The 1980-1982 Mercury Cougar marks the model's move to Ford's Fox platform and a split into two distinct car lines. For 1980 the Cougar was a single model, the XR-7 personal luxury coupe on a 108.4 inch wheelbase, a twin to the downsized Ford Thunderbird. For 1981 Mercury added mid-size Cougar two door and four door sedans on the 105.5 inch Fox chassis, sharing their body with the Ford Granada, and a station wagon joined for 1982. Engines ran from an 88 hp 2.3L four and a 200 cubic inch six through a new 3.8L V6 and 255 and 302 cubic inch V8s, and nothing was rated much past 130 net horsepower.
Other Mercury Cougar generations
Platform and Body Structure
The fifth generation Mercury Cougar (1980-1982) needs a year by year explanation because the lineup changed shape twice. For 1980, Cougar meant one car: the XR-7 coupe, downsized onto Ford's Fox platform with a 108.4 inch wheelbase. It shared its structure and most of its hard points with the 1980 Ford Thunderbird, and the diet was severe, about 15 inches of length and roughly 900 pounds of curb weight gone compared with the 1977-1979 car, depending on powertrain. For 1981, Mercury widened the name. The XR-7 continued, and below it arrived a mid-size Cougar line, a two door and a four door sedan on the 105.5 inch Fox wheelbase of the Fairmont and Zephyr, sharing its body with the 1981-1982 Ford Granada. These sedans replaced the Mercury Monarch. For 1982 a Cougar station wagon joined, taking over the Zephyr wagon's spot in the Mercury lineup. So a 1980 Cougar is always an XR-7 coupe, while a 1981 or 1982 Cougar can be an XR-7, a sedan, or (1982 only) a wagon.
Engine Lineup
- 140 cid (2.3L) Lima four: standard in the 1981-1982 Cougar sedans at 88 net horsepower, and the only engine in the family with a standard manual gearbox. Mercury's own 1981 brochure quotes the sedan's EPA figures with the standard 2.3 liter engine and manual transmission.
- 200 cid (3.3L) inline six: optional in the 1981 sedans and, less remembered, the standard engine in the 1981 XR-7, rated about 88 net horsepower. The new 3.8L V6 largely replaced it for 1982, though the wagon could still be ordered with the 3.3 six.
- 255 cid (4.2L) V8: a debored 302, standard in the 1980 XR-7, optional in the 1981 sedans, and by 1982 the only V8 offered; the 1982 wagon came only with six-cylinder power. Ratings ran about 115 to 120 net horsepower depending on year.
- 302 cid (5.0L) V8: the top XR-7 option in 1980 and 1981, rated about 130 net horsepower and always paired with Ford's new AOD four speed overdrive automatic. Dropped for 1982, it returned with the redesigned 1983 Cougar.
- 232 cid (3.8L) Essex V6: new for 1982 at 112 net horsepower. It became the standard XR-7 engine and a sedan option, and in the wagon it sold alongside the 3.3 inline six.
All ratings are SAE net. Nothing in this generation reached 135 horsepower, which is why these cars get bought as clean cruisers or as Fox chassis starting points rather than for what is under the hood.
Drivetrain and Transmissions
Every 1980-1982 Cougar is front engine, rear wheel drive on the Fox chassis, with a coil sprung four link live rear axle and modified MacPherson front struts that carry the coil spring on the lower arm. The 2.3L sedans came with a manual transmission standard and automatic optional. The sixes and V8s in the sedan line used a three speed automatic. The XR-7 was automatic only: the 302 carried the four speed AOD overdrive automatic from that transmission's 1980 debut, the AOD came with the XR-7's V8s by 1981, and the six and V6 cars used a three speed automatic. Mercury's 1981 specifications list curb weights of 2,804 to 2,849 pounds for the sedans and 3,080 pounds for the XR-7.
Year by Year
- 1980: XR-7 coupe only, first year on the Fox platform. 255 V8 standard, 302 V8 optional with the AOD overdrive automatic, which debuted that year. 58,028 built.
- 1981: Mid-size sedan line added (two door and four door, new GS and LS trims) with the 2.3L four standard and the 200 six and 255 V8 optional. The XR-7's standard engine became the 200 six, with the 255 and 302 V8s optional. 90,928 built.
- 1982: Station wagon added in GS or woodgrain Villager trim, offered only with the 3.3L six or the new 3.8L V6. The 3.8L V6 replaced the 200 six as the standard XR-7 engine and as a sedan option, the 302 was dropped, and the 255 stayed on as the only V8. 73,817 built.
Trims and Variants
GS and LS trim lines debuted for 1981 on both the mid-size Cougar and the XR-7, with GS leaning on appearance items and LS adding luxury equipment such as power windows and Ford's keyless entry keypad. On the mid-size line the LS came only as a four door. The 1982 wagon sold in GS or Villager form, and it is the second of only two factory Cougar wagons, after the 1977 Cougar Villager. The generation totaled 222,773 cars over three years, and the market never warmed to the formal 1977 style roofline on the smaller body. For 1983 the XR-7 was replaced by the aero Cougar, and the sedan line was renamed Mercury Marquis. Survivors are scarce, and the 1982 wagon is the rarity of the group.
Asked all the time
What engines came in the 1980-1982 Mercury Cougar?
Five engines appear across the 1980-1982 Mercury Cougar line: an 88 hp 2.3L (140 cid) four standard in the 1981-1982 sedans, a roughly 88 hp 200 cid inline six (optional in 1981 sedans, standard in the 1981 XR-7, and still offered in the 1982 wagon), a 255 cid (4.2L) V8 of about 115-120 hp, a 302 cid (5.0L) V8 of about 130 hp optional in the 1980-1981 XR-7, and a 112 hp 3.8L Essex V6 added for 1982. All figures are SAE net.
Was the 1980-1982 Mercury Cougar only a coupe?
No, but the lineup changed by year. In 1980 the Cougar was only the XR-7 coupe on the Fox platform. For 1981 Mercury added mid-size Cougar two door and four door sedans sharing their body with the Ford Granada, and for 1982 a station wagon joined. The 1982 wagon and the 1977 Cougar Villager are the only two factory Cougar wagons.
Which 1980-1982 Cougar is the one to look for?
For power, a 1980 or 1981 Cougar XR-7 with the optional 302 V8 and its AOD overdrive automatic is the strongest and most drivable combination, since the 302 left the lineup after 1981. For rarity, the 1982 Cougar wagon, especially in Villager woodgrain trim, is the hardest body to find.
Is the 1980-1982 Mercury Cougar a Fox body?
Yes. The 1980-1982 Mercury Cougar XR-7 rides on Ford's Fox platform with a 108.4 inch wheelbase, twinned with the 1980-1982 Thunderbird, and the 1981-1982 Cougar sedans and wagon use the 105.5 inch Fox chassis under the Fairmont, Zephyr, and 1981-1982 Granada. Many Fox chassis and suspension parts interchange or adapt.
What changed on the Mercury Cougar between 1981 and 1982?
For 1982 the Cougar line added a station wagon in GS or Villager trim, and the new 112 hp 3.8L Essex V6 became the standard XR-7 engine and a sedan option, while the wagon offered either the 200 six or the new V6. The 302 V8 was dropped, leaving the 255 cid V8 as the only V8, and the GS and LS trims carried over.
Why did the 302 V8 disappear from the Cougar after 1981?
Ford dropped the 302 from the Cougar XR-7 after 1981 as the whole lineup chased fuel economy, the same push that created the debored 255 cid V8 in the first place. That left the 255 as the only V8 for 1982. The 5.0L returned with the redesigned 1983 Cougar.
The wall · registered 1980–1982 Cougars
Sorted by depth of documentation. Click any vehicle to open its permanent record.
No 1980–1982 Cougars on the wall yet
Own one? Add yours and it is the first in the registry for this generation.