Entering its second year of the new body style, the Cougar officially added the long-awaited performance XR7 model in a grand way: with a turbocharged motor. In late 1983 Ford snuck out the Turbo Coupe for the Thunderbird, but Mercury division waited until 1984, when the new EEC-IV engine control was to be introduced, for the grand unveiling of the XR7 model. Its suspension differed from the other Cougar models with its stiffer spring rates and gas-filled shocks and struts, and additional horizontal shocks attached to the rear end for more side-to-side control. The XR7 was visually set apart from other Cougars by its blacked-out window trim, wide body side moldings, charcoal grey lower half with tri-band striping, and the "TURBO" badge on the front fender. Only the 14" polycast road wheels (available on all other Cougar models) or the metric 390mm (15.3") TRX wheels, shown above, were offered on the XR7. Inside, the interior got a slight overhaul with a classy two-tone grey scheme, and a boost gauge was added due to the turbocharger. Sport bucket seats with adjustable lumbar were standard on the XR7. Overall, the XR7 was quite a sporty package and offered decent performance for its day.
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LEFT: The 2.3 turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine produced 145 hp, and could be mated to either a 3-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual transmission. Power output was marginal, and until the turbocharger kicked in, the 2.3 in this Cat could be a real, er, dog. However, the sporting spirit was still there, something that had been sorely missing from Cougar's stables for many, many years. |
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LEFT: The XR7 instrument cluster with the integrated boost gauge. Note the lack of temperature and oil gauges. Shown also is the optional XR7-only 4-spoke steering wheel without cruise control. This wheel was used in Mustangs and Capris of the era, but was rather uncommon to be found in a Cougar. It was only available in 1984 on the XR7. |
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LEFT: The XR7 interior was replete with sporty touches, from the uncommon sport door panels to fully adjustable Recaro-style fully articulated bucket seats. The XR7 also started a trend that stayed with that particular model through 1986: unique interior colors and/or seat patterns. Most XR7 models had two-tone grey interiors from 1984-86. |
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LEFT: New also was the Traction-Lok rear axle with horizontal dampers (aka "quad" shocks) for better axle control. As illustrated here, these special gas-filled horizontal shocks mounted between the axle and framerail mounts. The quad shocks themselves were identical to those introduced on the Mustang, with only the frame mounts being unique to the Cougar chassis. The turbo-4 rear axle featured Traction-Lok with 3.45 gears. |
New across the board at Ford Motor Company for 1984 was the fourth generation of engine control computers, known as EEC-IV. This processor was capable of 250,000 commands a second to keep air/fuel mixture, idle, and emissions controls at optimum performance. The difference between the EEC-III and EEC-IV is truly amazing. Side benefits were better gas mileage, vast improvements in diagnosing engine control problems, and greatly reduced emissions.
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LEFT: The 5.0 CFI V8 was again offered on the GS and LS models. In the U.S. the base V6 engine added computer-controlled central fuel injection (CFI) for 8 more horsepower than the previous year, now up to 120 hp. Canadian models retained carbureted V6's until 1985. |
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LEFT: The interior of a Cougar LS in Charcoal with optional leather seats. Note the woodgrain dash panels, which were LS-only. |
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LEFT: The base (GS) Cougar interior in Academy Blue cloth. Note the new color-keyed A-frame steering wheel and brushed aluminum-style dash panels. |
For styling updates, the former stand-up hood ornament (a nod to previous 1970's Cats) was now flat, and base and XR7 models lost the chrome accent trim on the B-pillars; however, that was retained on the LS model. The interior was slightly tweaked, with the new one-year-only color-keyed A-frame steering wheel, minor revisions to the door panels, and revised dash trim panels.
On the outside Ford offered more basecoat/clearcoat paint choices and greatly improved paint quality. By this time Ford had installed a brand new laser guided paint system in the Lorain, OH plant which produced some of the most spectacular paint jobs ever, from any car company. True to human nature, these earlier base/clear paint jobs were actually better than the later ones (1987+) because more pigment and clearcoat was used; as time went on Ford figured out ways to cut a few corners on the paint. Nonetheless, the quality of the paint jobs on these cars was simply incomparable, which is suitable for a Mercury or Lincoln, but was almost unthinkable for a Ford. This is just one area where Ford really put money into the Cougar/Thunderbird program and saw immediate benefits to their bottom line.
Overall, the differences between the 1983 and 1984 Cougars were subtle but refined nonetheless, with definite forward progress. Sales continued to skyrocket, easily becoming one of the most successful Cougar sales years in quite some time. Ford was selling more of its midsize rear-drive cars with two models (Thunderbird, Cougar) than GM with its four aging G-bodies (Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Cutlass, Regal). And in NASCAR, the Thunderbird's slippery shape paved the way for many wins over its competition. Still, with its new-found success, Ford was not about to rest on its laurels--the company could now allot funds for the T-Bird/Cougar program and finally address something that needed the most immediate help: the interior.
| ENGINES |
GS - 120 hp CFI 3.8 (232 cid) V6; optional 130 hp CFI 5.0 (302 cid) V8
LS - 120 hp CFI 3.8 (232 cid) V6; optional 130 hp CFI 5.0 (302 cid) V8
XR7 - 145 hp MPI OHC turbocharged 2.3 (140 cid) I-4
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| TRANSMISSIONS |
3-speed automatic (C5) - all V6 models
3-speed automatic (C3) - XR7 only, standard
4-speed overdrive automatic (AOD) - all V8 models
5-speed manual (T-5) - XR7 only, optional
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| BRAKES |
All - Front 10.0" disc, rear 9.0" drum
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| SPECIFICATIONS |
Wheelbase: 104.0"
Overall Length - 197.6"
Overall Width: 71.1"
Overall Height: 53.4"
Cargo Capacity - 14.6 cubic feet
Fuel Capacity - 21.0 gallons (GS & LS); 18.0 (XR7)
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| CURB WEIGHT |
GS, LS -3065 lbs.
XR7 - 3,053 lbs.
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| PRODUCTION |
125,019 (GS and LS combined) - 95.3 percent
6,171 (XR7) - 4.7 percent
131,190 TOTAL
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| HOW TO SPOT ONE |
All 1984 Cougars had the flat hood ornament and the new color-keyed A-frame steering wheel. Carried over were the 3-tier taillights. Chrome trim on the B-pillars (except for the LS model) is now gone. The XR7 model has dark grey lower accents with 3 stripes. The 1984 XR7's have no fog lights.
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| RECALLS |
Cougar XR7 4-140 2.3L SOHC Turbo Safety Recalls
1. 477S MAR 84 Identification of Vehicles Requiring Final "D-Ring" Attachment
Cougar XR7 4-140 2.3L SOHC Turbo General Recalls
1. 87M50 APR 87 Inspection and Replacement of Thick Film Ignition Modules
V6-232 3.8L Safety Recalls
1. 477S MAR 84 Identification of Vehicles Requiring Final "D-Ring" Attachment
V6-232 3.8L Emissions Recalls
1. U7J840301 MAR 84 Replacement of the Exhaust Air Supply Control Valve
V8-302 5.0L Safety Recalls
1. 477S MAR 84 Identification of Vehicles Requiring Final "D-Ring" Attachment
V8-302 5.0L Emissions Recalls
1. 90E94 MAY 91 Emissions Recall 90E94
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