1996 Ford Contour Review
1996 Ford Contour Review
View more photos
Used Contour for sale
Appraise This CarSee Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
What’s new
Designers sculpt and adjust interior seating to make more leg- and headroom in the backseat. Five new colors are available and improvements to shift effort on manual transmission models make the 1996 Contour more competitive.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 1996 Ford Contour LX 4dr Sedan and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.64 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$178/mo for Contour LX
Contour LX
vs
$187/mo
Avg. Midsize Car
Vehicle overview
Ford spent $6 billion developing this new "world car," designed to be the best compact in every market in which it was sold. The program tested Ford's ability to utilize all of its worldwide resources to create a car that would streamline production, thereby slicing overhead and building bigger profits.
Who cares? The result is the Ford Contour, and for the average amount of a typical car purchase in the United States today, you can get one loaded up with equipment, with performance and road feel you never would have expected from a sedan made in America. Actually, the road manners of the new Contour are no mystery, given that Ford of Europe did the development work on this car.
Contour replaced the Tempo last year, which in 1984 represented cutting-edge styling but was as stale as flat Diet Coke by 1994. The SE variant of the Contour comes with a 24-valve, twin-cam, 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter V6 engine that doesn't require a tune-up until the 100,000-mile mark. Also included on the SE are a sport suspension, big tires mounted on alloy wheels, and more sporting front seats. Load on air conditioning, power windows and locks, moonroof, cruise, traction control, anti-lock brakes and a CD player with premium sound and the sticker stays under $20,000, with lots of room for negotiation. Contour GL and LX are equipped with a four-cylinder engine, and are surprisingly zippy in feel when mated to the manual transmission. Optional on GL and LX is the uplevel V6.
Much has been made in the automotive press about the Contour's rear seat. Our editor is six-feet tall, and he has never once griped about discomfort in the back seat of the 1995 Contour. Nonetheless, Ford has wisely redesigned the front seatbacks, scooping them out to provide another inch of leg room. Later in the year, the seat cushion will be lowered and moved back to further increase space. We've applauded the high, firm, supportive rear seat of the Contour; hope these changes don't make the Contour's rear seat a mushy, unsupportive, eat-your-knees-for-breakfast affair like those found in the back of the "roomy" Dodge Stratus.
Other changes for 1996 include five new exterior colors, the deletion of the bright chrome strip on the front and rear bumpers, and improvements to shifting effort on the manual transmission. Contour GL models can be ordered with a split-fold rear seat and 15-inch alloy wheels are available on GL and LX. One thing we wish had been changed is the stiff seatback adjustment knob. Why a knob? Credit European design influences. It's hard to turn, and it's hard to adjust while driving. Put a lever on there like a normal American car.
The Contour looks good and handles like higher-priced German sedans. The body structure is stiff, and the ergonomically correct instrument panel features legible dials and well-placed controls. We really like the way the Contour feels, but the Dodge Stratus offers a convincing argument to shop around before buying, unless you pop for the five-speed SE variant.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 1996 Ford Contour.
5 star(21%)
4 star(39%)
3 star(21%)
2 star(13%)
1 star(6%)
70 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
2.63 out of 5 stars
First, last & only Ford I will ever buy
CouldaBeenBetter, 07/05/2002
1996 Ford Contour LX 4dr Sedan
1996 V6 LX. Bought mine with the Ford
100,000 mile warranty and I am sure
glad that I did. I estimate that I had
about 12 to $15,000 worth of repairs
under that warranty. Hood, roof &
trunk painted twice. 4 Catalytic
Converters. A/C, Power Seats & Right
Power Window all failed. Just about
every sensor in engine has been
replaced at least once. Constant thump …
from rear suspension that was never
fixed. Persistent stalling problem.
Finally at 110,000, I dumped $2500 into
it to try to fix the stalling problem
to no avail. Traded it in for $1500
and bought a Camry.
3.25 out of 5 stars
You may not believe this one!
the looker, 04/12/2008
1996 Ford Contour GL 4dr Sedan
First I will list the problems I have had with this vehicle, which I'm sure is no suprise to you the readers. Engine stalls cold. Battery discharges after a couple of days. Window fell of track (drivers side). Engine Idle RPM varies while stopped in traffic. Overheating came because Ford had used a plastic not metal impeller for the water pump. The whole engine wiring had to be replaced … because it was falling apart (the plastic insulation). Fan not working light comes on despite you actually seeing the fans working. Now brake pedal is intermittently hard to push during stop. Happens without warning. Now for the interesting part..This vehicle of my original ownership only has 17780. Presently
3.5 out of 5 stars
1996 Contour
Andy Briggs, 05/06/2005
1996 Ford Contour GL 4dr Sedan
Bought from my father who owned it since new. This car has had multiple maintenance related problems. By 85,000 miles, replaced alternator (which is difficult to access for remove and replace and very expensive), heater blower motor, heater resistor pack, and both wheel hub bearings. I have a continuing problem, yet unsolved, of the radiator fan not turning on when the temperature … gauge reads high unless the a/c is on. Check engine light comes on intermittently with an "EGR flow excessive" code read-out. This seems to be too many problems for a car that has had regular maintenance and mostly highway miles. For those reasons, I do not recommend buying, even though it drives well.
3.75 out of 5 stars
My Contour
dvargas, 09/27/2004
1996 Ford Contour GL 4dr Sedan
I've had no major problems with the
engine or performance in the last 8
years. The only recurring problems
were with the body parts such as
plastic interior items breaking
including gear shifter, mechanical
window repairs on 4 occasions, etc.
Overall I have been very happy with my
purchase. A very economical vehicle.
1996 Contour Highlights
LX
Engine Type | Gas |
---|---|
Combined MPG | 25 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $178/month |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 13.9 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver5 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassengerNot Rated
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRolloverNot RatedDynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalPoor
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
Related Used 1996 Ford Contour info
Vehicle reviews of used models
- Used Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2010
- Used Ford Focus RS 2016
- Used Chevrolet Aveo 2010
- Used Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class 2015 For Sale
- Used Audi Q7 2011
Popular new car reviews and ratings
- 2025 Acura ZDX News
- 2023 Genesis G70
- BMW 8 Series Cars For Sale
- 2023 X5
- Nissan Kicks 2023
- 2023 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2023 Honda Passport
- 2024 Acura ZDX
- Wagoneer
- 05 Lexus Es330
Research other models of Ford
- Ford Escape
- Ford Ford Maverick
- Ford Explorer 2023
- Ford Explorer RT
- F150 Pickup
- 2024 Escape
- F450
- Bronco
- 2024 Mustang
- Electric Mustang
Other models
- Used Pontiac Sunfire in Shelton, CT
- New Kia Ev6 for Sale in Eugene, OR
- Used Saab 9-3 in Pensacola, FL
- New GMC Hummer-Ev-Suv for Sale in Elk River, MN
- Used Ford Bronco in Woodbridge, NJ
- Used Mazda Protege5 in Lititz, PA
- Used Ram 2500 in Maineville, OH
- Used Volkswagen Atlas-Cross-Sport in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
- Used Jaguar X-Type in Mckinney, TX
- Used Volvo S60 in Chelmsford, MA