2000 Ford Contour SVT Review
Fuel Economy
21 mpg
Summary
What Edmunds.com says
For pure road-going thrills in a well thought-out package, the Contour makes for a fun car at a great price.
Pros
Powerful V6 engine, impressive handling, good value.
Cons
Fussy radio controls, lack of refinement.
What's New for 2000
The 2000 Contour is unchanged from 1999.
Consumer Ratings & Reviews
Still great after 8 years
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 5 | Reliability: | 8 |
| Fuel Economy: | 8 | Exterior Design: | 6 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour SVT 4 Dr STD Sedan
Review
Ok - I bought this car 2/00, so I've had it a while. I drive hard, and went 115k before replacing the clutch. Other than a warped dash (fixed under warranty) and a foghorn sound (web showed me how to fix), I have had no real issues with this car. It's still a very solid and reliable performer, and very fun to drive. Yeah, I get made fun of a lot for driving a Contour, but every time I throw it into a turn or hear the exhaust note when I gun it, I still grin (although don't get into the SVT after test driving the new M3 and expect to still feel impressed). Still a great buy if you ask me -- especially considering that you don't see yourself coming and going everyday.
Favorite Features
Handling, exhaust note, limited availability, manual only
Suggested Improvements
2000 SVT Contour
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 9 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour SVT 4 Dr STD Sedan
Review
Great car, fun to drive, good looking, rare and best of all a great value. A very European sports sedan "made in USA". Not terribly fast or macho, but an excellent handling car in the tradition of BMW but at a fraction of the price. And the exhaust note is perfect, a nice burble at cruise and a snarl when used hard. Oh, and good gas mileage!
Favorite Features
Exhaust note. Handling. Distinctive look seats
Suggested Improvements
Needs a center console/armrest
My 2000 SVT
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 8 | Build Quality: | 7 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 7 | Reliability: | 7 |
| Fuel Economy: | 8 | Exterior Design: | 9 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour SVT 4 Dr STD Sedan
Review
I love the way the car looks, and the way it handles, and runs most of the time. Have had some very expensive repair bills however. Needed to fix timing belt tensioner, ended up getting valve job, new head gasket, etc. Also rusting on roof along the rubber channel. Fuel pump acted up when gas was below 3/4 full. When accelerating would hesitate, but when tank full ran like a bat out of h! Replaced original KDW tires at 25000, terrible noise! Since then, other tires are much better. Overall, the car still looks great, the leather is starting to look a little tired, but it's real quick and take the curves like a champ. Wife has a 2004 Jetta GLI (6 cyl),fast, but handling not there.
Favorite Features
Looks very good. Excellent design, not overdone. Sound of exhaust great! Sturdy and fast.
Suggested Improvements
Work I needed may not be the norm, but very expensive ($4500) for engine and body work. Maybe would have sold it if I knew it was going to csot that much. Has a 1989 Excort GT, took it out to 209000 miles with no engine work!
Bargain Fun Car
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 9 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 9 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour SVT 4 Dr STD Sedan
Review
The SVT Contour is one of the great performance sedan bargains on the used market. European feel and handling, domestic parts prices and reliability, at a low price. Fuel economy is great, especially on the highway, and if you are at all conservative around town. Quick but not super fast by today's standards, I won't be racing anyone so it's plenty fast. I was looking for a sporty everyday driver with track day potential, seriously considered a similar vintage BMW 3 series, but the SVT is half the price.
Favorite Features
Exhaust sound, seats, interior appearance. Aggressive exterior appearance. Nice shifter feel and steering.
Suggested Improvements
It would be nice to have some suspension camber adjustment for performance work. Bring over the Mondeo III in an SVT version!!
All bark! No bite!
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 5 | Fun-to-Drive: | 6 | Build Quality: | 4 |
| Comfort: | 7 | Interior Design: | 5 | Reliability: | 4 |
| Fuel Economy: | 6 | Exterior Design: | 6 | ||
Vehicle
2000 Ford Contour SVT 4 Dr STD Sedan
Review
I fell in love with this car because of engine growl. Unfortunately the engine is weak, especially with the A/C on. Problems with sunroof closing and rear suspension. Clutch and gearshift are long throws. Both hinder performance greatly. Cheap materials on dashboard and doors. Various interior rattles, ugly green dashboard lights. Radio stinks.
Favorite Features
Engine growl. Exterior looks with front end cover. Comfortable leather seats front and back
Suggested Improvements
More powerful engine, better suspension components. Short throw clutch and gearshift. Nicer interior materials. Get rid of the ugly green dashboard lights already!
View Pricing for Other Years
- 2000 Ford Contour SVT
- 1999 Ford Contour SVT
- 1998 Ford Contour SVT
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