You may experience the joy of being among the first to acquire a bulletproof gem or you may end up repenting at leisure, as subsequent refinements root out problems you have to live with.įord's Contour is a good example of a car that, after a somewhat shaky start in fall, 1994, has steadily evolved toward a higher plane. The idea of going with an established vehicle while the "new and improved" wonder matures is torture. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 135, Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1523.When it comes to picking a car, patience is a hard virtue to exercise.Ī fresh model hits the market, you love the look and the specs, "have to have it" fever rages and you buy. Jim Mateja covers transportation and the automotive industry for the Chicago Tribune. For information on local dealers with an SVT franchise, call 800-Ford SVT. Only 700 of Ford’s 4,300 dealers will handle the SVT when it goes on sale in May.
The only options are power moonroof at $595, compact-disc player (the trunk-mounted holder is large and will rob some cargo room) at $140, engine block heater at $40 and the no-cost smoker’s package. In addition to standard equipment already noted, you get five-spoke wheels with SVT caps, larger side-seat bolsters, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever boot, analog gauges with white facing, power locks, power seats with 10-way driver’s movement, power antenna, remote keyless entry. It’s the first no-cost optional “smoker’s” package in a Ford car. If you don’t smoke, you get both cupholders and a power plug where the lighter would rest. If you smoke, you can equip the car with an ashtray and lighter but in doing so, give up one of two cupholders in the center console. If seat bottoms were made a little deeper, your legs automatically would be drawn farther from the seat backs ahead and room would be gained.Īnother shortcoming is that SVT, with its leather interior, doesn’t offer an integrated rear child safety seat. For 1997 you gain another half-inch or so, which means you still are about one-half to 1-inch short of being able to place your legs in a comfortable position for long-distance rides.
For 1996 front seat backs were slimmed to allow back seat occupants more legroom. Since Contour came out, the media has criticized rear seat room. The SVT’s mirrors are a shade too small for optimum rear field of vision, such as those required when hoping to spot a challenger approaching. A performance sedan capable of propelling you at speeds in excess of 100 mph that comes with dual air bags and anti-lock brakes as standard doesn’t offer traction control.Īnother gripe is that when a car is meant to be driven hard, you want optimum visibility not only ahead and at the side, but behind as well. Ford officials say they don’t have an automatic that can handle the torque in this compact sedan.ĭownshift, kick the throttle and the 2.5 passes the test while the suspension complemented by those 16-inch treads ensures the body sits flat without wiggle or wobble.
FORD CONTOUR SVT MANUAL
The 2.5 is teamed with a smooth-shifting, short-throw 5-speed manual transmission, the only one offered. The 2.5-liter V-6 acted relaxed at 80 to 90 mph and didn’t have to breathe very deeply traveling long laps at a steady 90 to 100 mph, either. You have a performance machine at playtime. It means you have a functional four-door sedan that the family can easily climb into or out of, and one that takes but a small slice of the budget to feed. You usually don’t get both in the same vehicle. What makes the SVT exceptional is that despite the 195 horsepower and ability to skip lively from a standing start, the fuel economy rating is a most impressive 21 miles per gallon city/31 mpg highway.Ībove-average performance and above-average fuel economy.
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