2004 Mercury Monterey

Not so long ago, some industry observers and critics were ready to write off Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury brand. They thought it would soon go the way of Chrysler's Plymouth and GM's Oldsmobile marques, abruptly canceled like a marginal TV sitcom that few were watching. Granted, we had not seen many signs of new-product life in recent years, but we believed that Ford would continue to recognize the need for its venerable Mercury marque to provide a necessary middle ground between everyday Ford and luxury Lincoln.

The 2004 Monterey, by contrast, is an upscale version of Ford's own excellent new Freestar minivan with "distinct Mercury DNA."

Turns out we were right. Last year came an all-new Mercury Mountaineer SUV. This year, a freshened full-size Grand Marquis and a performance derivative called Marauder. Now for '04 comes this surprisingly good new Monterey minivan. And we'll soon see an all-new Montego midsize sedan and Mariner midsize SUV, followed by another new car in 2005.


"Our vehicles are evolving and adopting distinct Mercury DNA," adds Mercury chief designer Darrell Behmer. "What you see on the Monterey—from its signature waterfall grille to the satin aluminum taillamp bezels—is just the start."


Mercury's minivan offering for a decade beginning in 1992 was the Villager, a version of Nissan's lackluster previous-generation Quest, which was discontinued in 2002. The 2004 Monterey, by contrast, is an upscale version of Ford's own excellent new Freestar minivan. Ford has tripled its investment in interior design and quality in recent years, an investment that pays off big-time in Monterey's interior.


"Everything you see and touch has a high level of craftsmanship," Behmer says. "This is a story of using superior materials and textures to create an ambiance of luxury and quality." Panel gaps have been reduced to 1 mm with a tolerance or 0.5 mm vs. the previous 3 mm and 2 mm tolerance. The generous use of "satin aluminum" exterior accents is echoed inside combined with premium woodgrain, and a lot of extra effort put into noise reduction makes the cabin as quiet as it is attractive.