Ford Contour

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Ford Contour (1994-1997)
Ford Contour (1994-1997)
Contour
Production period: 1994-2000
Class : Middle class
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Petrol engines :
2.0–2.5 liters
(93–145 kW)
Length: 4689 mm
Width: 1755 mm
Height: 1384 mm
Wheelbase : 2705 ​​mm
Empty weight : 1254-1390 kg
Previous model Ford Tempo
successor Ford Fusion

The Ford Contour was one of the Ford Motor Company between mid-1994 and the fall of 2000 in North America produced sedan of the middle class .

The Contour was the US version of the first generation Ford Mondeo . Its largely identical sister model was the Mercury Mystique .

From a technical point of view, the Contour was largely identical to the European Ford Mondeo. Instead of the curved, raised rear section of the Mondeo, however, the Contour had more angular taillights that had been adopted from the last American Escort series. The design of the front section was adapted to that of the Mondeo in 1997.

The Contour was only available as a notchback sedan . There were no comparable model variants for the hatchback sedan and the station wagon of the European Mondeo on the North American market, as there was hardly any demand for such models in this class in the USA .

Model history

Ford Contour (1997-2000)
Rear view

At the beginning of 1994 the Contour, offered exclusively as a notchback sedan, made its debut in the versions GL and LX with a two-liter Zetec four-cylinder engine (16V) and as an SE with a 2.5-liter Duratec V6 engine (24V), each with an MTX75 five-speed manual transmission or CD4E four-speed automatic transmission available.

In 1997, Ford added a lower-priced new basic model (without additional designation) to its range.

In the fall of 1997, the Contour received a facelift with a larger, chrome-framed oval radiator grille and larger headlights. The new front section corresponded to that of the European Ford Mondeo from autumn 1996, but was not structurally identical.

As early as 1998, the basic model and the GL were discontinued, but the 145 kW, 235 km / h Contour SVT made its debut as a sports version with a five-speed gearbox and a decidedly sporty look and equipment, limited to 5000 units per model year.

Since the US manufacturers increasingly relied on the growing and profitable SUV and pickup segments at the end of the 1990s, the normal car segment in the USA was declining overall and was also dominated by Japanese manufacturers, the model remained in the after the end of production Autumn 2000 initially without a successor. With the discontinuation of Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, Ford's world car concept also ended. In six years around a million copies had rolled off the assembly line.

In Europe, a completely independent, new Mondeo generation had been developed that was not offered in North America. Instead, Ford relied on the larger Taurus in the USA , which was offered as cheaply as possible. It was not until mid-2005 that there was a successor of this size, the Ford Fusion , which had nothing to do with the smaller model of the same name in Europe.

literature

  • Flammang, James M./Kowalke, Ron: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 . Krause Publications, Iola 1999, ISBN 0-87341-755-0 .

Web links

Commons : Ford Contour  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files