6th Gen Cougar The History, Models, & Options

1983 bought the world a new generation Thunderbird which was one of the most aerodynamic cars the world had seen to date. Mercury’s Cougar was the sister car and it too was all new for the 1983 model year.
This would be the sixth-generation Cougar and like the Thunderbird it was built on the Fox platform. This Cougar was to be a departure from the strictly luxury car the Cougar had become during the mid 70’s and early 80’s.
Mercury was targeting the "luxury sports coupe" buyer with this car. So it needed to be somewhat sporty while still retaining some of the luxury aspects. It also needed to be different enough from the Thunderbird to attract a more upscale buyer. This Cougar would be the first Mercury styled with a cad program and Aerodynamics was a primary concern. The 1982 Cougar XR7 was a boxy design. Mercury was able to reduce the Drag coefficient of drag from 0.50 to 0.40 with this redesign. The question was would America adopt such a different looking vehicle? This week we take a look back at the 6th generation Mercury Cougar.

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[davyleehoward]

I loved the Lincolns Fords and Mercury's growing up. My whole Moms side of the family and my Dad and Mom had them. My favorite was from 88 my parents bought a Black 88 Cougar XR-7 in 89 it was a year old with 12, 000 miles and like new. It had Grey cloth seats.. it was loaded pretty much had keyless entry power antenna, all digital gouges, and I loved the column shifter being on the floor, lol and that 5.0 sounded so good when floored. It was my favorite car we ever had dual exhausts just everything.. Thanks for posting this Man ..

[manthony]

The 87 and 88 look pretty sweet in XR7 trim.

[davidp]

I had a 1988 Cougar XR-7. Even with all the smog controls, it still had a lot of get up and go for a car with 150 horsepower.

[jefflewis]

In high school most guys wanted a mustang, Camaro firebird or something like that. I had a centerfold poster of a 88 cougar xr7. Still would love to own that car

[robbytheremin]

Nice.

I had a 1967 Cougar that had been parked outside for over a decade.
I got it running but I didn't have the time or resources to do it right so I sold it to my cousin.

A few years later I bought a 1993 Cougar with the 5.0 HO engine and I just loved it.

I'm looking forward to more great videos.

[whoami-ebcq]

In NYC as a teen(Italian of course) we called this the "cougatz!"My buddy had an '87 xr7 and we cruised 86th street more then the El train did!Great memories!

[kclif]

i remember the cougar went from 2 door to 4 door then wagon. muscle car to luxury car to family. it's like ford wasn't sure what to do😅. i liked the cougar.

[dannyholloway]

I sure loved my Grandma's cougar growing up.

[dennyporter]

I like the looks of the 6th Gen cougar.. I don't hardly ever see them anymore . Back in the late 80s early 90s I worked at a car wash so I seen a lot of them and it's Thunderbird cousin! Very popular cars for the time.

[johnweingardt]

I bought an 84 Cougar with the Michelin TRX tires, handling package, and 5.0 V8. it was red with red cloth interior. It was a great car and my first new car after I graduated from college. Would love to find another one.

[Dougc]

My mom bought an 1983 Cougar and she loved it. It was a very dependable car too. I do remember on a trip that the 3.8 liter V6 got 31 miles to the gallon, I was shocked. Sure do miss that car. Would love another one.

[adamsmith]

In 85 me and my newly married wife bought a 83 Cougar and we loved it . I've not seen another like it it was in the red metallic w white leather interior . I wish i could find that car but im sure it's no longer around

[jimmohan]

I had an 86 xr7 Turbo and an 87 xr7 v8. Loved them both and so much fun to drive. THE MOST comfortable seats ever! The 86 had a lot of mechanical issues so I traded it in for the 87. The most beautiful scarlet red with same interior. Kept that until 91 when I had to get the next gen Cougar. Thanks for the video, lots of memories here.

[DSP]

Another great episode, Tony. I've driven a few of these over the years and owned an '86 Thunderbird elan. All great cars, well made and comfortable.

[williampalmer]

I've always liked the oddball foxbodies. Over the years I've had an 82 Granada 2 door, an 84 Capri, an 86 Tbird, and an 85 Cougar. I wasn't a big fan of the 87 restyle, but to me any of those earlier ones are great candidates for upgrading with any of the ten billion aftermarket foxbody parts out there. Plus, with a track width about equal to an SN95, it can use all the later fox suspension parts. If I had the space, an 83-86 Cougar would make a perfect sleeper project.

[savethave]

These cars were SWEET! My aunt had the Cougar XR-7 and my mom had the 86 T-bird. In their day these cars were modern and beautiful. The T-birds looked great in Nascar, too.

[owlnswan]

These have aged very well and still look nice. Enjoyed this like always, Tony.

[jamesstaggs]

Was a young kid when they were being made but I always liked the look of them. As far as being collectable goes I'd say no but they're getting very rare. There's just not a lot going for it. I do love to see those 80s "luxury coupes" being hot rodded though.

[Wooley]

A friend and his wife bought a new one back then. That was a really great looking car and comfortable.

[RonnN-gftm]

I remember these 6 gens well...lot ov em on the roads then ..My Gr.7 school teacher drove one.. My moms friend had one as well