1995 Ford Contour / Mercury Mystique | Retro Review
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- Опубликовано: 30 дек 2023
- Check out what we though of the all-new Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique
Show 1404 | Original Airdate 09-28-1994
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I had a 1998 SVT Contour. Drove it for 125k miles and kept it until 2008. Fun, reliable car.
Oh man. That’s the one I wanted. I got a new 98 SE V6 in mid-1997 before the SVT was available. Still, I loved that car. I considered it my mini-SHO, as the SHO didn’t have manuals anymore and the used ones were a bit too rich for my blood.
I have one as well. Good fun
Why’d u get rid?
@@whatevernevermind5960 first kid was coming. Needed a larger car.
I've seen two of those my whole life, it's a bit strange how rare the SVT variant is.
I wish they still made cars this size. The SVT Cnotour was very under rated for how fun and nimble it was.
Using the rotary knobs is super easy, barely an inconvenience. Motorweek was more than 20 years ahead with that one.
Oh really?
I'm a fan, too. Happy New Year.
Our Ford Mondeo was a fantastic car back when Ford hatches and saloons were the kings of the road on the UK. Shame they discontinued cars in Europe in favour of bloody suvs😢
I kept waiting for a Contour configured like the Mondeo hatch, or even a wagon, but it never happened here in the US. A coworker had a V6 sedan and it seemed like a good car.
Same here on this side of the pond except for the mustang.
I had a 1998 contour se back in 2010. Amazing car. It got me halfway through college before the transmission went out.
I also had a 98 back when it came out. Manual V6. Loved that car.
I just love these retro reviews ❤
I had a 98 Mercury Mystique for a bit. It wasn't too bad of a car, drove well, nice ride quality, but the 2.5 V6 was an absolute nightmare to work on, it was just crammed in to the engine bay and there was a ridiculous amount of coolant hoses in stupid places. I let the car sit for a couple months and the alternator died, and like most of Fords Duratec V6 engines, it was on the back and the bottom, near the firewall and I can easily say, as an automotive mechanic, that was the worst spot ever and the shittiest alternator job I have ever done in my life.
The biggest weak point of these cars, and many other Ford cars, was the automatic transmission, the C4DE. They needed to have fresh ATF often, I think the interval was 24 000 kilometers, for a flush, and if the owner neglected that too long and too often, the transmission would be toast
Yes - frequent fluid changes were the KEY to that unit! I did my fluid changes religiously between 27k - 30k and the transmission performed beautifully up until I sold the vehicle at around 235k……..👍
Never changed mine and never had a problem. Never added a tranny cooler to it either. I think people were just abusing the cars.
@@nolimitsnuttbusts4u The tranny cooler is connected to the radiator from factory like 99% of every other automatic transmission car on the road, so why would you even add one though?? There should be no heat issue, to even need an aftermarket one, with a small sedan like the Mystique or Contour, it's weak clutch packs that are the issue that often did not tolerate worn out, old ATF. It's the same transmissions on Ford Escapes, for a very long run, and I have worked on many, and seen a lot with rebuilt transmissions, because the owners did not do transmission flushes at recommended intervals
@@dethmetel Also, you shall never ever flush an automatic transmission. NEVER! Always do it yourself. Drop the pan. Drain it. Fill it up. Run it for 5 minutes. And repeat that until you have drained the max fluid carry capacity of that transmission. After the last drop, you open her up one last time and replace the filter. Top off again and good to go. Most shops will refuse to do it that way because it is an inconvenience for them and they're too lazy. That's why you should do it yourself. A good DIY mechanic like myself will modify the pan with a drain plug just like the one on the oil pan to speed up the process. Never ever flush an automatic transmission. That can actually cause premature internal transmission component failure. Everyone should know that by now.
@@nolimitsnuttbusts4uabusing? Or driving it like a Toyota?
Strange how these cars came and went. I hardly ever see one on the road anymore. Great contemporary styling for 1995.
Yeah they use to be pretty popular back in the day. I’ve not saw one in years now. Even more popular was the ford escort of the time. They use to be EVERYWHERE. Not anymore.
I liked the contour svt and the escort gt styling
We had a ‘95 Mystique and we always called it the Mistake. Unnecessarily difficult to work on, and even the window cranks were reversed from normal. Those things really did not take well to the elements either compared to other models. My dad had to air chisel the left front brake rotor off in pieces because it seized so severely on the hub. We sold it to a friend in 2012 who put it in a demolition derby and put it to an appropriate end.
You had the car for an awful long time to have all the problems you claim.
@JDns-we4fwnot all cars wear this badly though
I have the sense this 1995 Mystique was bought as a used car, maybe in say 2008 with over 100k on it? Two or 3 previous owners?
@@severinjohn My parents got it in 2001 with about 20k miles. They bought it from my dad's father when he got a newer car. It was not run hard at all. When we sold it, it had about 135k miles.
Funny that you mentioned demolition derby and Mercury MISTAKE in the same sentence!!!!
Jackass:The Movie, anyone?
These are my favorite! These car's had the stiffest chassis I've experienced back then, especially the V6 with the sport suspension and rear sway bar. On the other hand the four cylinder without the rear sway bar had an unusually plush ride for a compact car. The long wheelbase gave it secure handling and silky smooth ride. I had a 95, 98 and have a 2000 now. The 95 had more features, the 98+ were decontented but still nice and reliable.
I took my drivers license test in my dad’s 1995 Contour GL V6; it was a good car overall! Did very well, especially since we lived in North Dakota.
The contour and mystique were good looking cars especially after the 1998 refresh. I still prefer the tempo and topaz from 1992 to 1994 with the 3.0 v6.
Mom had a 98 SVT that I learned how to drive on. I miss the crap out of that car.
I got a great deal on a slightly used 95 Mystique. It had the 2.5 but was strapped with the auto. Overall, decent car except for the "moosing" issue when cold, and the hood paint checked. The only other complaint I had was the aluminum wheels on metal hubs. I soon learned to put a film of grease on the hub before mounting the wheels, otherwise electrolysis would practically weld them to the car.
Wheels 🛞 still seize onto hubs now. I agree with putting grease or I usually put anti seize on the hub when rotating them.
Moosing seems like a ford standard feature. My coworker used to have an 09 focus that would rattle the entire dash at idle regardless of the temperature. My friend currently has a 2012 focus and you can barely hold a conversation on cold starts.
@JDns-we4fw colloquially I was referring to dissimilar metals.
@@glanzera The 09 likely needed one or more motor mounts replaced, they were a very common failure on those Ford Focuses, cheap and easy to replace though.
Owned a 98 mystic . The 2.5 is pretty reliable but .. if the alternator goes out or the water pump , plan to devote a whole weekend to change it out. Also the dash cover tended to warp ( recall) and the wiring harnesses were brittle. Miles ahead of the previous model tempo tho. And a good handling car with pep.
we had 1.8 AT Mondeo and it could barely overtake trolleybus
My uncle has a Mondeo from 1994 with the 4 speed torque converter automatic. He had this car for decades. I recently got to drive it myself and it was amazing. It has well over 250.000 km on it and it still drives and shifts like a dream.
I always find weird that the american version of this global car is referred as very bad and unreliable. The european version was best in class, and reliable too. Still see some of them on the road almost everyday.
It's not the car it's American drivers and American mechanics don't know how to maintain European engineered vehicles.
Mk 1 Mondeos were unreliable too. Wasn't until after 2000s and mkII that mondeos became solid.
@@Arayig1982 my father had a mk1 Mondeo turbo diésel. I inherited It years later. Only had 2 problems in 13 years. Alternator, and front suspension arms. Apart from that, pretty good.
@@pokest225in 1998 Old Top Gear episode, Quentin Willson rated down the Mondeo as the bottom list on its JD Power Survey including some Ford models for customer satisfaction feedback with most common issues as well the recalls.
@@Arayig1982 strange. I still see Mondeos everywhere. And don't see many of the rivals.
happy new year motorweek 👋
The Contour wasn't sold here in Brazil, only the Mondeo. The few times I spotted an example of it (independently imported), I was like "WTF?!"...good times.
It was a pretty interesting sight.
Loved mine. Had a Contour SVT and Mercury.
My grandparents leased 2 of these when I was very young, a 95 Red GL with the Manual and when that lease ended they got a 97 Green GL manual. I can remember my grandma going just over 100 down the freeway with my brother and I in the car and she didn't even notice
My wife had a '95 Contour SE when we met... Mechanically sound, but the insulation on the wiring harness crumbling away was it's demise.
Oh so many electrical problems, and labor costs for repair were high since they were hard to work on.
Ah yes, this was during the era of the "biodegradable" wiring that European cars started using. Somehow, it trickled into some domestics...
A lot of these burned to the ground due to wiring fires.
These were designed and parts sourced from Ford Europe, that's why.
Hey my wife had one of the V6 with manual! Very decent car for 30 years ago - even the design still looks decent. It was fairly small but that V6 could move it with the manual! 🏁lol
I worked at a Ford dealer in sales in mid 94 when Ford had a ride and drive in Richmond Virginia with the 95 Contours. They all handled great. Great overall performance and seats as well! Styling was sleek and modern... I never liked the garish chrome bumper add ons though . Years later some also had mechanical issues and the transmission wasnt that great after 100k miles . Overall though a good car ,and a solid step forward from the Tempo imo. Good post .
Over in the United Kingdom, we had the option of the Ford Mondeo in hatchback form. I used to own a 1995 1.8 litre LX model in a navy blue colour. It was a brilliant car and very reliable.
Whose idea was it to use a Glad trash bag for the shift boot? That intake plenum does look kinda sexy tho.
That is so nitpicky, when older gearboxes looked like trash in many cars and leather shift boots being like that were favored highly over outdated accordion style boots.
Looks nothing like the sort anyway and was typical of many newer aero 90s cars, especially designed by Ford Europe.
My parents rented one in 95 because their Taurus was in the shop. I really liked the light up door handle wells.
My mom had a 1997 Mystique. I bought a 2000 V6 Mercury Cougar that I still own. 2 of the worst cars we have ever owned. I was a Ford technician at the time and the other techs and the teacher at the tech school told me not to buy any vehicle on the cdw27 platform, but I didn't listen. The Mystique had the Zetec 4 cylinder it developed a no start issue that turned into the battery wiring harness needing replacement from corrosion. Then the blower motor resistor started a fire under the dash. I replaced over 100 of those on recall as a tech. Then there was the timing belt slapping the cover that had me replace the timing belt at 60k miles. The door handles broke or stretched which made it hard to get in the car. 3 other family members own Ford Contours, and my mom key would unlock 2 of the other cars. Last straw for mom was the insulation on the wiring harness flaking off causing a misfire because the injectors were shorting out. She traded that car at 80k miles. The Cougar which is on the same CDW27 platform went through 8 alternators, 3 power steering pumps and 9 fuel pumps b4 the warranty was up. 2 weeks after purchase the check engine light lit for a side airbag issue and my car doesnt have side airbags. The wire rubbed through the seat bolster at 20k miles. The dealerships never could find the right cover to replace it because my car is a late 2000 model Special Edition that they claimed parts were unavailable for. The sway bar brackets keep ripping off the subframe. I still own it now with only 130k miles. I dont trust it to drive me outside of a 30-mile area. Dealers only offered $800 on trade back in 2008 so i decided to keep it. Dont buy any Ford produced when Jack Nasser was president of Ford. They are all junk!
@JDns-we4fw I'm an ASE certified technician with 23 years of experience. You read all the horror issues these cars had and came up with I don't know how to take care of a car. I kept that Mercury Mistake on the road for my mom from 1997 to 2011. It's not my fault Ford decided to put a biodegradable insulation on those cars that causes them to have major electrical shorts or burn to the ground. The cougar is 23 years old now and i just replaced timing chains, fluids and all gaskets and seals last year. I must know something to keep it running when most parts aren't available anymore for it. I worked on over 100 of those cars at my dealer back in the day. They stayed in the shop constantly.
I had a 1995 "Medium Calypso" (turquoise) SE with the 5 speed manual. Dang, I'm sorry I sold it. It was very torquey. I could easily go around corners safely at a low speed in residential areas in third gear. One time I accidentally went from a dead stop in third thinking I was in first and the engine didn't even knock. A nice touch not mentioned was the illuminated interior door handle recesses. When you pulled on the exterior door handle when locked, for better or for worse, the interior lights would come on.
My Thunderbird had a feature similar to that too, never liked that it just lit up the entire interior when locked, didn't want my tapes stolen lol
I test drove one of these, it was the metallic tan one with a manual. It was a surprisingly nice car, I might have bought it if I could have afforded it!
These were pretty nice. Light years beyond the ‘97-03 Malibu. The Contour SVT was super sweet though. Almost 200 horsepower from a 2.5 V6 in the late ‘90s was unheard of.
Malibu was awful but Malibu is direct competitor to Taurus as they are same exact size
@@workingcountry1776 Yeah, that’s true. The Contour and Malibu were competitors in their price segment. GM was pretty well known for building big tin cans. The cars were definitely larger than the competition but tended to be lacking in quality and comfort. The Alero was more suited to go head to head with the Contour and Chrysler cloud cars.
@@JohnEvans-ct6mz The 1998 SVT Contour was rated at 195hp, while the '99 & '00 versions were rated at 200hp. I don't know what they actually made; that's what Ford rated them at.
@@wrailfanthey gained 5hp & 2 lb/ft of torque for 99+,
Prelude Vtec was quicker and over 190hp with 2.3 I4.
I drove multiple Probe GTsand Preludes back to back in 90s.
Probe pulls nicely off line but goes flat at an rpm that Vtec pulls strong 6000+.
Prelude was nicer car that brought a premium price.
96' MX6 GT had the 2.5L Probe platform and was worth the extra $.
Also drove Integra Type R, which I believe was 1.8/180hp.
No power below 6k
I test drove a Contour in 1998. When idling at stops, the dash rattled and it was brand new. Ended up getting a Malibu LS instead
They are so informative
I was extremely happy to trade in my Contour for a Honda Accord.
Had a '98 Mercury Mystique. Great car with no issues.
I knew a female coworker that had one of those! Hers was an SVT. Nice looking car at the time! With the sport package!
I bought a 95 Ford Contour in the mid 2000's and really liked it. However the previous owners didn't take very good care of it and it did have a few issues. It got great gas mileage though, and was very reliable. It took me wherever i wanted to go. If that car was available now and looked the same... I'd buy it, however it would definitely need a turbo or something. The NA 4cyl automatic was pretty underpowered.
The true American cars and how cute are they! Awesome exterior and interior.
Completely forgot about these cars.
and for good reason. I can't remember the last time i saw one driving around here in Wisconsin. About the only 90s cars i see are an occasional honda.
I had a 97 SE 5spd v6 (sport suspension). Horrid electrical system, but the engine was bullet proof. The rear seat was pretty tight but the trunk was huge. The final drive ratio for the 5 speed was a bit.. off. At 75 mph it was cranking 3000 rpm. It was one of the few cars that truly got it's epa mileage rating. It also had whacky high ground clearance and once I ditched the horrible oem Firestone tires, was nearly unstoppable in winter. I'd driven it through a foot of snow.
The SVT contour was cool. But when I found out the v6 cougar xr7 was basically the same car and was a cougar so I got one of those. I loved it and it would hang with all the top trim imports running around back then
My aunt drove a 1999 Contour SE she bought used in 2000. It was rebuilt from a rear end collision before she bought it and was given a replacement trunk lid for a 95-97 Contour with the style taillights we see here. The car was overall a piece of junk from what I remember. A few months later, my dad bought a rebuilt 1999 Escort LX from the same dealership, which had been repaired from a front end collision and was given a front bumper cover for a 97-98 Escort with the Ford emblem mounted differently. Overall, it didn’t have as many problems as my aunt’s Contour.
I had forgotten about this car! Clearly you don’t see any of them on the roads. Cheap cars.
Had a 99 SE back in the day 👍🏻
Always thought the exterior appearance of these cars were a little “weird” (like many FoMoCo vehicles from the era when they forced all of their designers to throw away their straight edges) but looking at this clip, the interior of these were very nice for the time……..👍
My first car in high school 1995 ford contour zetec 5spd
The reason why you don't see any of these on the road anymore is the wiring harnesses. Wire sheathing was meant to be biodegradable, but the chemistry wasn't correct and they'd quickly biodegrade. So many shops would refuse to work on them as the wiring was so fragile that they became a liability.
i dont remember seeing any of these engines going up to 150k miles with oem head gaskets, wheels bearing, rear brakes, suspension control arms, transmission, everything was very bad
And they came out 29 years ago
@@dandennis8465 you see plenty of old cars on the road no matter where you are. I just sold a 91 Taurus SHO and daily a 96 Hilux Surf. 🤷
@@retrocompaq5212 A buddy had a '96 Mystique 4cyl auto. He drove it to 170k miles until the transmission died. I'm sure he never changed the transmission fluid. He was terrible about maintenance.
@JDns-we4fw okay, lay down some facts or shove off.
I remember my mom bought 95 Contour LX in 97...always thought that would be my first car until in started having not transmission but unsloved shifter problems and my mom traded it for a an 03 Sonata
Had a '98 Mystique LS, loaded, with the 2.5 V6 and 5-speed. Thing was a delight to drive, and it was what turned me on to Euro-style cars. Interior was very nice for the time, and those bolstered leather seats were good for longer drives, too. The earlier iterations of the 5-speed tended to eat 3rd gear synchronizers, and by the time I got mine 3rd gear was already a double-clutch affair (Ford later created a new fluid spec for them, the so-called Ford Honey). But otherwise, mine never gave me trouble for the several years I had it.
These could have really been something had Ford gotten the quality right and the pricing right. They had the right idea, just didn't quite get the execution right. It's the same idea Alan Mullaly had, and had they gotten it right with these they might not have been in such trouble by 2006.
Ford did do better with the Fusion, but the Fusion was also a 1st Gen Mazda 6.
They used the same horrible automatic in the Mazda 626 V6 with a similarly massive gap in performance between the automatic and manual.
I test drove an automatic V6 Contour and was amazed how sluggish it was in comparison to my 1990 Accord (okay, I had a header, intake, exhaust and underdrive pulleys) but it wouldn't have made more than maybe 140 HP vs the 170 HP the V6 Contour had.
GL was my first car, fun little pudder around here to there car it started being past it's prime at around 130k and parts were getting hard to find.
I bought one new back in the day. It was a great car. It died around 2010.000 miles. Had the 2.0 engine. 80% was highway mileage
they were wonderful cars..
Ended up with a 95 SE V6 without tilt wheel in teal
Yes, SVT !
We had a 95 and later a 98 contour. Both were bought with around 20-30 thousand miles. Both died at around 130 thousand miles.
When you look back on it now, you might have wondered if developing a North American version of the Mondeo was a good idea, especially when there was a car based on the Mazda 626 which was sold in the Asia-Pacific region called the Ford Telstar. At the time of this clip, AutoAlliance International (at that time a joint venture between Ford and Mazda), based in Flat Rock, Michigan; was building the 626 for the U.S. and Canadian markets, and adapting the Telstar for our side of the Pacific, I think, would have made better sense.
My first car
These were far better than the tempo, great cars
I rented a 4cyl auto. It was one of the slowest cars I've evere driven. Other than that it was nice. Buddy had a 5spd v6 that was fun
It was faster than the 4-cylinder Tempo that it replaced, though.
Ah, yes, the Ford CrackWhore and Mercury Mistake. I definitely don't miss these heaps.
That car wasn't designed for rednecks, dude.
I laughed way too hard at Mercury Mistake
Nostalgia is strong ...people tend to forget how crappy some of these cars were back in the day. My brother had a mid 90s F150 and the thing was in the shop constantly.
@@zachlafond2652 I love reading the comments on videos about 1970s American cars (malaise era) and hearing how this was when America was great, my cousin had one and it was more reliable than today's junk, why can't they build cars like this today . . .
Seriously, these people must have dementia, lol
@@zachlafond2652No you just don’t realize how bad new cars are. The 90s f150 is one of the most dependable of trucks you can buy
Gotta be like 50 of these left on the road!
My 1995 Contour GL is one of those 50. No rust. Runs great. Idles poorly though.
@@browngreen933make sure the spark plugs are gapped correctly.
@@thewiseguy3529 Yes, one thing I did was replace the spark plugs (gapped correctly), wires, and ignition module. Thanks!
@@browngreen933 try replacing the throttle position sensor. TPS
might idle better. Or it might be idling fine and you might need motor mounts 😁👍🏼
@@thewiseguy3529 TPS sensor is something I haven't replaced yet. I may try that. Thanks!
These cars were service nightmares. We called them Mercury Mistakes.
Its crazy how fast these disappeared off the roads, nowadays you don't see many first gen Ford Fusions either but there's still plenty of mid 2000s accords and camrys😂
I test drove a V6 with a 5 speed manual and enjoyed it….. didn’t enjoy the price so didn’t get it
Ford spent $6 Billion to come up with a car that was bigger than an Escort, but smaller than a Taurus. And managed to cost more than either because they needed to make back their investment ASAP.
And they wondered why it failed.
The 1996 Taurus was just as expensive at $3 billion, but not being a global car needing to serve different markets cut out the expenses.
In 1990, the US '94 versions had to be restyled when the converted Euro spec car (with amber front signals added) failed consumer marketing clinics and required significant changes into 1991.
This was supposed to arrive in 1993 as a '94 model, but ended up being over 1 year late and the Tempo extended 1 more model year.
Most of the cost from 1986 to 1994 was from the Mondeo end and not so much USA. The Contour and Mystique probably were less than $1.5 billion.
as a used car dealer, I remember they had major failure with the fuse box wiring. the last two I bought both almost caught fire on the way to my car lot.
All the underhood wiring was garbage. Biodegradable insulation was the reason. But Ford had a recall and would replace all the wiring at no charge.
En Europe, c'est la Ford Mondeo même si en France on préférait les Peugeot 406, Renault Laguna et Citroën Xantia.
I had a 95 Contour was a decent car until it got old My Ex had a 96 Ford Contour GL and that one was nice again when it aged it had some issues. I really wish I could of got the Mercury Version though I'm a mercury guy but since they got killed off I'm a Ford guy now.
I had a Contour se v6 5 speed. The electrical systems were complete crap. So we're the power windows. The sport fabric seats were awesome tho. With the manual it had an abnormally high rpm at 2750 at 75, but it still got 30 mpg. It would easily cruise at 90. And it had an oddly high ground clearance. I pushed mine through a foot of snow and ice on Goodyear eagle aquatred tires.. it was a really good platform th at was put down by simple electric and electronic issues..
Crazy how an Escape, CRV, RAV-4, Rouge , can out run this …. We came a long way.
Ford's big mistake here (in the U.S.) was the price. Their outgoing Taurus was so consistently discounted with rebates that it was close to the smaller Contour's price. That continued when the butt-ugly '96 Taurus arrived and Ford had to offer rebates right off the launch to try to keep the Camry out of #1 in sales. The Contour was always a hard bargain because of the inferior product above it.
Yes, I remember hearing that was part of the problem for Contour sales - too close in price to the discounted Tauruses. Also, the back seats were considered small for a family car. I liked mine though; it rode and handled very well, and back seat size didn’t matter to me.
@Jonathan-mp32x I meant outgoing Taurus. The Contour was priced too close to the oft-discounted Taurus.
@doug The odder thing about it was, the Contour was supposed to be identical to the Mondeo and arrive as an early 94 model in spring 1993, but the Mondeo design did poorly during 1990 U.S. consumer marketing clinic tests and they had to quickly restyle the Ford/Merc duo until about early 1991, when the US spec changes were finalized.
That pushed it back to a 1994 introduction instead, as seen here in this video.
The changes increased the cost a bit, as instead of sharing as many parts as possible, more parts required more differentiation.
Ford was forced to use this platform for about 15 years, through many brands due to how expensive it was to develop from 1986 to 1994 (incl Contour) and recoup the costs.
Ah, the good old Mistake
SVT if you please.
My sister had a Contour. For some reason that car made me extremely carsick. I think there was a distortion in the windshield.
SVT Contours are rare af
I owned a 1984 Tempo GLX 5 speed. Loved it. The minute I saw the Contour I thought " This is not going to work". The dimensions of the design just were not attractive.
Before long Ford realized they only needed a small, medium and large sedan sadan (Escort, Taurus, Crown Vic), Not an in- between small/midisze
When cars were sensibly sized
Any body else wishing they could go back and buy a brand new V6 Contour for $15k. 😅
Then they'd complain oh it doesn't have Android auto or apple car play oh it doesn't have led lights oh it doesn't have this that blah blah blah
NICE OLD VIDEO,
Its odd how when these came to the American market they sold like garbage due to their odd size over here. In Europe it was a midsized, but in America it was between a midsized and a compact car. Fast forward a decade or so after they were discontinued; Ford brought the Mondeo back to America in the CD4 Fusion. It grew from a super small midsized car to the heaviest midsized car on the market.
My Grandma had a second gen Contour, and I have a CD4 Fusion. The two cars don't even remotely resemble or drive like each other despite both being Mondeos.
I would love to have a Black SE or SVT Contour to match my Black Ford Fuison Hybrid SE. The beginning and the end of the Mondeo in America.
7.5 to 60 was only a second slower than mustang gt
Back in the day when inefficient autoboxes would nearly lose to a manual shifter model with a 50hp deficit.
These cars should have been a runaway success - they certainly drove extremely well. Sadly this being a European model, Ford North America had to drive it into the ground. By the time I got my 1999 SE Sport, it really felt cheap, and it didn't help when I crashed it on the freeway at only 14K miles. There is a reason why I now drive a Hyundai instead of a Ford.
Ford Escort was not a 'World Car', more just in name. The European version was a different chassis and design to the American one, even though they look similar.
It was no good as a family car but perfect for a young couple, was as good as the last generation Focus
6 billion dollars. These type of cars from the 80's and 90's were horrendous.
For the time they were great!
Why were they unreliable?
@@vidkit3595actually fantastic
@@vidkit3595 bad head gaskets, transmission, rear brakes, wheel bearing, suspension control arms, sheetmetal and bad overall built quality, it was typical ford product, fucking garbage
Horrendous? I don't think so. That V-6 with the 5-speed was a very exciting combination! 7.5 seconds to 60mph was pretty much top of this class of car and was very good for the 90s. The styling was decent, if a bit boring, but I liked the Euro-spec dashboard and cabin. Rear seat room was too small however, later updates attempted to correct knee room but it didn't make much of a difference. This was a desirable car when it came out, miles and miles ahead of the Tempo/Topaz it replaced, and it compared favorably to domestic competition of the day. It's let down was some reliability issues, as usual for American cars, but even those weren't as catastrophic as in some other makes and models. I think these cars may not have been as good as the Accord, 626 and Camry but they could be optioned so they were exciting to drive and I don't think they were terrible to look at. Costing 10-20% less to buy than the Japanese competition, I wouldn't say these were horrendous at all.
I had a '95 Mercury Mistake. Terrible car. Thankfully, it was a 24 month lease, so I was able to quickly correct my mistake.
FORD. The car company that used to make cars.
I used to rent cars for travel, and I get this car a lot. I thought the Ford Countour was a good car
Svt was cool.
A big compact.... small midsized. Can't fit a baby seat in back. Never sold well. Unreliable w/ engine and electrical problems. Ppl bought Taurus and Escort instead.
Global Feast
It’s a MONDEO end of not an American car German/British car
Should have made the tempo 2 instead
"Whose curvy hood includes a oval grille opening the continues a recent Ford styling trend, nice, but not as adventuresome as we'd like" Wait a year they turn the ovels to to 11with the Taurus
Friend had a 5 speed manual version and it was a true blast to drive. Not sure of the reliability. Sadly Americans hate good driving cars, so it failed in our marketplace.
All domestic vehicles, after 80,000 miles, fall apart. Simply put, JUNK
Any car is junk when it's owned by people who abuse them.