Sorry, not specifically about the Contour, just some general observations about Ford and one of their competitors.
I've always liked Chrysler interiors. Their cars are usually fugly on the outside, but they get the interior right.
Recently, I drove a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan. This makes for a good comparison to my 2000 Windstar.
The Windstar has hella lot more power than the Caravan. To be fair, the Caravan did not have the top engine choice (it had the 3.3L, vs. the Windstar's 3.8L). However, the 3.8L is the only engine choice for the Windstar. The end result is that the Windstar is a rocket, while the Caravan is a dog.
The trade off for all this power is a lot of Noise, Vibration, and Harshness. The 3.8L 6 is an old design, and not at all in line with the rest of the Ford engine family. Why they still use it is beyond me. IIRC, it puts out 200 hp/212 ft lbs. I would think that Ford should easily be able to swap in the 3.0L Duratech and meet or exceed those power levels. This would go a long way toward making the Windstar an attractive alternative to Chrysler's offerings.
On to the interior: Why can't Ford design interiors that are comfortable? About the only drawback to the Dodge is that the heater controls feel extremely cheap. I was afraid I was going to break them every time I adjusted the temp.
The Dodge's seats are perfect. The lower seat is soft and extends far enough to offer good thigh support even to me (I stand 6'5"). The Ford's seats are hard and offer no lateral support. Oddly, the lateral supports on the Ford seat bottom are too soft, while the actual seating surface is too hard, both opposite of what they should be. Further, the Dodge seat back cradles the driver; not like a sports car, but just enough to prevent you from sliding around during cornering. The Ford seat back offers no lateral support.
The Dodge steering wheel is thicker than the Ford, and the cross-section of the rim is somewhat egg shaped. This makes it very comfortable, unlike the Ford.
I think Ford needs to reverse-engineer the Dodge interior, swap in a modern engine (and hopefully give a modest power increase in the deal), and they will have the best minivan on the market (a fold-away rear seat like in the Honda Oddessy wouldn't hurt either). People buy the Windstar because it has the best safety rating. I don't see why Ford can't fix these other issues. It doesn't seem that they should increase the vehicle price.
