The Ford Tempo is a compact car that was produced by Ford from the 1984 to 1994 model years. The replacement for the Ford Fairmont, the Tempo was the fourth generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America. Along with transitioning to front-wheel drive, the Tempo marked significant downsizing over its predecessor. Mercury marketed the model line under the Mercury Topaz nameplate (no Lincoln version was sold). The model line was produced as a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan through its production.

Deriving its chassis underpinnings and powertrain from the Ford Escort, the Tempo/Topaz were the first aerodynamically-styled sedans introduced by Ford, preceded by the 1982 Ford Sierra hatchbacks (Ford of Europe) and the 1983 Ford Thunderbird; they were followed by the 1986 Ford Taurus.

Produced across multiple facilities in North America, the Tempo/Topaz was produced in both a single generation (for two-doors) and two generations (for four-doors). For the 1995 model year, the Tempo four-door sedan were replaced by the Ford Contour (and Mercury Mystique), developed from the Ford Mondeo; the two-door Tempo was not directly replaced.