What Made The Ford Capri Great, Why The Cougar Couldn't Replace It! (1987 2.8i/2000 2.0 Road Test)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2024
- WIN with Lancaster Insurance: bit.ly/3YxfBbI
The Ford Capri was launched in 1969 and enjoyed a cult following in the UK from birth to death in 1987. Copying the American Mustang formula of using saloon car mechanicals in a stylish coupe, it made an exotic sports car aspirational for the everyman. From the 3000GT Mk1, to the 2.8 Injection, RS3100, Tickford Turbo or humble 1300 Pinto, the Capri’s mass appeal remains to this day as it achieves valuable classic status. Could Ford make lightning strike twice with the Cougar, a US-built GT car to once again offer exotic styling to the everyman in the 1990s? Let’s find out…
If you like Blue Ovals, why not subscribe to Classic Ford? shop.kelsey.co.uk/classic-for...
Thanks to WB & Sons for loan of these cars: wbandsons.com/
Proudly supported by Lancaster Insurance - get a quote on YOUR classic car insurance here: www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk/...
- Music -
• Craig MacArthur - The DeLong Incident: • The DeLong Incident - ...
• Craig MacArthur - The Old RV: • Craig MacArthur - The ...
• Silent Partner - Don't Look: • Don't Look - Silent Pa...
Classics World is a family of brands that includes ten classic publications plus many souvenir bookazines. Check out great offers on these and more on shop.kelsey.co.uk/magazines/c...
More classic car news and reviews online. Stay up to date with our weekly newsletter - register today at classicsworld.co.uk/
• Facebook: / classicsworlduk
• Instagram: @classicsworlduk
• Twitter: @ClassicsWorldUK
All content on this channel is - unless otherwise stated - the opinion of the given party and any offence caused is severely apologised for. Any and all third-party content is credited and referenced to the best of our ability and all externally-created content is entirely the legal property of its original and rightful owner/s. All rights respected.
Chapters
0:00 The Ford Capri
0:40 What Made The Capri Great?
5:42 Ford Cougar
9:30 A Worthy Successor? 
Авто/Мото
I bought a ten-year-old fire-engine red 2litre Capri in 1989 for just 250 quid! It was immaculate with just 30k on the clock, just nobody wanted them! I LOVED IT! Bloody brilliant car! I was around 26 at the time, single and working on good money - I felt like a king driving my Capri, best times of my life! I can testify that the Capri was the only car that could get you laid! Girls Loved Capri's! I have driven Porsche, Audi's and other nice cars since but nothing comes close to a Capri for attracting the attention of girls lol. Alas, after 6 wonderful years, my beautiful Capri was written off by an old man who crashed his volvo into it, when it was innocently parked outside my house one day. Bloody insurance company wouldn't cough for repairs so it was written off. Ford made a huge mistake by not finding a replacement that remotely looked like the Capri, the design is timeless.
It sounds like it was not just the Capri that had the 'go faster stripes'!
@@Mike-br8zt lol...oh happy days..sighs!
@@swanvictor887 Funnily enough but what did I see yesterday ? A fire engine red Capri. Lovely it was as well
I bought my red 2.8i in August 1991 and a MK1 3 litre GT ford capri that is now an ETCC ford "works" touring car replica in blue and white with 16 inch 3 piece split rims and a box arch body kit with a duck tail spoiler.
I had a Cougar and loved it. Would buy another - if they were available. Also, the V6 Cougar was amazing.
I had a Cougar V6 X pack and it was superb. Way better than the asthmatic Capri in my opinion. It was a Cortina with a dress on, nothing more.
@@See_more.... Cougar was as much a Mondeo with a dress on as the Capri was a Cortina with a dress on though…
@@ben4373 At least the Cougar was a good drive. The Capri was awful.
2001 Cougar V6 X-Pack owner (and club member) here. Mine's fairly well modified - ST200 conversion, strut braces, coilovers etc. - but even a standard one is a brilliant drive. Only criticism of the standard setup is that the cavernous hatch allows for a lot of rear flex (hence the strut braces).
Absolutely a delight to work on (except the alternator...) and shares so much mechanically with the Mondy that parts are cheap. Only real problem would be availability of body panels/lights if you ever crashed it. They do rot about as well as a Capri though, unfortunately. I've put more Waxoyl on mine than any other car I've owned.
I realise this was probably a "fire-and-forget" video, but if you're ever in Buckinghamshire and want to have a go, look me up!
I have a V6 Cougar and its a great drive in its own right. I can't compare it to the Capri cause ive never driven one, but in comparison to all other modern cars ive driven, the cougar stands out above the rest. The chasis is great and the steering has just the right amount of feel. With a good exhaust that V6 noise definitely makes me want to drive it on a Sunday for the sake of it
Confession. I love the design of the cougar and have had 2 over the years. In fact i must be one of a few whose owned cougars and kugas... Anyway it was never intended to be the new capri so its not a fair comparison. It is just a mk2 mondeo in a frock.
But a nice frock!
I don't own a car but I take an interest in cars generally. Fords have never been my favourite cars but the Capri was an exception. In my opinion it is an outstandingly handsome design.
So, I do think you answered your own question accurately. Put simply, the Capri was an unusually good looking car, and remains so all these years later. It's a bit disturbing that the shape of bits of steel can be so important to a prospective buyer.
I own a Cougar 2.0 and I do take it out for sunday drives, in fact i did last sunday. I wanted one ever since Clarkson tested it on old Top Gear and eventually got one of the best ones left and totally love it. If you grew up in the UK in the 70's 80's or 90's I think we all loved one or another, be it a Capri, Escort or Puma, Ford just tapped into something at just the right time in our lives. Great video as alway guys.
I had a 78 and an 81 both 2 liter v^6s hatch backs, while stationed in Germany. Loved it. Still love it. Would love to have one even today. It was a joy to drive. Picture one of these with a ford 2.3 liter turbo crate motor and a 6 speed transmission.
The Capri was hairy chested and manly, that was the appeal. Not a shopping trolley, a purely blokey car to look good in.
They were used as police vehicles, imagine that kids!
The biggest problem for the Probe & Cougar for me was the shape, compared with the Capri they looked bizarre and boring. I had six or so Capris, they were all memorable and it was always an event going out in one.
I already knew the outcome of the video. But still great video as always. Would be great to see similar comparisons with Audi coupe, VW Scirocco/corrado and so on.
Haven't watched the vid yet, but would say it comes down to what wheels are providing the power. Other than that the Cougar is better in every single way...apart from the noise...oh yeah that glorious noise 😂
My first car was a tawny, (dark metallic brown), 1972 Capri 1600L bought in 1975. A real looker and much admired. It may have been based on the mark2 Cortina but you would never guess.
Great video! For 7 years, I had a 2000 Toyota Celica GT, which was pretty much a competitor of the Cougar. It was going very well, when it worked. Still have PTSD about its horrible reliability... To compare, my 1991 Jaguar Sovereign XJ40 is much, much more reliable than that.
Re the Capri V Cougar- you have missed a very obvious point- the Capri was RWD, which guaranteed driver involvement and excitement- especially in the wet. The Cougar meanwhile was *WWD.* Wrong Wheel Drive aka FWD. Like many cars built from the 90's onwards, the Cougar is over refined, sterile and isolates the driver too much from the actual driving experience- you could never make that accusation about the Capri- which is very involving in terms of how it drives, how it feels to the driver, and how it sounds. The Capri- especially in 3.0S, or 2.8i guise is very definitely a keen driver's car, whilst the Cougar is for people who want to move from A to B!
In stylistic terms, the Capri has far more road presence than the rather dull, anodyne Cougar. It has just the right amount of subtle aggression- with the shrouded headlights and grill conveying a degree of aggression- without being brash, or over the top. The Capri is svelte and low slung, whilst the Cougar is like a suet pudding with a wheel nailed on each corner. The Cougar just highlights everything wrong with car design from the 90's onwards- it's soulless and devoid of any real character or appeal. There will never be another Ford coupe with the same appeal as the Capri- manufacturer's have forgotten how to build cars with a raw edge that truly involves the driver- which just makes cars like the Capri all the more special and worthy of cherishing.
Yeah absolutely, car design from about the mid 1990's really sucked. Soulless jelly moulds that will never become true classics.
The Capri was the closest thing to a muscle car the European market could get. It cannot be replaced firstly because the muscle car era is gone.
Which must explain why the 5 litre V8 Mustang sells well in the UK then??!
Ford Capri's my dream car but they're waaaaay too expensive now
As we said, slightly scary how much they go for these days! -Jeff
I owned seven 3.0 MK2 and Mk3's, both S and Ghia, manual and auto and an early 2.8 Injection. I really wanted a Scimitar GTE but they were too expensive, ironically now they are now an absolute bargain.
I bought my red 2.8i in August 1991 and a MK1 3 litre GT ford capri that is now an ETCC ford "works" touring car replica in blue and white with 16 inch 3 piece split rims and a box arch body kit with a duck tail spoiler.
Capri - Terry McGann, Bodie and Doyle (I’ll gloss over Del Boy)……Probe - Gareth Cheeseman……Cougar - Dennis Hopper! Says it all! 🤣🤣
In the US as you probably already know, the Capri was sold as a Mercury and they did OK but I just think that people didn’t care to own a small mercury over here. And as for the cougar, I test drove one when it was new, and that thing had such bad oversteer, especially with a V6 that you could flip it just entering the highway going up the ramp a little too fast. They were articles written about it seems like a very unsafe car so I passed.
I had a 2.5 Cougar X auto was a really good cruiser and returned over 30 mpg on long journeys
The 2nd generation Probe was such a beautiful car, and with Mazda underpinnings was pretty good as well. Agreed on the name though!
I had a 2.0 Probe as an old runner for work. It was comfortable, with adequate power and should of done better really but I guess it was the wrong time for coupes. The Capri came out when people hadn't really had a truly affordable 'performance car' before, by the Cougar's launch there were all sorts and the power, ride and handling of everyday cars had improved immeasurably over the years and as said many times the hot hatches were taking over, probably nothing would of worked.
This last generation Capri was a really good looking, timeless design. The Cougar does look more like an Old Hag in comparison. Long live the Capri!
I have owned both these cars for 10 years and I do agree with this videos over all consensus (altho I'm dumbfounded why you didn't compare v6 to V6 models) the Capri was of a different time, I struggle with the idea of how ford could've possibly made a better cougar given the ford line up of 1999 or so, they could've given it the st200 version of the 2.5 but my argument is I have fitted a st220 3.0 to mine and it still isn't something that amazes or blows your socks off, with it's 240bhp proven power it still isn't that exciting and is still overall better at touring and long drives, you'll get there feeling just as fresh as you stepped in at the start, but as you put it, not overly a reason to drag it out at the weekend for just a spin
My Capri has been a long love of a relationship and it is constantly evolving, it's not over 300bhp with a modern 16v turbo engine, but back when it was a 2.0 pinto it wouldn't excite in the way it got down the road, it was more to do with how the car made you feel
I owned the MkI Capri (without the hatchback) and I'd buy another one tomorrow. The aesthetics of the lines were ,for me, perfect
It's funny, in the US that generation of Mercury Cougar was considered an interesting alternative to Japanese coupes like the Celica and the Prelude, and its V6 powerplant helped it stand out, in theory at least. It seems to have been caught between the Mercury Cougar's own brand heritage as a comfy GT alternative to the Mustang, and its FWD competitors which were all sharper to drive.
I think the main reason that the probe and cougar failed to replace the capri was the fact they where front wheel drive
The Cougar is one of Fords shortest ever lived products to my knowledge. It was essentially a re-trimmed Mondeo Coupe. A Mk1 Mondeo ST would have been more fun at that time.
Everybody saw the Cougar as a Mondeo in drag, but the same could never have been said about the Capri vs the Cortina. They got it wrong because they weren't bold enough. Everyone was out there buying The BMW Z3, or the Toyota Celica etc.
I mean just look at that Capri. Very characterful lines and oozing with credibility.
And just mention The Professionals. CI5, Bodie and Doyle and their top boss George Cowley
If i won the lottery i would love to have a 2.0 Laser in my garage. Capri had a great driving position.
The Capri was really a coupe version of the Cortina and all models had a sporting image even the basic 1300. When launched in 1969 there was competition from the Sunbeam Rapier based on the Hillman Hunter. About 1990 the Opel Manta was replaced with the Opel/Vauxhall Calibra and the newer car was not as popular.
Good down to earth review, no bullshit and self egotistic crap.
Thanks John!
I don't think we can talk about the Capri without talking about either The Professionals or Minder. When we talk about product placement; Ford had this down in the 70/80s. Inversely during the Probe years they gave one to Alan Partridge! Given the choice, which would've you chosen?
The Cougar needed a hot variant. Really, an ST220 wouldn't have been that much of a stretch, would it?...
German RS3.1 was a beast at the time . Probably not as good on reflection as the last 280 Brooklands specials
Surprised àt the negative comments about the Cougar styling,test drove one but the ŵind noise was excessive.
What do you mean, "There's no power assistance.....?" YES- there most certainly is- all the V6 Capris from the Mk2 onwards came with PAS as standard.
Capri every time, especially the V6 3000 Essex lump
The main problem with the Probe and Cougar (a Mondeo coupe) was that Ford had interesting ideas on pricing: they really thought they could charge 3 Series Coupe money for a Japanesey ugly car with a pound shop interior.
The Capri was its own car. It defined its own market and was/is irreplaceable. In truth the Manta was a a better car but the Capri was a decent effort.
I remember back in 2002 black of the dealers forcourt a Capri mk1 3 ltr auto pristine to clear 1100 pounds, i left small deposit but never picked it up, silly me.
Probably not quite a fair comparison as there was a V6 Cougar.
At the time of the end of the Capri, they weren't selling enough units to justify its production, although they had extended its life by around 2 years already.
IMO, the Sierra XR4i & XR4x4 and the XR3i would have taken most of the sales.
The reason the newer "Sports Coupe" cars haven't got what it takes is they are FWD or 4WD with all bells and whistles.
Driving RWD cars are always more fun, apart from some snowy conditions, when there is a little fear to add to the control.
Good video 🚘🚙🚗👏👏⭐️⭐️👍👍👍
The cougar's biggest problem? The contemporary Mondeo ST was so good.
The Capri was an exciting yet inexpensive car that brought the American muscle car image to Europe without the impracticle size and inability to go around corners. Ford then tried to replace it with something that looked like a poor man's Ferrari followed by something that looked similar to a bar of soap with wheels which was just about as exciting as a bar of soap.
My friend had a 1976 John playing Special from new he had a roll back sun roof fitted it use to get sum envy’s looks.we were invited in 1996 to the lunch of the focus because my wife uncle worked at Ford we bought a new car every 3y first out from the back was the focus then out came the Cougar everybody was more interested in the focus my wife still runs her last focus now 20y old a run out vision the 1.6 ebony it still out Handles most family cars on the road to day
I had 2 cougars I'd have another
I alway preferred the Capris great rival , the Opel Manta. The Mazda MX6 was a much better looking car than the Probe or Cougar .
No other ford cars can replace capris they were my best favorite for car ever . These days ford cars are boring
Ford. Never replaced the Capri.imo there best car .. maybey now is the time to bring it back in a new format.
Show me a boy who didnt want to become a rock star and I will show you a liar . Show me a man who doesnt think the Capri is the ultimate and I WILL show you a liar .!
A mate of mine had a courgar on test for a weekend which we duly crashed! The abs failed when driving over a cattle grid . I had noticed this previously on Transits that i drove . So that never impressed . my girlfriendhad a 2.5 ltr Probe which i liked to look at but driving it wasn't great . It felt hinged in the middle? Then you had thev problem of selling the flipping thing! No one wanted it .
Even the Ford Mercury Cougar ( at least I think it was a Ford ) from the same era as the original Mustang was a Handsome Beast compared to the European Cougar. It's a Muscle Car I've loved since watching the future, but short-lived, Mrs James Bond drive one in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Mercury are an seperate brand owned by Ford, like Lincoln is. Like you do not call it an VW Audi or Fiat Maserati, it's not called a Ford Mercury. It's a Mercury Cougar. 👍
The probe and cougar were just rebranded models that had already been available.. Ford USA had the probe long before us, but it is a mazda underneath.. The Cougar was already on sale in the US as the Mercury Cougar.. The capri on the other hand, was designed and aimed solely at the European markets.. Anyway, ford lost their way years ago, now its just all SUV's and crossovers. They can't even be bothered to think up new names for their cars now.. Just delve into the history bins and drag out some names people remember and stick them on something that doesn't even resemble the original.. i was a die hard ford man, still at when it comes to the classics, but not owned a modern ford since selling my mk3 ST Mondy..
Cougar was too cutting edge I think for some, didn’t see them when they were new and don’t see them now.
The V6 was rather expensive particularly with the options so didn't sell well. It was a much better car than the Capri and represent great value today.
It was simply, Ford in Europe at that time was on their low time generally (or towards the end of the low time): They'd done the desaster with the ugly Scorpio Mark II which was by then discontinued. The Escort was of poor reliability, the Mondeo I was bland and had quite some issues. The Fiesta of that time boring. Only the Focus after it just come out was an interesting and good car. But that's not enough for world manufacturer. The Cougar for sure was one of the better and also prettier cars. Ford in the 70s was sure on a different level in the market. So was the Capri.
For me the Capri was the last great car that Ford ever made . I tried to like Forfs after that I just could not do it
Only one Capri does it for me ... the PROPER Mk1 (1962 - 65)
The later Capri's were crap.
And before you say, "Yeah but that was a Consul Capri" .... the Mk1 Cortina was a Consul Cortina but it is still a Cortina.
Ford pinched the rear side window design from the early 60's Capri and continued it on to the Mk4 ... Yes, what you call a Mk3 is really a Mk4.
Maybe naming a car after a middle aged nymphomaniac didn't help.
Nothing wrong with the Cougar, however the world had changed...
FWD is the biggest issue. 90s RWD cars are much more interesting. FWD USA cars from 90s are boring as well despite V8s
The couger looks nothing like the capri. Nothing that's my guess you buy a capri for its looks etc 👍
I owned a MK1 Focus and loved it, around the same there was a Cougar and Probe in the family, to this day the Cougar is the worst Ford I’ve ever driven and the Probe was an absolute pleasure, it was my GT of the time.
problem is the ford cougar was heavy.. like 1350kg for the V6. My B5 Quattro 4x4 on my channel is only 1395kg.
The Cougar was just to boring and unsexy looking to be a sports car. Fords new egde design style had fitted household appliances better than cars.
Get REAL man the Cougar is NOTHING by comparison!!!! Can you replace the Statue of Liberty????????
Wrong wheel drive & ugly. What made the Capri fun to drive was RWD & no driver aids. Still have my 1980s S capri today.All the FWD fords i owned are long gone!
Why couldn't the Cougar replace it? Simple really- Front. Wheel. Drive. (and crap also!)
The Capri was a good looking, styled by human hand car. The Cougar was an ugly/jelly mould, two door Mondeo, styled by computer. Simple.
The Capri was overrated