Driving Impressions

The Mercury Monterey is powered by a 4.2-liter overhead-valve V6, the largest offered in this class. It delivers 265 pound-feet of torque, more than the Nissan Quest and the Toyota Sienna. This advantage is important since torque is the force you use when pulling away from intersections, climbing a steep grade, or towing a trailer. The Mercury V6's 201 horsepower doesn't measure up to the 240 horsepower of the Nissan nor the 230 horsepower of the Toyota, but this is often less important. The four-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and quickly and makes good use of the engine's power. We found the Monterey to be smooth and quiet, though it's not the most refined minivan in terms of noise and vibration. Steering and handling is responsive. The brakes are effective and smooth and easy to modulate for nice, smooth stops in daily driving. Parking is made easier with the Monterey's excellent park-assist system, which signals the driver with increasingly fast beeping tones as the bumper approaches another object. The front and rear use different tones, making parallel parking a breeze. We found that the system beeped when someone walked in front or behind us, which can be helpful in crowded parking lots.

Final Word

The Mercury Monterey is an extremely competent minivan. It shares much in common with the Ford Freestar, which generally carries a lower list price than does the Monterey. However, depending on the trim level and content package, a Monterey with all of its standard fare could represent a better value than a Freestar that has to be loaded up with options. And Mercury offers features that the Freestar does not, including a seat-cooling system and perforated suede upholstery in the first and second rows. Michelle Krebs filed the original report, with NewCarTestDrive.com editor Mitch McCullough reporting from Los Angeles.