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Ford Contour revised with new editions including a racy SVT
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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STOVEPIPE WELLS, Calif. -- Various models of Ford's compact sedan, Contour -- revamped in second generational editions featuring freshly sculptured faces and mechanical elements tweaked to enhance the ride -- baked in the fiery desert sun on a parking lot in Death Valley, that vast California sink hole where barren salt flats, erose rocky ridges and narrow chiseled canyons shape landscape contours to set up a series of hair-raising 2-lane driving routes.
Midway through a long day of tests, one driver had already logged multiple hours of seat time in the price-leading 4-cylinder Contour GL, as well as a luxo-laced LX and the zippy V6 sport version called Contour SE.
For the next 150-mile loop, on a circuit leading through Hells Gate and Mud Canyon to the undulating nuances of twisty pavement in Nemo Canyon at Wildrose, the tester would be a pumped-up performance edition of Contour.
"Buckle up and hang on," a driver climbing out of the special Contour warned. "You'll end up craving the SVT."
What's SVT?
Ford's Special Vehicle Team occasionally adopts one model to apply special suspension hardware and engine tuning, bigger performance tires and other accoutrement of lickety-split road romping. Preceding the new Contour SVT, which will be limited to a production run of 5,000 issues for 1998, Mustang Cobra convertible got the SVT treatment in 1994, as did the F-150 Lightning pickup, while last year a 4.6-liter Cobra SVT convertible appeared.
By applying no-nonsense extra hardware to Contour, which essentially amounts to an economical Ford sedan destined to spend a lot of time in commuter lanes, Ford's SVT treatment suggests that you don't have to sacrifice 4-door convenience and sedan practicality in order to experience rip-roaring enthusiast fun while motoring.
The Contour SVT wears more chrome in front with unique fascia marked by special grille mesh and bold foglamps.
Curvy side skirts in the body color plus 5-spoke aluminum wheels sporting 16-inch Z-rated Goodyear rubber set the SVT apart from other Contours.
Beneath the skin, suspension spring rates have been recalibrated and the shock valving tightened, as larger disc brakes were also added to check the increase in power.
Ford's aluminum twin-cam 2.5-liter Duratec V6, which slips into Contour LX and SE editions to generate 170 hp, gets a 20-hp SVT boost through engine adjustments such as increased-diameter throttle body, revised intake and exhaust camshafts and special slick pistons.
Pull it all together on a rigid chassis in the SVT Contour and you end up with a high-performance sports sedan which emulates the precision and quickness of European contenders but for at least half the price.
Top speed reaches to 143 mph, and the SVT Contour runs up from zero to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds.
Yet driving fun in this car comes not so much from high speed as it does from the ability to scoot through a set of warped curves and still keep all four tires firmly planted on blacktop.
Hells Gate became our portal to expose SVT's character through the squiggles of Mud Canyon as we skirted Corkscrew Mountain in the descent to Stovepipe Wells.
"Feel that flat stance as it takes the hard corners?" Tim Boyd, who leads Ford's Special Vehicle Team, held on in the passenger seat as we ripped around hard rock walls of the narrow canyon path. "We modified the front MacPherson strut configuration and added a larger stabilizer bar to check body roll, so this one stays flat and predictable."
Earlier experience in Contour SE revealed a new stability for Ford's staple compact, but the SVT goes far further, blending the powerhouse improvements with a taut athletic agility.
"Like the seat?" He asked.
Driver's bucket, covered in perforated leather, felt snug, thanks to firm side bolsters. Power adjustments in ten directions produced a custom fit.
A sporty leather-wrapped steering wheel heads the driver-oriented cockpit, with bold instruments front and center led by an easy-to-read tachometer.
With pedal to the floor, we powered to max velocity through the flats of Death Valley Wash, then zipped across mile-high Emigrant Pass and played in dizzy hairpins leading down to the Panamint Valley.
At the end of the run, with heart pounding and blood pressure capped, I climbed out of the car and realized that the wily manners of SVT had affected me, and, like another tester had predicted, I craved more of the same.
The fact that Contour SVT comes to market for less than $25,000, when equipped with optional CD player and a moonroof, makes Ford's new deal seem even sweater.
But the entire Contour line also looks good now, in a spread of prices that starts at $14,000 for a base edition.
An active personality for the revised Contour line begins on a rigid frame with wheelbase extended to effect a smoother ride quality and also enlarge backseat legroom.
Independent front suspension uses an anti-roll bar attached by drop links to new low-friction struts, while the Quadralink independent rear arrangement adds a form of passive rear wheel steering. Apply sticky radial tires and the resultant vehicle exhibits highly predictable driving characteristics when cornering, braking or accelerating.
Safety elements for Contour extend from the cellular body structure to high tensile boron steel door braces, dual airbags, anti-submarine front seats and child-proof rear door locks.
Base Contour engine consists of Ford's iron-block Zetec in-line-4 plant fortified by dual overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and sequential fuel injection. Output runs to 125 hp, and fuel economy figures reach beyond 30 mpg.
Specify the 170 hp Duratec V6 and Contour earns disc brakes for all wheels, a condition necessary to operate the optional anti-lock braking system.
Contour's interior includes twin front seats separated by a new console and a 3-person rear bench with split-folding seatback and trunk pass-through.
The anticipated volume model, Contour GL with Zetec power and 4-speed automatic shifter plus power windows and a number of other handy interior conveniences, comes home for less than $17,000.
1998 FORD CONTOUR
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1998 FORD CONTOUR SVT Specs |
| Description: |
Compact sedan |
| Model Options: |
Compact sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
106.5 inches |
| Overall Length: |
184.7 inches
SVT: 183.9 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I4
DOHC 2.5-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum
V6: 4-disc, opt. ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
V6: 21/30 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 14,000 to $ 24,000 |
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