1988 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. This record's own overview carries a second source's account as well: Eighties Cars says Mercury moved 113,801 Cougars for 1988, 14,488 of them XR-7s, with a base price of $14,134 and an XR-7 base price of $16,266, the XR-7 itself carrying a 155-horsepower sequential-injection 302 V8; this record's own key facts section is empty for the year.^1,2

This record's own production table gives the same 113,801 total from both Wikipedia and the COOL CATS site, tabulated as "units as tabulated" with a note that this rests on a single tertiary source whose underlying record is not stated, and a separate XR-7 row of 14,488 cars from Eighties Cars, whose own text describes that figure as units "sold" rather than built. This record's own conflicts section documents two disagreements directly: one over what the 113,801 figure counts, since Wikipedia gives it as model-year units while Eighties Cars gives the identical number as units moved in sales, a case this record's own treatment keeps as reported without asserting which accounting basis is correct; and one over the total itself, since conceptcarz's own spec page gives 119,162 against the 113,801 two other sites agree on, a case this record's own treatment resolves by keeping 113,801 in the table while showing conceptcarz's higher figure with attribution, noting that none of the three sources names its underlying record.^1,2,3,4

Two 1988 prices are documented from Eighties Cars' own account, this record's own prices section shows: $14,134 for the base Cougar and $16,266 for the XR-7. Two engines are documented as well: a Windsor 4.9-litre (302 cubic-inch) V8 with sequential fuel injection, standard on the XR-7 and rated 155 horsepower SAE net, a figure this record's own sources cite from both Eighties Cars and Wikipedia's own 155-horsepower sentence, and a 3.8-litre (232 cubic-inch) V6 with multi-port fuel injection, standard on the LS and rated 140 horsepower SAE net. Only one transmission is documented, a 4-speed overdrive automatic (AOD) across all models, this record's own transmissions table shows.^2,3

This record's own options section itemizes 39 entries across LS and XR-7: a power moonroof is listed here without the "late availability" caveat this record's own 1986 options carried, hood paint stripes are offered on the LS only, Argent cast 15-inch aluminum wheels appear as a new XR-7-only option replacing the smaller wheel sizes of prior years, and a Traction-Lok rear axle is optional on the LS and standard on the XR-7. A Luxury Lamp Group and a Luxury Light Group, both expanded and renamed from the prior year's headlamp convenience and light groups, are documented alongside five Preferred Equipment Packages by code, 261A, 262A and 263A for the LS and 265A and 266A for the XR-7.³

This record's own paint table carries 18 colour entries for 1988: 5 standard colours, Black, Smoke, Medium Scarlet, Light Sandalwood and Oxford White; 10 clearcoat metallics, including two separate entries both coded 26 for two versions of Bright Red Metallic the source itself lists as distinct; and 3 tu-tone combinations. This record's own specifications section carries nine 1988 figures matching 1987's dimensions exactly, a 104.2-inch wheelbase, 200.8-inch length, 70.1-inch width and 53.8-inch height, but with curb weights risen to 3,237 pounds for the LS and 3,485 for the XR-7.³

This record's own interiors section is left entirely empty for the year, and no performance figures or identification codes survive in their respective sections either, consistent with this record's own production notes describing 1988 as outside the 1967-1973 muscle focus the record otherwise covers in depth. This record's own unpublished-leads section is empty as well, leaving the two conflicts already described as the only open questions this record carries for the year.³