1996 Mercury Cougar XR7 review from North America
"V8 says"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Plastic intake blew at 75,000 miles, it cost me $500 to fix it.
Exhaust converters went bad at 80,000 miles.
General comments?
The 4.6L was very fast when it was stock. I have added MSD Coil-packs, and wires, K&N cone filter, Tornado, cat-less performance exhaust and had a 15 horsepower chip added. This car hauls major tail, I have no problem blowing the little rice burners out of the water.
The transmission is great except in second gear when over-drive is engaged, I recommend to turn the overdrive off when wanting to accelerate hard. I also placed a trans cooler on the car which helped in performance greatly by keeping the trans much cooler.
The car rides excellent since I replaced the original struts and shocks with monroe sensa-tracs, wonderful improvement, takes the corners better then most mustangs I have driven.
I have no complaints about this car, it has the total package, comfortable interior, smooth ride and is very fast.
It is also a great buy for a younger person like myself (20 years old) that wants a car that can be beefed up on a budget.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1996 |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.6L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 45000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 97000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 12th November, 2004 |