FORD CONTOUR MANUAL

The manual transmission in our test car made the vehicle fun to drive.

It pulls strongly from a stop and delivers a solid burst of power all the way up to its 6,500 rpm red line.įord says the V-6, which it calls Duratec (short for durable technology), can go 100,000 miles without needing anything more than regular oil and filter changes. The V-6 engine is impeccably smooth, quiet and powerful. Those numb ers place the Contour at the head of its class.įrom the minute you twist the key, you realize that Ford engineers met the challenge to do their best work on the Contour. One enthusiast magazine tested a car similar to ours and logged a 0-to-60 mph time of 7.4 seconds.

FORD CONTOUR DRIVERS

Our test car was outfitted with the drivetrain that performance-oriented drivers likely would buy – the V-6 and five-speed. Both engines can be ordered with either a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual. The Contour is available with either a 2.0-liter, 125-horsepower, four-cylinder engine with 16 valves or a 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower V-6with 24 valves.

If you are interested in a Honda Accord/Mazda 626/Nissan Altima/Mitsubishi Galant-type car, this is your chance to take advantage of Ford’s marketing blunders. Also, there will be less pressure on Ford to move out cars that have been sitting around. By that time Contour and Mystique inventories probably will be under control, and Ford will have a more balanced mix of cars available. In the fall, an all-new and more expensive Taurus and Sable will be out, and Ford’s pricing problems likely will be solved. That’s why it’s probably the best time to negotiate a deal for either the Contour or the Mystique. In other words, Ford has more problems than a calculus book. Twenty-grand prices former Tempo/Topaz buyers out of the market and steers others to the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable, two larger cars that can be bought or leased for less than the Contour/Mystique. Potential buyers who show up at the dealer expecting a $14,000 Contour or Mystique leave disappointed. Ford has been advertising the Contour and Mystique as having prices starting in the $14,000 to $15,000 range, but until very recently the factory has only been building fully loaded cars – models that sticker out at $20,000 or more.

Price might be a big part of the problem. And they carry a far higher price tag than the Tempo and Topaz. The new cars are completely different from the ground up, engines and all. Through January, Ford has sold 679,617 Mondeos since the car first went on sale there two years ago.įirst, some auto analysts have speculated that there may be some confusion about the Contour/Mystique in relation to the discontinued Tempo/Topaz.įord officials will tell you that the Contour and Mystique are not replacements for the Tempo and Topaz. Production has been increased to meet heavy demand for the vehicle. Inventories are bloated and the factory is scaling back production.Īcross the pond in Europe, where the Contour/Mystique is sold as the Ford Mondeo, the opposite is happening. Ford officials must be absolutely stunned at the chilly reception the new Ford Contour and its sibling, the Mercury Mystique, have received since arriving in showrooms last fall.Īfter a weeklong test drive of the Contour – and last year’s test of a Mystique – I’m convinced these two all-new cars are far and away the best automobiles Ford has ever built.

Ford contour