1984 Mercury Cougar: Outside the Muscle Focus

Wikipedia's own account, this record's overview states, records that the 1983-1988 Cougar was a two-door coupe only, with a 3.8-litre V6 standard and a 4.9-litre (302) V8 optional, and that from 1984 to 1986 the XR7 used a turbocharged 2.3-litre four rated at 145 horsepower with automatic and 155 with manual transmission, a rating that now applies directly: 1984 is the first year this record's own engine table carries that turbo four. Total 1984 production reached 131,190 cars, this record's own dek and production table agree, though this record's own note explains that this figure rests on a single tertiary source whose underlying record is not stated; this record's own key facts section is empty for the year.^1,2

Three engines are documented for 1984, this record's own engine table shows: a 3.8-litre (232 cubic-inch) V6 with central fuel injection, standard on GS and LS and rated 120 horsepower SAE net; a 5.0-litre (302 cubic-inch) V8 with central fuel injection, optional on GS and LS and rated 130 horsepower SAE net; and a turbocharged 2.3-litre (140 cubic-inch) four with multi-port fuel injection, XR7-only and rated 145 horsepower SAE net, matching the automatic-transmission figure Wikipedia's own account gives. Four transmissions are documented as well: a 3-speed automatic (C3) standard on the XR7 only, a 5-speed manual (T-5) optional on the XR7 only, a 3-speed automatic (C5) on all V6 models, and a 4-speed overdrive automatic (AOD) on all V8 models.²

This record's own options section itemizes 62 items from the 1984 options matrix, now scoped across three trims, GS, LS and XR7, with availability varying widely by trim: handling suspension, a Traction-Lok axle, a heavy-duty battery, functional sport seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel are standard on the XR7 but merely optional on GS and LS; polycast road wheels and the P205/70R14 BSW radial are XR7-standard; a five-speed manual transmission is listed as an XR7-only option; and further items span convenience and electronic features, comfort items, five grades of AM/FM radio plus a premium sound system, wheel and tire choices, and clearcoat metallic or two-tone paint, largely carried forward from 1983's own matrix with GS/LS/XR7 availability added for each.²

This record's own paint table carries 19 colour entries for 1984: 6 standard colours led by Black and Oxford White, 7 clearcoat metallics including Dark Charcoal Metallic and Walnut Metallic, 2 tu-tone combinations, and 4 XR-7-specific two-tone combinations, one of which, Medium Red Metallic over Silver Metallic, carries the source's own caveat that it is "not officially documented but believed to be a late running addition." This record's own interiors section is left entirely empty for the year.²

This record's own specifications section carries nine 1984 figures from the source's own technical-specifications page: a 104.0-inch wheelbase, a 197.6-inch overall length, a 71.1-inch overall width, a 53.4-inch overall height, 21.0 gallons of fuel capacity, 14.6 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the mini spare, curb weights of 3,065 pounds for the GS and 3,053 for the XR7, 10.0-inch vented front discs against 9.0-inch rear drums, and an engine summary repeating all three ratings from the engine table by trim.²

This record carries no 1984 price at all; its own price notes explain that a J.D. Power valuation figure was pulled from every page on the site because those live pages can change without notice and cannot be independently checked, and that no replacement has yet been found. No performance figures, identification codes, documented conflicts or unpublished leads survive in this record's own respective sections either, consistent with this record's own production notes describing 1984 as outside the 1967-1973 muscle focus the record otherwise covers in depth.²