Mercury Cougar Redux

You didn't think the cat just disappeared, did you? Things are never that easy. The 9th of 9 lives...or is it?

Take your damn hands off my cat.

Could the Cougar have been a bigger success with a blue oval badge? I believe so. In the early to mid-2000s, younger shoppers were already buying cars in Ford dealerships and it would have been an aspirational model over an Escort; slotted above the ZX2, but below the Mustang. But therein lies the rub; the Escort coupe had an MSRP around $13K, while the Cougar was right on top of a V6 Mustang coupe at $16.5K. But if they had made the Euro Cat a Ford, it might have outlived the demise of Mercury in 2011. And yet, you had exactly that situation with the Probe and Ford was happy enough with that car to try it again, trying to lure more drivers into showrooms, especially those of the female persuasion. I still think it could have worked, with the right marketing, a redesigned, more user-friendly interior (better cupholders, more comfortable seats and a softer looking dash) and a price tag of around $15K for a V6 with an automatic. For comparison, a 2002 Toyota Celica GT with a slushbox started around $18K. It could have worked. And with continued development, the mechanical and electrical gremlins surely could have been worked out.

It's not hard to imagine yourself behind the wheel of this beauty.

Still, I don’t know if all of that had been done that we’d still have the Cougar. Coupes in general are not big sellers here in the States these days, no matter which maker they’re from. In fact, many would consider production of such a model a mistake or at least a "halo" car at best.

But consider this; the CDW27 (aka the Mazda G/GG) platform lived on as the Ford CD3, on which several quite good vehicles exist in production to this very day. Putting aside the current negative slang associated with the word Cougar, imagine a lux’ed-up Mazda 6 coupe with Ford Cougar badges on it. Maybe even go back to the old days when there was a Cougar sedan and simultaneously follow the current fad of the “four-door luxury coupe”, with the fastback roofline, something like what Mercedes is doing with the CLS, style wise. Just use your imagination for that concept, but check out the coupe concept I whipped up below. Price it under $50-$55K or so for the gasoline version and less than $70K for the e-model (dollars today), market it as luxury for semi-bargain basement prices and it could have worked.

2017 Ford Cougar Concept (photo manipulation by yours truly)

Even though none of my cat scratch fever dreams came true, the story of the Cougar wasn’t quite over. There was still life in this old hairball, conceptually and distantly.

1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E...7 liters of sexy feline muscle.

Ford thought it might have the answer to the Mercury conundrum back in the early '00s with the Messenger Concept. Designed to save the dying brand, they never pulled the trigger and thus ended up pulling the plug instead. It's interesting to note that the concept was an electric vehicle with the sole purpose of just moving it on and off the stage (not actually driving and no intention of production), which is so very hip and popular these days. If they'd brought it out with a traditional 460 hp V8 driveline and then the electric version now that the technology is so much better, I feel sure that it would have been a winner among Tesla owners looking for a more personal vehicle; an option to the Mercedes C-Class Coupe sitting in their garagemahal.

2003 Ford Cougar Concept...stunning. What could have been.

Daniel Strohl did a wonderful write-up on Hemming about this fascinating concept car, which is well worth reading. Even more fascinating is this presentation for the press.

And with that, the story of the Cougar seems to come to an end. Au contraire, mon frère! If you're willing to figuratively squint and go on a bit of a hallucinatory journey with me, we'll find our beloved kitty once again.

Remember the Cougar sedan and station wagon? You bet. So Ford has historically been willing to apply the nameplate to models other than the expected coupe...and what car segement is like catnip to manufacturers these days? I'll give you three seconds to figure it out...two...one...you're right; it's the crossover!

Which begs the question; could there be a Cougar crossover? If you're reading this, then you already know there is one...with a slightly different name. Overseas, you can beebop into your local Ford dealership and buy a Kuga. What a minute, that's not a Cougar! I told you it was a bit of a stretch. But I think you'll agree that it's not that far of one. And so, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you the newest, latest and greatest Ford Cougar...I mean...Ford Kuga!

Based on the Ford Focus and C-Max (as well as various Mazdas, Lincolns and Volvos) C1 platform, the Kuga has enjoyed two generations since 2008. The German-built 2008-2012 Kuga featured a 197 hp turbocharged Duratec inline-5 and two Duratorq 2 liter diesel engines. The 2012-present Kuga is extremely similar to the Ford Escape sold here in the States and features (over there) a much wider selection of motors, including variations of the turbocharged 1.6 Ecoboost and the 2.0 Duratorq. They're now built in the States, so it wouldn't be wrong to say that the Cougar...sorry, Kuga...is still built on American soil.

And so you see, the pretty kitty is still alive and purring. The Cougar is dead. Long live the Cougar!