We’ve been somewhat unhappy with Mercury lately. Despite reassurances that the division intends to peddle more than just slightly more expensive clones of Ford products, it has yet to do anything really unique. Granted, Mercury’s customers seem to be perfectly happy with the products, and being a Ford clone isn’t the worst possible kind of car to be, but none of that stopped us from rolling our eyes a bit when the all-new Mercury Monterey arrived in the driveway.

Replacing the Villager minivan after a one-year hiatus, the Monterey is an upscale version of the equally new Ford Freestar.  Formerly known as Windstar, the Freestar is a significant re-engineering of Ford’s minivan platform, carried out in response to the rapid improvements required to stay with this increasingly competitive market.  The Monterey is aimed at the “premium minivan” segment of the market, and as such it will be butting heads with Chrysler’s Town & Country, Buick’s upcoming Terraza, and others, and a raft of luxury options should make it one of the top contenders.

Thinly disguised clones or not, Mercury has always done Ford one better when it comes to design, and the Monterey is no exception. By translating Mercury’s elegant deco style onto the boxy body of a minivan, the Monterey hits the streets as one of the few really good-looking vans out there. The vertical-barred “waterfall” grille and wrapped headlights are Mercury hallmarks, as are the aluminum-accented taillights and six-spoke slotted 16″ wheels.  The basic body shape is uncomfortably similar to that of the Freestar, but the only problem with Ford’s minivan design is that it’s boring.

The interior is nicely laid out, with woodgrain inserts in the dash and chrome-ringed gauges. There are a lot of controls; in addition to the usual radio and climate control buttons, Monterey drivers have to contend with switches for the dual power sliding doors, vent windows, available heated/cooled front seats and more.  Mercury’s intuitive switch layout makes this easy, and even leaves space for sliding cupholders and a few cubbies besides. We didn’t like the console between the front seats, which had the look of an afterthought and made it difficult to climb from the front of the Monterey to the back.  The quality of the materials was also questioned; while it’s well-constructed, considering the Monterey’s over-$30,000 price we’d like to see a bit more distinction from the Freestar.

One thing we did like was the third-row seat, which folds into the floor after a quick three-strap maneuver. Honda and Mazda pioneered the disappearing minivan seat, and we’re glad to see them popping up across the board.  When the seat is up, there’s a carpeted storage bin in the floor that’s great for keeping groceries and other cargo from sliding around. The Monterey’s second-row seats are captain’s chairs, and lift out easily.  Leather upholstery, adjustable pedals, three-zone climate control and power sliding doors are available options. Our tester was equipped with front and rear parking assist, which made parallel parking a breeze.

The biggest letdown was powertrain noise.  The 4.2 liter V6 is powerful enough to squirt this 4434-pound minivan through traffic, but it sounds like it’s working hard while it’s doing it. Ford’s 201-horsepower engine is a strong powerplant, but sounds coarser than some newer-tech powerplants. The Monterey doesn’t want for power, it just sounds crummy.  Keep the radio loud and you’ll never notice.  The four-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, and the Monterey is relaxed on the freeway.

Being a minivan, the Monterey keeps a firm grip on safety. The MacPherson strut front, twist-beam rear suspension is somewhat wallowy but handles predictably in emergency maneuvers.  The available AdvanceTrac traction control takes over when things get slick, using seven sensors’ worth of input to maintain directional stability.  Anti-lock brakes are standard. The Monterey also features rollover protection in the form of a unique “Safety Canopy” side-impact and rollover airbag which covers all three rows of seats.  Self-sealing tires and a tire-pressure monitoring system are available.

All in all, it’s a good van. We’d rather it was “great” of course, considering our tester’s $35,795 price.  Because of the expense, we found little things–like the operation of sliding doors and trays, which were sometimes less than smooth–to be more unpleasant than we would in, say, the $25,000 Freestar. Apologies to Mercury, but unless you’ve got to have that gorgeous styling, we’d recommend the less expensive Freestar instead.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2004 Mercury Monterey Premier, which we tested.
Length:         201.0 in.
Width:            76.6 in.
Height:            68.7 in.
Wheelbase:        120.8 in.
Curb weight:        4434 lb.
Cargo space:        25.8 cu.ft (behind third row); 134.3 cu.ft. (all seats folded)
Towing capacity:    3500 lb.
Base price:        $34,840
Price as tested:        $35,795
Engine:         4.2 liter V6
Drivetrain:         four-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Horsepower:         201 @ 4250
Torque:         265 @ 3500
Fuel capacity:        26.0 gal.

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