The Ford Contour SVT Is a Sporty Sedan You Don’t Know About
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- čas přidán 29. 05. 2024
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The Ford Contour SVT is arguably the Ford Special Vehicle Team's most overlooked offering, but it's more than just a historical curiosity - with a naturally-aspirated V6 mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and compact dimensions, the Contour SVT has real sports sedan credibility.
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 THIS...
00:26 It Can Be Yours On CARS & BIDS!!!
01:01 Overview
02:42 SVT
03:20 Power Numbers
04:12 SVT Upgrades
05:11 Subtlety
06:22 More Exterior Quirks
06:56 Interior SVT Upgrades
08:36 Well-Equipped Interior
09:18 90s Ford Plastic
09:52 More Interior Quirks and Features
12:04 Rear Seats
12:44 SVT Rear Seat Upgrades
13:26 Trunk
14:38 Driving Experience
19:30 Final Thoughts
19:50 DougScore
#dougdemuro #carsandbids #ford - Auta a dopravní prostředky
The random older car reviews are easily the most entertaining to watch! Keep em coming
Agreed, I’d rather watch this than a new exotic video
I love it also. He keeps things exciting
I'd rather watch a review of some forgotten economy car that Ford tried to make sporty than the latest most limited edition 1 of -1 $2B Lamboclarenarri.
Hardly 'random' when promoting C&B is part of his deal selling out
I agree. I looked until i found a PT cruiser GT after he reviewed one
I love it when Doug releases a video featuring an older car.
It's a real treat.
Wish Demuro also reviews the 1994 Porsche 959.
I was a program manager on the SVT team back in the 90s and 2000s. We had a lot of round tables on the contour SVT. Good memories bringing this to production.
And easy, since the European press were already so happy with the regular version's handling. The ST-200 and this were practically twins except for the suspension tune and obvious body parts.
i own a Svt Focus!
I’m just kidding. I’ve never worked in the car industry
@@CarsTechWood well that's just splendid. #windup
Too bad Doug can't get his facts straight on them.
Interestingly Doug missed a major quirk of the Contour SVT. I owned one for 20 years and put almost 130,000 miles on it, I bought it brand new and knew the car very well. The interior might appear to be black, but is actually very very very dark purple. Fun fact. Ask a Contour SVT owner, they’ll tell you. 😉 It helps to view it in the direct sunlight, then it becomes apparent, especially the seats.
I feel like I noticed that in the video, but I thought it was just sun-fading.
Oh yeah. Midnight blue. I had the only tgreen CSVT with a full midnight blue interior swap on the west coast for a while
@@jerrybalch3912 Oh wow, didn’t know someone did an interior swap on tropic green! Must have looked amazing. Every tropic green CSVT I ever saw was tan interior, which never looked good on the CSVT.
@jerrybalch3912 I'm getting a tropic green CSVT from my dad here shortly with the midnight blue interior. Is this factory or no?
Surprised he missed the intake manifold was the first mass production application of the extrude hone process. Still miss my CSVT to this day.
Vortech had a supercharger kit for this. Back in the day, that combo would send many folks home wondering how they lost to a Countour.
That would be sick...I was wondering if anyone attempted to further tune these beyond 200hp. Sleepers are fun!
one of these GAPPED my boys 93 prelude back in the fast n furious days..he spent over 6k on an engine swap so that wouldn't happen again. 😂
Hahaha, Doug, you underestimate me…however simultaneously make me feel old. I not only remember the Contour SVT, I remember thinking they were cool 😂
Lost what?
@@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist0No thanks, I’m good.
The "coin hole" and the plate with "Contour" written on it at 9:52 actually serve as poverty blanks. There was a sort of graphical instrumentation module showing ajar doors, broken light bulbs etc. in the hole next to the air vents and a trip computer in place of the "Contour" plate. These were only available in Europe in higher end versions of the Mondeo.
The Mondeo my father bought new in 1999 didn't have either of these though. In place of the trip computer there was a digital clock. The buttons for setting the time were quite badly misaligned in his car, the assemblers hadn't even bothered to check if the lettering in those buttons were straight. But I guess that's 1990's Ford quality for you.
The engine it had was a painfully sluggish 90 hp turbo diesel, with a 0-62 time of 14-ish seconds.
You'd think that after years of doing this, Doug would realise when this is the case but alas :D
The module you are talking about was actually removed on all cars in 1998 if I recall correctly, so you couldn't get it even on the highest spec Mondeo. Mondeos were also available with adaptive suspension and 4x4 (2.0) early on. Ford 90s quality was over all not the greatest as you say. The car over all became cheaper and manufacturing quality also got worse as time moved on, but the 1.6/1.8/2.0 Zetec (blacktop) was much improved in 1998.
@@Makedeth These videos are just Cars & Bids commercials at this point. He's not doing any research anymore.
@@vevos_ I think you are correct on the removal of the module, I don't remember seeing a picture of a post-1998 Mondeo (with a blue oval in the steering wheel for a logo) with that equipment.
I later on bought a used 1996 pre-FL Mondeo with a silver top 1.8 Zetec, which developed a piston slap so horrendous my neighbour mistook it for a diesel. Not that the quality was too good elsewhere either. The heater fan, which was located above the passenger footwell, once dropped off its mountings and landed in the footwell bouncing all over the place hanging on its power cable before I realised what happened and turned off the fan.
My father's diesel estate was a robust car though.
Yeah the silvertop can sound very rough and Ford spent a lot of money fixing issues with the valves and hydraulic tappets which is unfortunate because it's actually a very robust engine. The blacktop is how the engine should've been from the beginning.@@henrimoilanen6714
Glad to see the SVT Contour get a review. In 2007, I flew to San Jose CA to buy a '99 SVT. Brought my dad along for the long ride home. A week and 4k miles later, we arrived in New Hampshire. I still have the car. In the heyday of small online forums, the car had a tight-knit enthusiast community with local and national organized meets. Good memories and I made some lifelong friendships.
I remembered a lot as one of the 12 cars in the original FORD RACING for PS1 man.
The forums were a very good resource, I went to a couple meets too, nice people!
The cubby next to the centre vents was for the auxiliary warning display offered on top trim mondeos. This gave you frost warning, tyre pressure, door open etc. Was removed for the 98 model year (along with a few other changes) so all later mondeos only had the cubby. That top trim piece being basically the only bit of mondeo dashboard used in the contour
The Mondeo you show as ‘hatchback’ is actually our stationwagon. There was a hatchback, but it was more like a liftback. We had the sedan aswell but like you said, it wasn’t very popular in Europe. Most sold models were the liftback and stationwagon
The only sedan that has done well in the U.K. since the early 1980s has been the Tesla Model 3 and I suspect that was despite it being a sedan. The later model Mondeos had exactly the same profile for the sedan and hatchback. For quirks Doug should check out the Skoda Superb which could open as either.
I sure hope someone was fired for that blunder
@@MrDunclMany saloon cars did well in the UK since the early 80's. Hence Mondeo man. We have never really differentiated between the model with the boot or tailgate. Unless looking at hatchbacks like the Vauxhall Asta and Belmont for example. Zero credit to Tesla
@@robsmall6466 I specifically said Sedan. The most popular Mondeo in the U.K. was definitely the hatchback. I got allocated one of the very first as a lease car back in 1993 after two Rover 216s (also the hatchback model).
Before the Model Y launched I saw someone coming out of the local builders merchant in a Model 3 with lengths of wood stuck out of the passenger window. I hadn't seen that since the days of Ford Cortinas.
@@MrDuncl Mondeo was never described as a hatchback in the UK. We have always called it a saloon. As I specifically said. Plenty of vehicles made between the 80's and now in the UK that have had the carrying capacity of a Tesla. Again - zero credit to give
I had a '99 SVT Contour for 3 years. It was lovely to drive, and the sound was a big part of the experience.
I had one as well. The sound was nice when one could hear it over the unending creaking of the terrible interior plastics, lol.
Str8 pipes make it sound like a mustang gt 😂 they were cool for sure
I sure hope it was better than the Ford Probe with the V6; Those were the "Un-Cars". They did nothing wrong, but nothing well either.....
I love the sound those engines make, but those rod bearings really don't mess around...
I owned both a Contour and Mystique when I was younger and even though both automatics they were still pretty fun to drive with that 24V V6!
My first car was a 1996 Mercury Mystique V6. It was a genuine Grandma-mobile (shoutout to my Grandma who was the first owner). However, I LOVED that thing. I did lots of mods to it, learned how to wrench on it, spent tons of hours on the forums, and longingly wished it was a SVT 'Tour. Thank you for reminding me of my first car, and it's cooler big brother!
Same here. I remember it had a very solid stable feel to the ride.
I actually really dig this little car. I remember reading about these back in their time. It’s a cool little time capsule. I think the exterior styling is very sleeper-ish (especially in black with the gun metal wheels) and the interior holds up surprisingly well IMO and doesn’t look THAT cheap. It’s very 90’s and looks pretty fun while being affordable and rare.
I had a black 98 with the bubble style 5 star wheels. I drive a scat pack charger now and this contour was still the most fun car I ever owned.
@@TheNuckinFoobBlack 1998 Contour?
I bought a '98 SVT new. It was the first car I ever bought and it was wonderful. The high revving V6 pulled hard from around 3500 to Red line (7200?). The sound remains one of the best sounding v6s ever. Ride, handling balance was great and I took it into the hills quite often. The performance numbers were right around the BMW 3-series and Audi A4 of the time for 10k less.
Still one of my favorite cars I've owned.
Yep, totally agree. Revving it out from second to third and hearing that exhaust note was fantastic!
@@jontwibell2467Contour still driven better than Audi A4 bro.
Had a co worker who built exhaust for those and the Cougars. He owned a silver Cougar himself. The exhaust wasn't terrible but far from sounding good. Back then he was the only exhaust builder for those cars. Yo Dude which became TruBendz
I had the same one. Had an engine problem so I traded it in for a G35. It was a hoot to drive.
Hi Doug,
I just want to add, that equivalent of Contour SVT in Europe was Mondeo ST200, not a regular Mondeo.
Mondeo (St200 as well) was offered as Sedan, Liftback and Station wagon.
All of these interior quirks are just placeholders. In European version there were some additional displays or just a timer at least.
Anyway, that was a good coor back then, I owned one as a student :)
The Contour badge on a badge is the place where Europe put a clock/temperature gage in a narrow digital screen. I'm not sure if it had more functions than the two basic ones, it may have.
@@rubenvanpraagh8791 it was fully functional trip computer. Could show current or average fuel consumption, average speed and other statistics :)
In that era, I have sat in European Mondeos and American Contours. The European Mondeos were obviously better cars, so some changes must have been made.
Does anyone know how they were adjusted?
@@robertsanders7060 Adjusted?
@@Timico1000 Yes.. the Mondeos of Europe were obviously much better cars than the Contours of the USA, so some changes must have been made.
AHHHHHH!!!! I owned a 2000 SVT Contour! I picked it up the day I graduated from high school. I loved it. Even though it was crappy in it's own way, I truly loved it. Thank you Doug!!
We had a 5 speed SE with the 4 cylinder. I loved how the car drove, rode, and handled. Loved the seating position. Loved the shifter feel. It was very thrifty on road trips, IIRC I could do better than 40 mpg on some occasions.
What I didn’t love was the build quality. Every wheel bearing was dead at 50k miles. The air conditioner stopped working because the coolant pipes were leaking somewhere. Quality was absolutely no longer Job 1 at Ford at the time, the CEO (Jaques Nasser IIRC) was known as “the cost cutter”, and boy did it show. The Escort it replaced was far more reliable and better put together (IIRC the Escort was a shared Mazda platform). It was depressing because the car itself had a lot of pluses, we just got sick of expensive shop bills on a car that didn’t even have 100k miles. We replaced it with a Honda CRV that was flawless for 100k miles.
The SVT Contour was fantastic. Owned two. Sold the first in '07, sold the other in '20.
No, the roof switch couldn't have been moved wherever in the plastic cover. The roof motor occupies the space under the cover and it was too compact as it was at the time, because finding one without broken gears already difficult by the mid-'00s.
Also, the "Contour" dash emblem was a clock in the '98 model year cars, but Ford being Ford let the bean counters pull out superfluous details like this for the later years.
Additionally, you keep showing wagon (aka estate) models when referring to the Mondeo hatchback and this is incorrect. The Mondeo hatchback looked like the sedan, almost the exact same roof-line, rear-window, and trunk-line, except it was a hatch that lifted open as one unit, instead of just a trunk lid.
As for power, the 2.5L had a well documented and temporarily acknowledged then disavowed design flaw, that resulted in it becoming quite common for owners to combine an Escape 3.0L shortblock with the SVT Heads, Cam, Intake (after the 2.5L spun its rod bearings) for a quick and "easy" engine replacement that resulted in 200-215whp (230-250Crank HP) with no ecm tuning needed.
I thought that countour emblem wasn’t quite right… and that’s because all 3 of the countours I had were 98s
My 98 had the clock but there wasn't a clock in the radio display. All the ones later with the Contour label had a clock integrated into the radio display along with other Ford vehicles then. I always believed that was the main reason for not including a clock.
Someone I played hockey with had this car back in 07-08 timeline, 5-speed and all. He broke his collarbone one game and needed his car moved from the rink back to his house, so I got to drive it. Was a decently fun car for that time period as a 18-19 year old. Seeing this pop up instantly brought back that memory.
amazing!
It's so cool that other people as teens were into these random performance versions of regular cars. Thanks for the review Doug!
It seems as if the UK mondeo had very similar interior mouldings but somehow ended up with better quality plastics than the Contour. The Mondeo wasn't really a creaky plasticky interior and felt more solid with actual velour fabric on the doorcards.
One thing I've also noticed is that the C pillar of the Contour is thinner than the C pillar of the Mondeo and that clearly has affected the headroom of the Contour. I do prefer the Mondeo though aesthetically.
Very often the case with these sorts of models. European cars were built better. I had a Mondeo with a 2.0 16v Zetec engine but I would have loved the 2.5 V6 with RS bodykit. I agree, it looked far nicer than this monstrosity and it also seems like this car sat alone in the SVT line-up whereas ours fit in with the UK fast ford lineage.
There were loads of those over in the U.K. badged as the Mondeo
Cop car.
There was also an st version which is basically this i believe
@@Mr.Marblesyep st200 if I remember correctly
This is one of two cars I learned to drive manual transmission on. My parents purchased their SVT Contour from a local dealer. Later on, the previous owner spotted the car while at a park and informed us he worked for SVT. He gave us a few parts and a poster of their car being tracked on three wheels. Fun car, but it started to fall apart back in the mid-00s. The interior made a lot of squeaks and rattles, but the engine sound was great.
I had a 99 SVT and I *loved* that car. It was so much fun in the twisties, and always got head turns.
I bought a 1995 Contour V6 when I was like 20 and I loved that car. Mom and sister both bought Mercury Mystics and my aunt bought a Contour. I wanted an SVT when I was younger but at this point in my life I wouldn't want one bad enough to pay what I am sure a nice one would cost.
I grew up in the UK in the 90s and lived pretty close to a Ford factory so we saw a lot of Mondeos!
When you mentioned "hatchback" you showed a photo of the estate (wagon), there was also a traditional hatchback with a shorter overhang and sloped rear window which I remember was a very popular model here at the time.
I've never been to Europe but I'm pretty sure the Mondeo came as a sedan too, or a saloon as they're called over there. Ford didn't have to engineer the hatchback into a sedan like Doug said because it was designed from the outset as a sedan.
Yeah. I've seen photos of the real hatchback and was kind of shocked at Doug for showing the wagon (estate).
In Europe it is called a liftback what You mentioned about the body.
@@GeeEm1313 He is referring to the rear door, which when encompasses glass is a hatch back. Wagon or estate is body style.
Doug Demilo, the kind of guy that will tell you, you’ve never heard of a ford Contour even though they were everywhere in the late 90’s/early 00’s 😂
Doug who?? 😂😂
This is Doug DeMuro at his best!
I had the European version of the Countour, a 1998 Ford Mondeo Wagon that I bought used in 2001 when we had our son and needed more space for the baby stuff. I passed down that car to my father-in-law a few years later and he's still driving it after more than 20 years! Great car.
Its pretty cool to see someone big like Doug do a review on one of these cars. I've owned 9 over the years, and a Mystique and i love them. The one i have now, i've had since 2012 and have been racing it since 2014. Its a blast to drive.
As for the Contour piece of plastic on the dash, it used to be a clock on earlier models, and is also used as a cover to hide the attaching screws for the whole bezel around the gauges.
Mondeo back then only costed $14.560.
Had an 1998.5 SVT Contour bought new. Lots of fun to drive. First production car to use extrude honing on the intake. The insurance company had a "high horsepower to weight ratio" charge on my policy. Kind of funny to think about now with only 200 HP. If I remember correctly the coin bin next to the center dash a/c vents was used for a trip computer option in Europe that wasn't available in the US.
No, the "coin storage" is an optionnal "Auxiliary Warning System" display, which turns a bulb on when there is a problem on the car :) We have a clock instead of the "Contour" plastic logo in the middle on lower trim levels, and a trip computer on higher trim levels
Do you know what happened to the Contour in 1998 for Ford to designate a 1998.5 model year?
@@alexcoolboy97 There was a clock there on older versions of the Contour as well, but every model year of the Contour had less interior stuff than the previous model year. Ford really cheaped out on this car as time went on and "de-contenting" was the term the enthusiast community used for this practice. The one Doug reviewed was actually not too bad, though, the black plastics actually looked like they mostly matched. That was an issue with my 1997 Contour GL. Adjoining black plastic pieces were made of different plastics and the colors and textures were often mismatched.
Holy crap! It just occurred to me that I haven't seen a Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique in many years.
They are in the junkyard or crushed. Ford cut corners during development especially the early model had wire harnesses with biodegradable insulation. My mom 1997 mystique harness was unsavable within 7 years. Plus, they had bad fuel pumps, power steering pumps, wheel bearings, and corrosion issues. I replaced over 100 blower resistors on those cars when I worked at a ford dealer because they would overheat and start fires under the dash. I must save they were good handling cars though.
I've seen one of each within the past few years lol
90s cars were many things, but they were NOT built to last. That’s clear at car meetups, you see 80s and early 2k models, but there’s a big hole for 90s cars that were both not memorable and not worth keeping alive.
One of the weirdest quirks of this era of cars were the engine displacements. You had 2 and 2.5 liter power plants that were making more power than 5.7 liter and even 7 liter V8 engines, as fuel economy became a big selling point, it was really odd.
The 90s Toyotas and Hondas were built to last 90s American cars weren't with a couple of exceptions like the Caprice Crown Vics and the Chevy and Ford pickups and Buicks
I had a buddy who bought one of these right out of college when he started work at Ford. He loved it, and it was a sporty little thing. But all I can really remember about it was how uncomfortable the front seat backrests were. It was as if they decided to stop the "bucket" part of the bucket seats half way up your back.
Billy, if you're reading this, the seats were terrible!
I'm only a couple years younger than Doug, and I loved this car when it came out. It had a nice "less is more" design, and it had a lot of power for a small sedan. A friend of mine in college had one with over 200k on it. I wanted one of the earlier ones when I was 20 but didn't have the money so I bought a 92 Miata instead.
I remember this car very well. The Jaguar X-Type was heavily based on the same architecture. The Jag even used the same Ford Duratec 2.5 and 3.0 V6s
Well, sort of. The Contour is a Mondeo Mk2, which is merely a facelifted Mk1, which was released in 1993. The Jag was based on the Mk3 Mondeo, which was a complete redesign.
The X-Type was a spiritual successor to the Contour of sorts, but it was actually based on the next generation of the Mondeo, which was a whole new architecture. And somehow the X-Type managed to be ever more of a reliability disaster than the Contour.
I remember the SVT very well from all the Car and Driver, Road & Track and Motor Trend reviews and comparisons. It did well. Back then there were few sedans in its price-to-performance category: Integra GS-R, Jetta GLI to name a few but the SVT was considerably more powerful.
In a small town where roads whispered tales of adventures, I first laid eyes on her - the Ford Contour SVT. Her sleek lines and vibrant color ignited a spark within my heart. Our journey together began, each drive an enchanting chapter in our love story. From winding roads to city lights, every mile deepened our connection. Her purring engine and responsive handling became the soundtrack to our shared moments. In the garage, under the stars, or on open highways, our love for each other grew stronger, transcending the ordinary. She wasn't just a car; she was the symphony of our adventures, forever etched in the memories of those unforgettable rides.
The Contour when upgraded can be also sounded amazing.
Great video. Along with others, I really dig these videos of older (especially rad-era cars). I was a little surprised by the Focus comparison throughout the video, as if it was related. Fairmont/Zephyr -> Tempo/Topaz -> Contour/Mystique -> Fusion/Milan. Also, that lock on the rear is near a 1/4 panel, not a fender.
All that said, I really dig these Contour SVT’s. Budget friendly entry from an era when Ford SVT was at its peak. The first car I ever did an e-brake slide in was a Contour (non-SVT) loaner from my local Ford dealer (tying back to Doug’s rental comment). It was a good time.
We want more content like this!
I'll admit that I haven't watch many of Doug's recent vids because I've been too overwhelmed with other car content but as soon I saw a random car from my childhood, I had to watch. Thanks Doug for continuing making vids of the cars no else reviews :)
Dude. Same here! I’m 37 so I remember the Contour SVT as a child. I thought the car looked so good so when I saw this pop up, I knew I had to watch it.
I had a 1998 Ford Contour 5 speed manual with the v-6 engine. Loved driving it, still the best handling fwd car I've driven. Hated owning it, many, many repairs.
The video is fairly accurate. I owned a 98 Contour "Sport" with the V6 and 5-speed manual. Wonderful highway car, great handling, decent performance. Someone in my neighbourhood had an SVT Contour that I lusted over every time I saw it. The Contour was a much more engaging car to drive than what was offered by most of the competition with models in the same class.
The contour svt looked amazing in person when it was new.
The svt focus was also great looking…at the time. since we didn’t have the RS.
This is a car you probably never heard of, Doug. My mom had a Ford Contour back in the 90’s, and I was well aware of the SVT variant of this vehicle, especially in stick!
I am well aware of this car and the mercury mystique as well. I’m also 43, so I know a lot of the cars from the 90s other may not know about. 🤷♂️ 😊
The first car that I brought was a Contour, I loved that car and its V6. In the 90s they were everywhere, in the Northeast United States at least.
@@watchreportand I daily the third car on that platform, an 8th gen Mercury Cougar lol
If Doug isn't aware of something, he assumes no one is.
Ha, I used to have a 2002 35th. Ann. Edition. @@Karmy.
This car was everywhere in Europe back in the day. As Doug mentioned, we got it under the Mondeo nameplate and it was hugely popular, it was almost comical how many of them there were. My dad used to own a 1993 model and my first car was a 2002 model. Obviously the first generation is quite rare today, but the second generation models (2001-2007) are still everywhere. There was also an ST200 model of the first generation with 2.5l V6 (which I guess this car is) and an ST220 model with 3.0l V6 of the second generation. The third and fourth generation did not have an ST model available anymore, but the most powerful Ecoboost engine you could get for those was considerably faster than any of the ST badged Mondeos available before. Unfortunately they have considerably declined in popularity, even though midsize sedans and especially midsize wagons like the Audi A4 or the C-Class continue to be huge sellers. Ford once again tried the "One Ford" strategy with the fourth generation Mondeo, which was sold under the Fusion nameplate in North America. The resulting car was too American for European taste and too European for American taste, making it fail miserably in both markets. The benchmark for midsize wagons in Europe is the Volkswagen Passat and the Mondeo Mk4 just wasn't good enough to compete.
ST220 was the third generation, not second.
The Mk3 Mondeo was available with the 2.5T Volvo 5 pot out of the Focus ST in Titanium trim, although as you say ford never marketed an ST version post the MK2, but it was still a very capable car. You could also get the 2.5T in the Ford S-Max and Kuga - a strange engine choice for either but I love that they gave consumers the option! Oddly enough if you look at the Mk1 Ford Galaxy you could get it with a VW VR6 lump as it was on the same platform as the VW Sharan.
I really think Doug should have a European trip because there's a hell of a lot of weird and wonderful in Europe that Americans would never have a clue about otherwise.
@@flavioc5389 Depends on what you consider the first and the second generation. In some markets, the first facelift of the Mk1 Mondeo (which is the model Doug shows in the video) is considered the Mk2 model, but in other countries it's just a facelifted Mk1 and the Mk2 was the one that entered production in 2001.
@@flavioc5389 Oh come on, the Mk2 Mondeo was a very obvious facelift. Half the body panels are the same as the Mk1, even the tail lights for the wagon etc etc
@@shroomyescyep, it was. Yet is is still referred to as the Mk2 within the Mondeo community. Yes, there is such a thing. It was the Mk4 that got the Volvo 5-pot.
I bought one of those rare Mercury Mystiques when they first came out. Upgraded to the V6 which I still have, and then an SVT. I longed for the better looking and better equipped Mondeos and imported the hatchback, station wagon and even a diesel after they turned 25-years-old. They are just plain fun to drive for any distance and have tons more quirks and share parts with the Contour/Mystique/Cougar family. They are more sensible and well suited to American roads than any Kei car import and a good way to learn how to import a car without breaking the bank.
You still have? wowzer
Between the Taurus SHO and this Contour SVT the child of both that would come later many ppl also don't know of or think about would be the first generation Ford Fusion SPORT from 2010-2012. Also another rare breed car that's underappreciated that needs credit given to! Doug do a review on a 2010 Fusion SPORT if you can
As a person who lives in the EU, I have an european 2.5i v6 170hp Mondeo sedan :) it makes me very happy to see Doug make a video on the American counterpart
For the "coin storage slot", in the Mondeo, there was an optionnal "AWS system, and in that space there was a small display with bulbs showing when there was a fault on the car (low fluid levels, burned lights, etc...)
it's amazing how cheap it feels compared to the European Mondeo, here it's quite well made and does not feel cheap at all. for example we have a "real" front center armrest, with storage underneath. The center "contour" logo with a blinking immobilizer light is replaced with a clock or a trip computer as an option.. Also there are almost always rear headrests, and very often we find automatic climate control.
my god the front sunvisors look cheap 🤣🤣🤣
I am trying to work out if the Mondeo was Ford's top of the range European car back in 1999. The Scorpio had been discontinued by then so I think it might have been.
Cougar perhaps (edit: or i suppose Mondeo ST200)@@MrDuncl
You may never have heard of it, Doug, but for those of us alive when they came out, we know them well! I test drove one back in the day out of curiosity.
I think Doug has underestimated us....SVT contour was a beloved car but many domestic car fans for years.
Exactly!! Tell me you are clueless without telling me you are clueless. He just did.
I was going to say most enthusiasts knew this car existed. Daddy Doug doesn't understand his audience. Essentially, the grandpa to the Focus RS.
@@PremierAutoMan86 the grandpa of the focus rs was the escort cossie?? the mondeo is a size bigger
It was the little cousin that Terminator and Lightning owners were slightly ashamed of.
Those cars were so cool. I remember the Mercury Cougar was very similar to that car. Felt really well put together. You can see how much smaller cars were 25-30 years ago. Hood goes up to Doug's knees. You could see out of a car's windows pre-2000.
Drove a 2000 SVT Contour for 10 years. Such a fun car. I’ve been waiting for this review for so long!
UGH THE NOSTALGIA. I *loved* the Contours. I had three...first was a 4-cyl auto which was pokey, but no more so than an Accord from the same mid-90s era, but it had excellent handling and ridiculously strong brakes. Then a V6 auto that I modded the crap out of, and finally a V6 5-speed 1997 SE, which was the direct predecessor to the SVT (down 20-30hp but handled almost as well, and I installed SVT rims and exhaust on mine). These cars were so great to drive, fit me like a glove, and had the most intuitive interior layout. Oh, and the 1995-1997 manual transmissions used a rod connection vs. cable...they were REALLY connected with great feel.
And looking at this listing, I can mentally walk through every single thing I'd like to mod or replace. My dream for a while was to replace the 2.5L Duratec with a 3.0L Duratec, which was close to a plug-n-play swap, and replace the open diff with a Quaife mechanical limited-slip differential. You'd be walking the line of having the best front-drive car possible, at least barring ones that had "Type R" on the Monroney.
I had a Taurus with the Duratec 3.0. Great engine, terrible AX4N automatic. I would have loved to manual-swap it and put in a limited-slip diff.
I special ordered one of these when I got out of college. I remember getting the VIN number and calling the SVT office to follow it through production and shipping. I saw it unloaded from the train to the truck and followed the truck to the dealer where I watched them unload it and PDI it. It was a fun car to drive. The engine had some extra love and care with the extrude honed intake and such. I ended up getting a company car and sold the Contour.
Adulthood officially began when you got that company car 😂
Funny- a car you absolutely obsess with through delivery- and go to a company car. Maybe everything but love.
There's a special place in my heart for the Contour. It was my very first car. Seventeen-year-old me loved that car and it survived a young 17-year-old kid driving it, multiple top-speed runs multiple full-throttle pulls, and several kickdowns.
*Also, another popular thing was to swap out the Duratec25 that cane in the Contour with a Duratec30 from the Taurus. 201hp and 207 ft. Lbs. stock vs: 200hp and 170 ft. Lbs. The 30 ft Lbs extra of torque is night and day.*
Or imagine the 3.5L Cycole 24V DOHC from the last gen Taurus and first gen Fusion SPORT
I was just starting to drive when this car came out, and I had an Escort ZX2. I really loved seeing the Contour SVT around, it was like my car's bigger, faster, sportier brother. I loved the idea of a manufacturer tuning their own cars up in the factory, especially in those pre-fast-and-furious days where compact Fords were not the cars with huge aftermarket support like Hondas.
I always hoped that Ford would give the ZX2 the SVT treatment, at one point Roush even concepted out a version with ground effects and a supercharger, I even remember they took the trunk spoiler off an SVT Cobra and narrowed it to fit the smaller ZX2. Alas, all we got was the ZX2 S/R, which had some mild upgrades over standard.
My next car was the SVT Focus, and that was a GREAT car, so in the end, I did get my euro hot-hatch.
There was an S/R version of the ZX2 with 10% more power, lowered suspension, sport seats, etc. I found one at Pull a Part and pulled most of the special components off it and put them on my ZX2. Enjoyed the improvements and new tires for 2 weeks until an F150 hit me and totaled it 😢
@@jamesengland7461 No! that's a huge bummer! My best friend growing up liked my ZX2 so much (we didn't know much about cars back then, lol) went and found himself an S/R so we had two black ZX2s for a while. Lots of dumb teenage fun, taking it to the dragstrip, abusing the transmission and so on.
@@jamesengland7461 My friend had an Escort ZX2 he really liked. It attracted a UPS truck into its physical space while my friend was off at college. It seems like ZX2s have a habit of attracting unwanted vehicles to hit them.
Fun, I had an Escort ZX2 and then later the Contour SVT. The difference felt pretty enormous at the time. While implied by bigger, I would also include "older" in the brotherly relationship, even if it wasn't. It definitely felt less rambunctious and more collected.
Always throws me off that the Escort was a different car in the US vs Europe despite being the same sort of size. There were factory Cosworth versions of the European cars; e.g. the Escort RS Cosworth. They took it rallying...
The Sierra (Merkur), then the Mondeo (Contour) did touring car racing, e.g. BTCC with a fair bit of success.
The 2.5 v6 was actually designed by Porsche and then sold to Ford. The SVT Contour was "famous" for having bigger cams, more compression and an "extrude honed" intake manifold which is a chemical porting process which pumps an abrasive slurry at high velocity through a passage thereby enlarging said passage. When I was a like 18-19 years old, these SVT Contours were a SERIOUS performance car. You might cross shop an Integra GSR, Type R, Subaru 2.5 RS, Eclipse GSX/Talon Tsi etc. They were quick and good handling for their day. My mom had a VERY rare spec 95 Contour SE with the 2.5 Porsche designed V6, 170 hp and a 5 speed manual. For 170 hp that car was torquey and quick for its day. I just remember it had a terrible disconnected shifter and a hard to figure out clutch but it was a great handler--really too small inside compared to Accord or Camry and thus was never very popular here. But my moms maroon V6 manual Contour was a fun car!
I owned one of these with some small mods and I loved it!!!! So awesome!!!! I miss that car so much... I loved it so much that I drove it without a radio and when the heater fans went out I still drove it for over 2 years living in New England. Omg....I wish my mom never sold that car on me, lmao!!! Such a fun, drivers car.
I used to love hearing Jeremy, James, and Richard talk about the ST220 Mondeo because it's the cousin to the car I had.
It's basically a slightly detuned Ford Mondeo ST200 which is a legend of the BTCC and next to the next gen ST220 these were the last of the old school fast fords
mid 2000's EU fords were beasts love on the Fiesta, us fords are just entirely different and plain stupid vehicles ..
@@karel_de_lille British/euro fords are some of the best, the new generation of Mustang is better because it became an official seller in England and thus needed some handling tweaks...the ford focus rs can easily keep up with a 5.0 Mustang and take it on the corners too...but my favourite fast ford is the ST220, it had 200hp to the tyres where as the ST200 had about 180 to the tyres
My parents had the lowest base model contour that you could get but still have the V6. I learned how to drive in that thing! Even when it wasn't an SVT, it handled shockingly well for how cheap it was
Because it was basically a European car. They always handle better
@@Mac10Daddy And in Europe it was the fourth model up their range above the Ka, Fiesta, and Focus. In fact it might have been Ford's largest European car (as opposed to MPV) as the Scorpio got discontinued in 1998.
As the 1995 introduction video said “it has a European suspension born and bred on (those) roads.”
Same here, except I learned how to drive in a base-model, taupe-on-taupe Mystique. Was the first and only car that my mom was able to buy/lease new from a dealership in her lifetime.
If doug had a chevy corsica or dodge stratus to drive next to the contour he’d be singing another tune. Even in the 4 cylinder se you got good seats, a great ride and driving feel thanks the European heritage mentioned above.
I used to own one of these back in the day, and this car was incredible for it's time! Like Doug said, cars like these weren't around like they are now, so it made this one feel special. It was one of those "if you know you know kinda cars
I had a 98 SVT Contour. It was one of my favorite cars I have ever owned. Great video Doug.
In the UK this was badged a Mondeo (world car) and was a successful British touring car champion given its sweet chassis.
I loved the SVT Contour. Great handling and a fantastic exhaust note…
I still own a 2000 and the engine note is what I love best. It breathes like it is alive. It always reminds me of the 360 sprint cars the way it exhales between shifts.
@@Oscarphone360 Sprint Cars? Thats nice.
Its the best sounding V-6 engine I've ever heard! The 2.5 Duratec is incredibly smooth and even the standard 165 hp version sounded great.
I always liked the look of the SVT Contour, but I never knew *anything* about it. I'm very glad you posted this video, Doug! Keep the random quirky 90s car videos coming!
*I bought my SVT Contour almost 15 years ago. I got it for $250 because the owners couldn't get it running.*
*The issue was one that was common for Contours. Their garbage engine harness wire i sulation. It rots off, then your CPS and other sensors short out, and you can't start the car. So, I made my very own wire harness. Fixed!!*
When Doug went over the different SVT models at the time he left out my beloved SVT Focus which is surprising since it's the predecessor to the now popular Ford St
A lot of CSVT owners were more than happy to snatch up the stock wheels from FSVT owners when they decided to upgrade. IIRC, the FSVT wheels were 17" (with a very similar 5-spoke pattern) as opposed to the stock 16" on the CSVT.
Here in the UK, the Ford Mondeo had a slightly different centre console with an integrated pen holder - a quirk that Doug would have loved! Also, if my memory serves me right, we had a digital clock on the centre of the dashboard instead of a plastic 'Contour' badge.
yes we had a similar version in australia
American versions had that same console up until 1998. What was the pen holder in other markets was an extremely flimsy cupholder. Oddly enough, the consoles were different between the Contour and Mystique. While both cars had 2 single-DIN slots for the radio (and CD player, if equipped, the Mystique had both DIN slots built into the dash, while the Contour had one slot in the dash, one slot in the console. The Contour and Mystique also had different dashboards until 1998, with the Mystique sweeping back towards the windshield and center vents angled towards the passenger. When the 1998 facelift models came out, they shared the same dashboard. 1998 was also the only year the facelift models had a separate clock in the space where later models have the nameplate panel by the vents. Later models shoved the clock in with the radio (and turning the 6th preset button into a "CLOCK" button and slapped the plastic nameplate on the dash. The Contour/Mystique were steadily decontented as the years went on, with 1996 being the sweet spot. OBDII, all-speed traction control, illuminated everything on the inside, 10-way power seats, full center console with upholstered arm rest...and by 1999, you couldn't even get a light in the glovebox.
I love the pen holder in my mk1 Focus
I owned one of these bargain sports cars, and it was a lot of fun. Doug's review is spot on with pros and cons. Pretty reliable too. Those square covers on the rocker panel had a habit of getting lost.😊
Contour SVT imo is as reliable as Tommykaira ZZ-S Coupe 1999.
I used to have a 1995 Contour SE (which is essentially the same car without the body kit) back in college 24 years ago. Loved that thing until it needed a new wiring harness. My 20yo self thought he was chillin with leather and the 5spd manual. Entertaining acceleration for those days too 😀 😎
In Germany it was called "Ford Mondeo ST"... 🙂👍🏼
I owned a 1998.5 Contour SVT! I put around 120k miles on it. The 1998 year had different wheels than the one shown here, shown briefly at 6:08 on the red car. The dash "Contour" plaque was a clock in 1998. There was some decontenting on 1999+. Also, the 1998 only had 195hp.
I'm thrilled he reviewed this as my dad owned one new for a few years when it came out. I'm now waiting for him to review an SVT Focus!
As the owner of the last original unrestored Ford Cougar in Germany ST200, I also know the US SVT models. The 2.5 SVT is the same as mine with 205hp. However, my ST200 is probably even rarer. Here in Germany there are still officially 3, but they are all approved prototypes that you could never buy anywhere. So I got mine from a Ford engineer friend of mine. And he got it as an exception from the company because he had earned a good reputation there through hard work. All other ST200 Cougars ended up in the scrap press as prototypes. The Cougar shares some of the same components with the Contour. However, in the USA the Cougar was not a Ford, but a Mercury model. That's how it was back then...
It's funny when you're ordering parts for the Cougar and you can choose the ST200. Not many people know about these 3 Cougar ST200 actually existing. I guess you take it to car meets? Would be cool to see one of them.
the 99.5 SVT was my very first car in the 90s... Still one of the best cars I've ever had.
Love the older car reviews, and this car is a legend!
I saw one at my local Lowes the other month. Took pictures of it. Pretty neat car. The one I saw, had a factory rear spoil. The Ford Taurus was a midsie Ford car, and did pretty well in the USA
My ex had a 1998 Contour. I liked it. We are both short, only had 1 kid, good fuel mileage, the Duratec v6 was reliable and plenty powerful, and it did real well in the winter with snow tires.
Honestly always cool seeing cars like this in great shape
There were 3 of these in my extended family. I had a 99, a cousin had 98.5, and an uncle with a 2000. There were a LOT of quirks with the CSVT. However, the enthusiast community (local and over at contourDOTorg) was a great resource. I'm surprised Doug didn't mention (with his vast auto trivia) the engine's pedigree along with the other SVT model: Focus SVT.
He did mention the Focus SVT, in fact he claimed it was better
Focus SVT debuted in 02' 2 years later... @@80s_Boombox_Collector
@@80s_Boombox_Collector he mentioned the focus st, not the svt
I used to spend so much time on that forum! Allegedly, it had design input from Cosworth. I think they were supposed to be involved with the dual stage intake runners. Rad little car! My first car was a Mystique V6, and I got go fast bits from England, desperately hoping it would transfer my car into an SVT. It most certainly did not, hahaha.
@@80s_Boombox_CollectorCadillac Deville imo also handled a little better than 1999 Contour SVT.
Also some people were dropping in the 3L from the Taurus or Escape because it fit right in and I think you could even mix/match the SVT intake to the 3L bottom end... There was also a LSD you could get aftermarket
Had a 97 Contour. It was green with the 4 cylinder and 5 speed. It was a hand me down from my step-dad. Was a good car till the head gasket blew, but it did live a hard life. Lol This brings back high school memories.
The UK version was the ST200 and was fantastic, especially in 4 door form and finished in Imperial Blue. Was a hell of a car.
Called Mondeo ST200 in Europe and that version is quite known here and of course much more beautiful than the weird looking Contour. But thanks anyway, Doug, I appreciate your reviews and realize european versions is hard to find over there :)
There was an st24 as well as the st200 as well. Though 30hp down on the st200 and the st200 had the same setup on the front suspension as the Ford Cougar iirc.
@@TheBadBunny87yes, the st24 had 170 hp
I just sold one of these around Thanksgiving. Had it as a 2nd car for going to & from work. It was a good car, but got something different. Sold it to a church member’s son. It was a good car for the 2 years I had it. The rear locks didn’t work, never bothered fixing it. Did have to replace the rockers, old ones rusted out. Had to replace the weather seals around the doors. Trunk never opened when I had it, the latch/lock didn’t work. Didn’t care so never fixed it. Despite hearing stuff in there. Church members son got it opened & fixed it though. Turns out there was coolant fluid, oil, transmission fluid, 10mm, & 8mm socket, Phillips head, a cup holder you put in the window and old pack of Phillies brand blunts, all in a box. Other than issues stated no major issues with it. Interior and exterior was is great shape, especially the interior, which was purple, dark purple.
This type of video is what made Doug who he is . Reviewing forgot about old cars with their wierd "Quirks" and "Features" is what we all love.
My grandma had a non-SVT V6 Contour that she bought new in ‘95 and kept for more than 20 years. She used the weird little cubby hole Doug pointed out next to the air vents like a knickknack shelf - some sort of small plushie toy lived there.
@GreatLakesBadDrivers Same here my mom bought a new 1995 regular Contour and had it for over 20 years when she traded it in
I was a Ford guy during my high school and college days, so I totally remember the Contour SVT....and would have been thrilled to have had one! Also worth noting that it was a big step up from the Tempo, which I believe it ostensibly replaced. It's too bad they never offered the hatch / wagon here in the States, but I suppose the Focus ultimately filled that need.
The Hatch and Wagon were distinct models, while the Focus was also available as Sedan, Hatch, or Wagon. I think the Focus sedan sold about as well in Europe as the SVT Contour did in the USA.
I'd love a Ford Tempo GLS V6 - The factory ground effects kit they had really transformed the look of them and the V6 made them surprisingly quick.
The Tempo though....we got one growing up brand new cause it was the cheapest thing we could get...was well under $10,000 brand spanking new. And...we ran it into the ground, single owners, eventually retired because brakes eventually were worth more than the whole car. Never had any issues at all with it. It was cheap and handled the snow well compared to some other cars, which made it work for us. It wasnt even a bad looking car...mag wheels and a spoiler with black paint. Interior was awful grey cloth but it held up.
Yes, they slotted in neatly size-wise between the Escort and the Taurus.
I was an apprentice when this was new, and I actually had to replace a blown engine on one that was about a year old. Unfortunately, my dealership wasn't SVT certified at that time, so we weren't able to procure the proper SVT replacement engine, so a base model Duratech V-6 was what it got...
I was always fond of the Contour with the V-6 and stick transmission. Comfortable, sporty to drive and they would move.😎
Doug, thank you so much for highlighting this awesome car. Thankfully, I'm sorta familiar with it. My dad owned not one, but two Contours. He owned a 1st and 2nd generation model, each with the V6. I learned to drive on one and I remember that V6 being so much fun to drive! It was an awesome little rocketship to drive around in.
The problem with the body kit was they would fill up with dirt and rip themselves off the car. They are held on with small screws maybe
They also encourage rust... When they fall off on the Taurus it exposes the extensive rocker panel rust that has gone on and finally got bad enough to lose the plastic.
@@volvo09 yeah that was one of a couple ‘wtfs’ of this car. The other was when you turn the key and there’s no response and ford can’t fix it. Other than that the car drove fantastic
rust out you mean and legit detach with the sill!
@@throttleblip1 lucky for me I ditched it before the rust started. Traded it in for a 2001 Isuzu vehicross
I have a 99’ green svt contour and daily drive a 97’ contour sport. It’s a love hate relationship with these cars because it’s fun to drive but hard to repair and find parts when it breaks haha
10:00 These coin slots were backlit information schemes on top spec Mondeo Ghia models. My dad had one. You could see opened doors, failed lamps, temperature, brake pad situation and so on
Also the center console piece with Contour on it had a clock in Europe
A 1999 with 2000 SVT Contour wheels. Doug also missed quite a few things about the SVT Contour - The SVT Contour also had installed in addition: an engine oil cooler, larger radiator, low restriction cone type air filter, extrude honed intake manifold and head intake passages, longer duration and lightweight cams developed by Roush, larger throttle body, higher capacity fuel injectors, small diameter flywheel with SVT only clutch, SVT only steering rack, MX trans with different gearing (different first gear if I remember correctly). The dual intake runner intake manifold was also smoothed and painted black. The dark interior color (midnight black I think they call it) was SVT only and the dual exhaust was SVT Contour only. This SVT Contour also doesn't have the real spoiler on the deck lid. Back in the day it was common, when you bought a used one, to install a non-spoiler rear deck lid and a lot of guys did that. I don't think Ford sold them without the spoiler but I could be wrong on that.
Worked at a Ford dealership shortly after these were out. We always called the Mercury the Mistake.
At my dealership we called the Contours the Crackwhores and the Mystiques the Mistakes😆
I did too..😅😁
Who here drove the European Ford Mondeo before Doug did
Every European in his forties have driven these, as a Mondeo.
The Mondeo, along with the Focus, saved Ford's reputation here in Europe! Loved my mk. III, apart from the little Turbodiesel coupled with a 6-speed manual which nearly gave me tennis elbow from the constant shifting in city streets 😅
Once you got up to highway speeds, it was a perfect cruiser and it never gave me any problems.
Funny how Doug says the Mondeo was a “mid-size” car globally making it a “compact plus” car in the US… Pretty sure it was regarded a full size car over here sharing a platform with the Volvo V70.
I had just moved from Illinois to Southern California in 2000. Took a weekend trip to Vegas, and was heading home on a Sunday night when a Contour SVT with Illinois plates blew by me on I-15 near Barstow. I simultaneously admired the car and became homesick for Illinois.
I owned one. Blue. Not to shabby
Mine was also blue with the Vee Zix
Same!
I didn’t even know this thing existed, it’s gotta be a good sleeper.
It was good for low 15's in the 1/4. Wouldn't hang with most sports cars but it was quick.
That generation SHO Taurus with the Ford/Yamaha/Cosworth 3.4L V8 definitely was, it was nowhere near as cool or as good as the as the Yamaha V6 SHO, but it was definitely a sleeper with a 150 shot of nitrous 😅
My friend's mom had a 98 SHO, he pretty much forced her to buy it when she was buying a Taurus, and literally the first week she had it, we snuck it over across the street to our friends home garage where we were always working on our quick Fox body Mustangs, Lightnings, Turbo Birds ECT (our group had a bunch of fast Fords in my late teens/early 20s) and we pulled out my other buddies nitrous kit from his Cobra and we bolted it up to the SHO and immediately took it to the Philly street racing scene lol....there were always a bunch of weirdos there thinking they had fast Civics and crap with just a cat back and a cold air intake (there were actual fast cars there too, but we knew what was fast), and we won a bunch of money with that nitrous SHO because most people didn't know what it was 😅 (it didn't have a ton of power stock, like 240hp, but with almost 400 with nitrous and it being an all aluminum 3.4 V8 and effectively a mid size car, it was sneaky quick when you sprayed it after you hit 2nd...if you sprayed it off the line it would fry the front tires down the street all the way through 2nd, so you had to wait until after it hit second to spray it and it would start to spin just a hair and then pull pretty hard 🤣)
Edit: I just looked it up, yeah that V8 SHO only weighed 3300lbs.... I remember it feeling pretty light and knew it's size, so yeah, definitely a sleeper with the right stuff, it wasn't bad stock either with that 240hp which for 1998 at the time, was actually pretty good, I mean, the 98 Mustang GT with 4.6L only made 225hp at just above 4k RPM, and the 3.4L all aluminum V8 SHO made more power and at 6100rpm...so it was technically a screamer for Ford at that time 😅
They also had those Mondeo MKII body style in Egypt, and my family had one growing up, which I have many memories with
I had the 1998 purchased from Galpin Ford in North Hollywood. It was a pretty red and a 5 speed (or 6 I don't remember). It was a hoot. It was front wheel drive and had a wild ride when turning and accelerating at the same time. It was my first new car from my first real job after UC. Unfortunately it had a nasty engine problem that my mechanic warned me about. He told me to dump it quickly and I always listen to good mechanics. I traded it in for a 2003 Infinity G35 which was pretty similar.
14:01 not quite right Doug, the Mondeo was offered as a 4dr sedan, 5dr hatch or 5dr wagon. The sedan was the least popular here