For 1996 front seat backs were slimmed to allow back seat occupants more legroom. Since Contour came out, the media has criticized rear seat room. The SVT’s mirrors are a shade too small for optimum rear field of vision, such as those required when hoping to spot a challenger approaching. A performance sedan capable of propelling you at speeds in excess of 100 mph that comes with dual air bags and anti-lock brakes as standard doesn’t offer traction control.Īnother gripe is that when a car is meant to be driven hard, you want optimum visibility not only ahead and at the side, but behind as well. Ford officials say they don’t have an automatic that can handle the torque in this compact sedan.ĭownshift, kick the throttle and the 2.5 passes the test while the suspension complemented by those 16-inch treads ensures the body sits flat without wiggle or wobble. The 2.5 is teamed with a smooth-shifting, short-throw 5-speed manual transmission, the only one offered. The 2.5-liter V-6 acted relaxed at 80 to 90 mph and didn’t have to breathe very deeply traveling long laps at a steady 90 to 100 mph, either. You have a performance machine at playtime. It means you have a functional four-door sedan that the family can easily climb into or out of, and one that takes but a small slice of the budget to feed. You usually don’t get both in the same vehicle. It remains as one of longest-running, most-successful high-performance vehicle programs in American automotive history.What makes the SVT exceptional is that despite the 195 horsepower and ability to skip lively from a standing start, the fuel economy rating is a most impressive 21 miles per gallon city/31 mpg highway.Ībove-average performance and above-average fuel economy. And SVT has always been dedicated to value, delivering products that offer the highest level of performance and driving dynamics for the money. SVT exclusivity comes from low-volume, limited-production products designed for enthusiast owners. Substance means driving character that is built in, not added on. To the engineers at SVT, performance means increased power, supple yet confident road manners, and balance among engine, suspension and braking systems. The core values of Ford SVT were established as Performance, Substance, Exclusivity and Value. Since that time more than seven different SVT vehicles have been produced, including several versions of the Cobra (both coupe and convertible) and the Shelby GT500, the F-150 Lightning performance pickup and Raptor off-road versions, the SVT Contour sports sedan, plus both three- and five-door versions of the SVT Focus – as well as special SVT Mustang Cobra 'R' models in 1993, ', plus the Ford GT supercar in 2005-06. The official launch of Ford SVT came during the 1992 Chicago Auto Show with the unveiling of the 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra and SVT F-150 Lightning. Once the team was assembled, SVT was charged to develop and market factory high-performance "halo" vehicles that would add luster to the company's lineup – or "Polish the Ford Oval." To that end, the team focused on creating limited-production cars and trucks with balanced performance attributes – vehicles that stop as well as they accelerate, ride as well as they handle and, above all, are fun to drive. The idea was to assemble talented driving enthusiasts at Ford and some of its key suppliers into a small, cross-functional group of engineers, product planners and marketing professionals with a common mission: create vehicles to satisfy the unique desires of the knowledgeable driving enthusiast. The Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) was conceived in 1991, when Ford senior management recognized the corporate advantages of investigating niche vehicle market opportunities.
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