1985 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 145 horsepower with automatic and 155 with manual transmission. Total 1985 production reached 117,274 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 1985, 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, XR-7-only and rated 155 horsepower with manual transmission or 145 with automatic, matching Wikipedia's own figures exactly. Four transmissions are documented as well: a 3-speed automatic (C3) standard on the XR-7 only, a 5-speed manual (T-5) optional on the XR-7 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 60 items from the 1985 options matrix across GS, LS and XR-7: mechanical and performance items including handling suspension with Quadra-shock rear suspension, a Traction-Lok axle and a heavy-duty battery, all standard on the XR-7, plus a five-speed manual transmission listed as an XR-7-only option and a late electronic fuel-injected 5.0-litre V8 with automatic overdrive not offered on the XR-7 at all; comfort items including a full console, luxury cloth seats, a four-way front headrest and a rear seat with integral headrests; an electronic instrument cluster newly described here as including a graphic display tachometer, oil pressure and temperature gauges, a voltmeter and a Tripminder computer; a new headlamp convenience group bundling the auto-lamp delay and automatic dimmer; five grades of AM/FM radio culminating in a graphic equalizer with the premium sound system; wheel and tire choices spanning TRX aluminum wheels, polycast wheels, wire locking wheel covers and four tire codes; and clearcoat metallic paint, now standard on the XR-7.²

This record's own paint table carries 21 colour entries for 1985: 7 standard colours, Black, Oxford White, Midnight Regatta Blue, Light Canyon Red, Sand Beige, Dark Clove Brown and Dark Sage; 7 clearcoat metallics, Medium Charcoal Metallic, Silver Metallic, Medium Canyon Red Metallic, Pastel Regatta Blue, Medium Sand Beige, Medium Regatta Blue and Light Sage Metallic; 2 tu-tone combinations; and 5 XR-7-specific two-tone combinations pairing Oxford White, Medium Charcoal, Medium Canyon Red Metallic, Black or Silver Metallic over an Argent or Dark Charcoal roof.²

This record's own specifications section carries nine 1985 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 3,084 pounds for the GS and 3,100 for the XR-7, 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 1985 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. This record's own interiors section is left entirely empty for the year, and no performance figures, identification codes, documented conflicts or unpublished leads survive in their respective sections either, consistent with this record's own production notes describing 1985 as outside the 1967-1973 muscle focus the record otherwise covers in depth.²