Introduction

Mercury's Cougar may well be the best-named car in today's litter. A sleek predator on a winding road, it bounds and pounces cat-quick, with cat-like reflexes. There's something feline about its New Edge look, too, and just like a real cat, not everyone will like it. Bold and decisive, yet playfully quirky, Cougar's styling is stubbornly out of step with current fashion. And that's a good thing. Speaking of fashion, Mercury added two sporty new models in February: the Cougar Zn and Cougar C2. Available in bright zinc yellow, French blue and other vibrant colors, they sport special styling cues and refreshed interiors.

Walkaround

Although only two years old, Cougar has already received a significant facelift, inside and out. Front and rear bumpers are new for 2001, and the new front bumper brings a horizontal-lined air opening along with integrated fog lamps for S models. The headlamps are different, too, though subtly so; they're a little smoother than before. With its catlike headlamps and sweeping lines, the Cougar looks like nothing else on the road. It features smooth, sculpted surfaces defined by clean folds and sharp intersections. Parts of this car look as though they were sculpted with a sharp knife, while other parts, its perky rear, for instance, are abundantly, voluptuously rounded. Cougar offers artful exterior details as well: Small triangles show the location for the jacking points. Side markers act as turn signals to alert the driver next door. Cougar looks ready for high speeds and winding roads. Part of the reason for this is its relatively long wheelbase, with European-style short overhangs. Cougar Zn is an eye-catching vehicle with new features and distinctive styling, including unique zinc (Zn) yellow clearcoat paint. With its zinc yellow hood scoop and spoiler, the Cougar Zn also will offer for the first time standard 17-inch machined aluminum wheels with ebony accents and center caps. Adding to its unique look, the Cougar Zn is dressed with the Cougar logo in the back-glass blackout Cougar C2 adds its own unique styling features and a one-of-a-kind French blue paint. In addition, a French blue instrument panel and color-keyed spoiler, as well as machined aluminum wheels with French blue center caps, are also offered. (Cougar C2 is also available in silver frost, vibrant white and black.) The Cougar Zn offers midnight black diamond-patterned sport cloth bucket seats while the Cougar C2 offers French blue. Also available on each model are midnight black leather seats as well as dark graphite floor mats. Both the dark graphite floor mats and the midnight black leather seats include either the zinc yellow or French blue Cougar logo badging. AM/FM stereo with an in-dash 6-disc compact disc changer/player is now standard on all base 2001 Cougar Zn and C2 models.

Interior Features

Cougar's New Edge school of design is carried over inside. The new-for-2001 instrument panel is stark and racy. Round gauges feature dark markings on satin aluminum faces, and the speedometer overlaps the tachometer in the current fashion. Switchgear looks high-tech and is highly functional. Sturdy bullet air vents effectively aim the airflow exactly where it's wanted. Also new for 2001 are lightweight and aggressive-looking aluminum pedals for Sport Group V6s and S-models. Front bucket seats are firm and supportive. Although other adjustments are manual on base models, the driver's-side height adjustment is powered; that's a thoughtful touch. Getting in back is easy than it looks, and the rear buckets are surprisingly comfortable. Scooped out seat bottoms allow good headroom, while space under the front seats provides manageable legroom. Still, this is no sedan. No one will want to ride for a long trip back there. The base sound system has been upgraded for 2001 to an AM/FM/single-CD unit. S-models get a cassette player, too; while an in-dash six-CD changer debuts as a stand-alone option.