Faults:

One big thing has gone wrong with my car. I crashed it. This could be down to my driving, but as I've had my license for five years and have done driving as extreme as the Iraqi desert, I don't feel I am totally to blame as the corner I skidded on (at low speed) was covered in leaves and mud and also the car does not feel too great round corners. Anyway, the crash (albeit small) resulted in my bumper taking a whack which in turn splintered my radiator which is why it is now in the hand of a repair garage.

General Comments:

I will start off with the bad things. As stated above, I do not find this the greatest car for taking corners. My previous car was a 1994 Ford Escort 1.8 which I loved to bits and miss terribly. That little baby was great for driving round all kinds of roads, but as I am based in Cornwall while my friends and family are still in Kent I needed a motorway cruiser which is why I now have my Cougar and not my Escort.

Under the bonnet, it has a 2.5 V6 engine which on paper should be blisteringly quick. Instead I find it a bit lazy and not quite as fun to drive as my old Escort.

There are only two seat in the rear which have very little headroom for any normal sized people whilst the dashboard is just a bit on the tacky side.

You may now be thinking that I do not like this car much, but I do. This only cost me 4995GBP and for that I got a great looking car that was five years old with 53000 miles on the clock with a 3 month warranty. Passengers in the back may be a bit squished, but I get loads of room in my luxury bucket seat. For my money I also got a CD player and Climate control which is just brilliant. The boot is absolutely huge so shifting equipment in no problem.

It is extremely smooth and refined on the motorway with only the pleasant growl of the engine to be heard. The engine may not be brilliantly powerful, but this has the positive side of being surprisingly economical when driven sensibly. It also has traction control which can be turned off and on with the press of a switch. Didn't do me many favours though.

All in all, it is a pain having a crash at the best of times and I do find that the handling is not the best if you have to drive through country lanes. that said, if you drive mainly on A roads and want a bargain sports car then have a look at the Cougar, it could be just what you want.

Faults:

Nothing. Since I have had the car (16 months), I have had no problems at all. I find this generally indicative of Fords and due to this they are the only manufacturer I have ever bought from.

My one slight gripe is that there is occasionally a slight squeak from the rear on bumpy roads. However whilst this appears to be a bearing noise coming from the rear wheels, it is actually the parcel shelf retainer. Any person who experiences the same, remove the shelf and listen again - like magic it has gone.

General Comments:

I have just driven around Devon and Cornwall for seven days and covered over 1200 miles in my black stallion and it was a dream. There is plenty of power when required and the sound of the beautiful V6 engine is a pleasure to behold.

The modern looks ensure that you never get bored of looking at her or being seen in her.

With respect to the interior I have just two dislikes. The leather seats are very nice looking and being heated and electric is great, however they do not support you enough and allow you to shift slightly when carriyng out tight cornering. I believe this was amended on the later models and the ST24 seats were put in. Also, and a very minor moan, I think the steering wheel is slightly too big. Again I believe this was amended on later models.