Mercury Cougar...Continued

Our Impressions Of The Drive:

Engine Response: We drove the V6 with a stick shift. That is probably the best choice if you are shopping the all-new Cougar. This engine responded beautifully in numerous driving situations. It was gutsy and always produced driving confidence.

Shifting The Gears: The clutch on the manual transmission of the test car was pleasantly easy to use. It is placed well (not too close to the brake pedal for the big-footed) and could be depressed with minimal effort. The gears are well synchronized and were loads of fun during a mountain highway drive.

Handling: Driving enthusiasts should opt for the 16-inch alloy wheels. The Cougar is at home in the mountains and you'll want to enjoy every curve and hill and vale the Cougar bounds over. City driving was equally pleasant with this car. There's plenty of power for freeway merging and handling over "street repair" diversion was a simple task. Parking was a delight. Love those "compact only" spots!

Ride: The Cougar likes to remind you that this is a sports car. But hey, drivers like to feel the road and most riders aren't in it to be lulled to sleep. Actually, the ride was really very pleasant and easy to enjoy.

Brakes: Fortunately, we didn't have to put the brakes to an evasive maneuver response test. In the freeway, highway and city driving we did, the brakes were always responsive and contributed to a confident driving experience.

Fit And Finish: The fit is excellent; no uneven matching here. The finish is slick and clean.

What We Liked Most: Mercury's Jennings put it very well when he said, "The Cougar is a sports coupe. It looks good and drives good without compromise." We agree. He also expressed his feeling that "the 1999 Cougar is the closest we've come to the original emotionally-charged 1967 Cougar." We, too, felt emotional about this car.

What We Caution You About: This is really a two-person car. Don't expect the back seat to get much use, unless you will be driving with small children. And be sure to put the four-cylinder to a real test drive if you want the economy of this engine.

Overall Impression: According to Jennings, Mercury's "Imagine TV" campaign is doing a great job changing the way people feel about the brand. We think the Cougar test drive experience will take it one step further and change the Mercury-buyer demography, including improving their female buyer stats. Expect yourself to share our reaction to the new car, "Wow, this is a Mercury?"