1999 Mercury Cougar...Continued
What We Looked At:
Roominess And Passenger Comfort: The interior is spacious with room to comfortably transport four adults for most trips. Adults over six feet tall will be uncomfortable in the back seat for any length of time due to the coupe's low rear-seat headroom.
The front buckets seats are among the best in any Ford product. They are sufficiently wide and offer good lateral support from the seat back's side bolsters. Special attention was paid to the seat bottom. The side bolsters are low to facilitate easy entry and exit for women wearing skirts. Cougar's seats were tuned to match the car's tires, springs and dampers eliminating vibrations that escape the suspension before reaching the passenger. In other words, the seats are designed to absorb some of the vibration left unabsorbed by the suspension when travelling on rough roads.
The 50/50 split rear bench seat has plenty of leg room, but as mentioned, headroom is at a premium. The standard fabric interior is solid and should be durable. Leather is an option on the V6 model.
Overall the interior makes for a very comfortable commuter car.
DRIVING POSITION: The driving position is excellent. All the gauges are clearly visible and controls are within easy reach of the driver. The gauge cluster is unusually attractive. It is laid out so that the large speedometer tastefully overlaps the tachometer. Four uniquely designed air vents -- one driver left, two center console and one passenger right -- provide good air circulation. The vents open and close with a twist. Climate controls are located on the center console above the stereo system.
 CARGO SPACE: Cougar excels with this feature. One of the goals for the car was to make its cargo and passenger carrying capabilities flexible. With the rear bench up, Cougar has 12.4 cubic feet of space. Careful attention was paid to make the space usable and not just a number. The 50/50 split rear bench folds flat greatly expanding the cargo capacity. Access to the cargo area is enhanced by a large rear hatch. However, it does narrow between the tail lamps. This means that the reachover is high for wide objects.
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