Building upon the previous Cougar's aero look, Ford gave the big Cat a major overhaul for 1987. The same basic shape and chassis remained, but with much more refinement. Most noticeable was the graceful new aerodynamic front end, with flush headlights and turn signal/side markers better filling out the front. The waterfall-type grille was resurrected, and for the first time in quite a while, a Cougar had no hood ornament---the cat head crest now resided in the center of the grille. The front bumper gently rounded down to a much-lower air dam, with a chin cut-out for the grille. All-around flush glass helped cut down on wind noise and give a finished look. The roofline was made slightly longer, and with the highest point just behind the windshield, to help with aerodynamics. The Cougar's drag coefficient dropped from .40 to .36 as a result.

The formal backlight remained, but with a new twist: the back glass now had a double curve, which was very difficult to produce without major optical distortion. The somewhat controversial side quarter glass now swept back even more, to match the angle of the door windows. The trunk and rear areas had totally different shapes now. With a more squared-off stance, the Cougar now had a very complete shape, visually smoothing out the slight awkwardness of the previous car. The taillights wrapped around to the side way more than last time and had integrated reflectors to give a vertical bar look at night. The cat head once again resided on the backup lights. The C-pillar emblems were slightly smaller now, and the body side molding was now thick all over. New rubber moldings surrounded the outside mirrors to help cut down on wind intrusion, and additional weatherstripping inside the doors also helped keep the Cat quiet.

The actual trunk pan was slightly modified to allow the spare tire to sit in a small well on the driver's side of the trunk. Otherwise, minor bracing was added underneath. The suspension was revised slightly, adding front A-arms borrowed from the rear-drive Lincoln Continental that allowed for a bit more suspension travel. This resulted in a .02" stretch in the wheelbase (now officially at 104.2"). Spring rates and shocks/struts were also revised for crisper handling. The interior was virtually carried over, with only new sail panels, headliner, and package tray carpeting as changes from the last interior. This was the first official year for the power moonroof option.

For the first time since 1983, the Cougar was now down to only 2 models: the luxury-oriented LS and the sporty XR7 (above). Standard on the LS was once again the 3.8 V6, with the 5.0 V8 optional. No horsepower changes were made in either motor from the previous model year. All Cougars now had the smooth shifting AOD 4-speed automatic transmission.

The big news for the XR7 was that Ford dropped the turbocharged 4-cylinder in favor of the standard output 150hp SEFI 5.0 V-8. Marketing reports suggested that the turbo-4 was not really in keeping with the Cougar's image or heritage, and the slightly lukewarm performance from that motor in the previous XR7 was a testimony to that. Also gone was the 5-speed manual transmission. The standard 7.5" rear axle on the XR7 had Traction-Lok with a 3.08 gear and Quad shocks. Visually, the XR7 was set apart from the LS by blacked-out window trim, and the grey lower accents with tri-band striping.

Since this was the 20th anniversary of the Cougar's introduction, Ford decided to produce a special Cougar model to commemorate the occasion. Midway through the model year, a special 20th Anniversary model (above) was added, featuring a Cabernet Red exterior with gold badging and gold 15" 16-spoke wheels adopted from the Mustang GT. For more information, please see the 20th Anniversary section.

	LEFT: The 1987 XR7 had the full electronic instrument cluster as standard equipment. Apparently Ford felt that full digital gauges meant that a car was fully loaded, which is what an XR7 buyer wanted, so the analog cluster took a one-year hiatus. The full electronic cluster was still an option on the LS.
	LEFT: The base instrument cluster soldiered on in the new 1987 interior. The new straight-across base 2-spoke (non-sport) steering wheel replaced the A-frame wheel of past years. A little-known fact is that this wheel was taken directly from the 1985 Mercury Capri...center horn button and all.
	LEFT: An illustration of Cougar's advanced safety features. Note that even without the emerging features like anti-lock brakes and air bags, the Cougar still has a very respectible list of safety enhancements and performance features. Remember that the Cougar was one of the first cars in the 1980's to be designed with the aid of computers, therefore some rudimentary safety testing could be simulated inside the computer. This led to a safety design that was advanced for its day--and still is.

The only down side to this freshening was a little added weight. Ford graciously addressed some of the NVH issues from the previous body style, but at the expense of extra heft. A basic LS model was still under 3200 lbs. but the base XR7 pushed to nearly 3400 lbs., and either model could easily top that with all options ordered. With a 3.8 V6 that extra weight was felt immediately. But the good news is that Ford kept an eye on the weight and made sure that this version of the Cat would not become as bloated as the 1977-79 models.

This new, refined look for the Cougar further smoothed the shape of the car and improved the aerodynamics. Its profile now suggested a more mature Cat, with a muscular stance and squared-off flank. With the new MN12-chassis Cougar looming over the horizon, 1988 looked to be a carryover year...but Ford had something up its sleeve to help make the last year for the Fox Cougar one to remember.

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