|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,066
Hard-core CEG\'er
|
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,066 |
I wonder if Coletti knows about the oil-starvation issues with the SVT/Duratec heads and is just keeping mum about it ...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,431
Hard-core CEG'er
|
Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,431 |
Originally posted by richs:
I never understood why FORD cancelled the Contour. They are still making it in Europe. Now they don't really have a sport sedan until the Fuzon comes out. The Focus is nice but it is more like the Escort. Ford has left that whole area of a nice sport sedan to every one else. Some times these guys are brain dead. I think they were relying on Mazda to fill that area, but it does not have the Ford label. I know Ford ownes Mazda but still not the same. Obviously I am a Ford guy, so when I go to Ford at Carlisle I rely enjoy it.
Rich S
Because the Contour was not dubbed a "sport sedan" in its later years. I heard "grandma car" associated with it much more often, and the ratio of Zetec/ATX to Duratec/MTX is staggering. When you factor in that a new fully loaded Contour cost nearly as much as (or more than?) a Taurus, people made the move to the larger vehicle.
Loads of other reasons.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,061
Hard-core CEG'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,061 |
also, i think i read somewhere that the car fits the european market(s) better than it ultimate fit in here in the states...it's lack of rear seat room and having a fairly large trunk didnt work as well here
ford just flat missed the mark with alot of their vehicle designs after the 'revolution' they created in the industry during the 80's...even the new vehicles they create now are a flop...the taurus was the best selling car in teh nation yrs ago when they decided to go to the 'flying egg' shape that killed its market share (along with not bothering to make it a competent vehicle in teh age of 240hp family haulers)...the svt focus lasted 2 yrs and didn't sell worth crap...the 500 and the freestyle arent selling...lots of new stangs on the road but even their styling is exceedingly dull...ford is good at creating vehicles and not making them competent and then dumping them when they dont sell...i coulnd't believe they killed off the contour/mystique after making it such a beautiful car in 98
99 expedition eddie bauer, 5.4 v8, k&n drop-in, 3" magnaflow catback and gas mileage that makes the contour look like a hybrid
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,857
Hard-core CEG'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,857 |
the best part of the interview is the very last sentence...
"i'll tell you,if we could have kept that contour and gotten that car up to a 300-350hp turbo v-6,all wheel drive car."
 
now that would have been nice
new,new ride!
'99 svt
black/mnb
'95 mustang gt sold!
'98 svt #800 sold!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,910
Hard-core CEG'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,910 |
Originally posted by 98 SE:
Originally posted by richs:
I never understood why FORD cancelled the Contour. They are still making it in Europe. Now they don't really have a sport sedan until the Fuzon comes out. The Focus is nice but it is more like the Escort. Ford has left that whole area of a nice sport sedan to every one else. Some times these guys are brain dead. I think they were relying on Mazda to fill that area, but it does not have the Ford label. I know Ford ownes Mazda but still not the same. Obviously I am a Ford guy, so when I go to Ford at Carlisle I rely enjoy it.
Rich S
Because the Contour was not dubbed a "sport sedan" in its later years. I heard "grandma car" associated with it much more often, and the ratio of Zetec/ATX to Duratec/MTX is staggering. When you factor in that a new fully loaded Contour cost nearly as much as (or more than?) a Taurus, people made the move to the larger vehicle.
Loads of other reasons.
matt you got one part of the problem on the head, old people drie these cars and most are zetec atx's
the other part was the car, my 99 anyway was about 20K new and it is just about loaded, now you spend that much you could get a Taurus which is bigger for about the same price, or if you were looking base line, a fully loaded Escort
what didn't help either is that the COntour took the spot of the Tempo and that is enough said there
finally it didn't sell like they thought it would right, I mean by 2000 they stripped everything from it and it was mostly a rental car
I mean I watched that car and driver where the SVT was put against the leading sports cars at the time, it performed as well if not better then the Audi and BMW ranked above it and cost about half as much, but they couldn't put it first because Ford doesn't make sport sedans that couls hang like that and not many would buy them either
but were are the select few, I still remember the first time I saw and heard a SVT, I was at Lime Rock for a Shelby/Mustang show and the guy got onto the track and somehow into the show area, all I remeber is harting that exhaust and looking at it and saying that was really cool 
- 95 Mystique LS - Zetec/5spd
- 99 Contour SeVT Sport - Duratec/5spd
Official NE-CEG Contour/Mustang Family
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 786
Veteran CEG\'er
|
|
Veteran CEG\'er
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 786 |
If Ford were to bring back the Contour and make another SVT version V6 or a Turbo V6 out it it I think it would do well. No GL,LX,SE, just one trim. I wish. 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,693
Hard-core CEG'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,693 |
There seems to have been some discussion of keeping the Contour SVT only when the rest of the line went out of production, but that is all it was, discussion.
One of the biggest problems with the Contour was that it was designed in Europe so the Detroit people took a very nasty "not invented here" attitude about the car. This attitude flowed down (not trickled, but flooded) to all levels. The car never had a chance.
The attitude that no one wants a Contour if you can get a more poorly equipped Taurus or even Crown Victoria for the same money was also do to no effort to market the Contour for what it was. It was not just a Tempo replacement.
Part of why the Taurus was never an alternative was that it lost it's image of high performance with the failure of the last SHO. A manual trans option would have kept it alive with the earlier SHO enthusiasts. Instead of fixing the problems with the SHO, they simply chose to stop supplying a car in that segment. Also the Taurus could never be made to handle as well as the Contour.
And Ford wonders why they are loosing market share. It is not so much that they have lost it as it is that they abandoned it.
Jim Johnson
98 SVT
03 Escape Limited
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,061
Hard-core CEG'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG'er
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,061 |
Originally posted by Big Jim:
It is not so much that they have lost it as it is that they abandoned it.
that seems to be a real good way of putting it...
also, i doubt that a 'new' contour would even be done correctly by ford...somewhere along the line u just know they would take the cheap way out...and that turbo v6 would end up with 230-250hp when the next generation of family ass haulers will maybe have nearly 280-300hp or maybe more
99 expedition eddie bauer, 5.4 v8, k&n drop-in, 3" magnaflow catback and gas mileage that makes the contour look like a hybrid
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 609
Veteran CEG\'er
|
|
Veteran CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 609 |
Someone seriously needs to call/e-mail/etc. John Coletti and invite him to Spring Zing. Tell him to bring anyone else from SVT who thought of the Contour the way he did, so they can see firsthand what we've done with what they gave us...
It'd be a good opportunity for us to say "Thanks!" as well.
Marty
98 SVT, Black, No. 786, May 7, 1997.
K&N, MSDS, Xcal2, Tint, Antennas, Big Gulp(R)-Sized Cupholder, Rear Dome Lt., Koni/Eibach, DMD, Pre-98 Sails, Brake Cooling Deflectors, Sidemarkers, Etc.
147K+ Miles
"Get the Door - It's GrooveNerd!"
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,066
Hard-core CEG\'er
|
|
Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,066 |
I don't think it would have been a good idea to evolve it into a turbo. I think that they should have kept the selling it, use the euro mondeo as the new generation and do what the japs do, refine the 2.5 for more NA power and reliability. The platform isn't intended for all-out power ... base 2.5 should have been been given more aggressive cams to ~185hp, SVT model should gone to the 220-230hp level with more aggressive cams, or a slight bore or something ... maybe fix that oiling issue with the heads while they were at it ...
|
|
|
|
|
