Mercury isnt around anymore
I had an 89 Cougar LS(3.8 V6 unfortunately) for a while...the digital gauges were cool!(Until they went out)...was pretty reliable while i had it and i liked how it drove, just wish it was the 4.6.....also drove an 03 Cougar with the 5speed man. And the 2.5 v6..nice driver but previous owner gutted the MAP sensor and felt pretty underpowered at the time.
My older brother used to have one of these. He must have liked them, because he had 3 in a row!
I like the bigger cougars!
By 1996, Ford had already given up on MN12 models. Executives were never happy with them. Concieved as a legitimate competitor to a BMW 6 Series, the MN12 was way too expensive for Ford's execs. They slowly decontented the models as the years passed, making them more & more boring along the way. What a shame. But...big coupes were essentially dead by 2000. The MN12 wasn't going to increase in sales as the 90s continued.
There was supposed to be a 1998 Model Year for the MN12
Would love to someday have you review my '02 Mercury Cougar C2 but it needs a lot of work to be in a reviewable state 😔
I hate it when Ford never made ABS/4 disc standard on the regular Tbird and Cougars... Sometimes you can find loaded ones with sunroof, but no ABS.
The MN12 platform!
Why is the driver side reverse light red?
One of my favorites.
WOW. I said this to my friends. it looks like a HOSPICE. WOW...
Kind of partial to the sixth generation of cougar with reversed rear window . Paired to the 5.0 . Tho output was 140 hp
I never realized how reliable these engines are. Thats why you still see these on the road and most of them are beat to shit but still driving haha
Absolutely LOVE a pearl white XR7 !!! #MercuryCougar 🛞
You forgot about the air bags
MN12 platform has dual-wishbone suspension in front, AND independent rear suspension. They handle much better than mustangs of same era.
90.9 is a baller radio station!
Dark green '97 XR7 was y first car in 2001. Never had any problems with it.
I'm going to guess ahead of the video that it fails the BFB test.
edit: Wow, that cup holder "flap" is horrible. The 97 had two larger cupholders where the ashtray and coin holders are on this car. The ashtray was a removable unit under the radio.
I had one. Loved it!
I liked the red ones
😂😂😂😂 Not the hospice high chairs!
Hey i used to have one of these it was a lemon and died, got revived, died again, revived again and then died AGAIN l. I shipped her off to the scrapyard after that.
This car is cool, but...the interior is shocking. Adjusted for inflation, this would be a nearly $40k car. It's wild that Ford ever thought this was acceptable.
hey zach, can you review a 2002 focus svt?
I never liked the squared off,totally vertical rear window roofline look,but the front end looks cool. Also,why only one reversing light?? Surely it isn't European behaviour,when quite a lot of cars have one white reversing light,& one red rear foglight?? The only American built car I have ever noticed that had factory fitted,integral rear fog lights was an Oldsmobile,in the 90s...can't think now whi
ch model it was,off hand??
These six rors on trunk what are they for?Regards from Poland.
Luggage rack. I don't think I've ever seen them used for that tho
@@MrTakaMOSHi Thaks.
I had an ‘87 Cougar XR7. It was a tank.
The rear end styling always bothered me
Got a 2010 mercury grand marquis with 60k miles
Gotta do a t bird super coupe if u can find one
Fantastic video, you’re my favorite auto channel. Even better than Doug Demuro and regular car reviews!
Has a car actually ever passed the bottle test? Maybe you should try changing the bottle because cars aren't generally meant to have a cup holder for a bottle the size of a 2 liter pepsi.
About 21% of cars pass. The test is just for fun with no expectation of passing!
You should dress up like the driver in the vantage motor week reviews of the retro cars you review
Except it had amazing expensive suspension way more advanced than anything In it's class
That 4.6 is not an overhead valve motor, it is an overhead cam motor. In this case a SOHC with 2 valves per cylinder. and the 4R70W transmission is bullet proof reliable. And who the hell uses a 26 oz bottle? C'mon man, get a normal cup.
This was my first car (I kinda miss it not really) mine wasn’t in near the condition mine had 200k+ and the transmission was going out, left me stranded so many times but one thing I will say in accidents they do great (I backed into a tree, slide off the road after I hit black ice into a ditch, and bumped into someone at a stoplight) and it never got a new dent or scratch, I hated mine for being unreliable but will always love it for being my first car
And you dont want to drive the auto 2001 Cougar, major transmission issues (I owned a green one) They arent half bad.
Love it.
last generation was a hatchback wasn't good. that one good.
Overhead cam*
Confused aussie enters the chat (though a personel lurxury vehicle is a step too far for oz)
Nice 😊
pra ser sincero Mercury cougar tem mais comparação Ford montadora Chrysler 😁👍🇺🇸🇺🇸
So funny to me cars from the 60s are all so cool even the economy cars but everything since then the economy cars are borderline hideous, from malibus to chrystler 200s and ford taurus. All ugly and nobody cares about them at all