The wheels were pushed out to the corners of the body, reducing turbulence. The front grille was laid back and the leading edge of the hood was tuned for aerodynamic cleanliness. The rear track was widened, improving aerodynamic efficiency. The door frames wrapped up into the roofline, which improved sealing, allowed for hidden drip rails, and cleaned up the A-pillar area of the car. The Tempo and Topaz both featured windshields inclined at a 60° angle and aircraft-inspired door frames, two features that had both appeared on the Thunderbird and Cougar in 1983. More than 450 hours of testing resulted in over 950 different design changes. Wind tunnel testing on the Tempo began in December 1978. Switching to front-wheel drive freed up interior space that would have otherwise been lost to accommodate a driveshaft and rear differential. There were few common components due to the Tempo and Topaz's larger size. The Tempo and Topaz chassis shared some parts with the front-wheel-drive platform used on the first North American Ford Escort, but with a wheelbase stretched by 5.7 in (145 mm) and distinctive new bodies. Ford's chief development engineer for the new car was Ed Cascardo. This new compact was expected to compete in the marketplace with General Motors' X-Body, but wound up more similar to GM's J-cars.
In the late 1970s Ford began planning to replace their compact rear wheel drive Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr models with a new smaller front wheel drive (FWD) car.
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