Overview & Reviews
When the Mercury Montego first showed up in the late 1960s as a replacement for the popular Mercury Comet, it was meant to compete with the rising tide of imports. These Mercury sedans and coupes were larger than the Comet and offered additional performance and luxury variants. The Cyclone version was the division's entry in the then-popular muscle car segment. Under the skin, the Montego shared its platform with sister Ford division's Torino.
But by the mid-'70s, the Montego had grown considerably in size and was eventually discontinued. However, the Montego name wasn't without its successes; in the early '70s a Mercury Montego won several NASCAR races.
The Montego name was MIA throughout the 1980s and '90s. Then Mercury resurrected the Montego nameplate for the 2005 model year. It was still a clone of a Ford, however -- in this case the Five Hundred -- but with a different grille and taillights. Alas, this latest Montego revival was short-lived, as Mercury dropped the name and returned to the more well-known Sable moniker beginning with the 2008 model year.
Before its name change, the Mercury Montego didn't exactly light the large sedan segment on fire. However, it offered a roomy cabin and trunk, available all-wheel drive and an unusual elevated driving position, and its Volvo-derived underpinnings imbued it with a solid feel from the driver seat. If you find the Montego appealing, you're in luck -- low resale values make the Montego a bargain on the used-car market.
Most Recent Mercury Montego
The Mercury Montego large sedan remained largely unchanged during its brief existence. The Montego and its Ford twin, the Five Hundred, were built on a modified Volvo platform. Though it was never a segment leader, the big Mercury did have some interesting features. For example, it offered a notably high stance, which gave the driver a commanding view of the road similar to that of an SUV. The car also boasted a spacious rear seat and a large trunk with 21 cubic feet of storage space.
All Montegos came with a 3.0-liter V6 good for 203 horsepower. A six speed automatic was standard. Acceleration from this powertrain was adequate at best. Front-wheel or all-wheel-drive models were available. All-wheel-drive Montegos came with a constantly variable transmission (CVT). The six-speed automatic transmission performed decently, but the CVT was smoother and did a better job of keeping the engine in its power band.
What the Mercury Montego lacked in pure power, it partially made up for by offering engaging handling dynamics. It delivered both a comfortable around-town ride and a moderately sporty demeanor when the road turned twisty. The Montego's interior was also spacious and attractive. However, the quality of the materials was somewhat lacking when compared to the car's Japanese competitors.
Offered in two trim levels, Luxury (base) and Premier, this full-size Mercury was nicely equipped right out of the box. The Luxury came standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, HID headlights, foglights, dual-zone climate control and full power features including a six-way power driver seat.
The Premier added heated leather seating, wood-grain trim, an upgraded audio system and a two-person memory feature for the driver seat and mirrors. Exterior changes to the Premier included 18-inch wheels and perimeter lighting. Many of the Premier's upgraded features were available as options on the base Luxury trim.
Standard safety features included ABS, traction control, front and rear head curtain airbags, and front and rear side-mounted torso-protecting airbags. Stability control was not available on any Mercury Montego.
Past Mercury Montego Models With just a few years in production, the Montego received only minor changes after its 2005 introduction. For 2006, the Montego was endowed with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, and a DVD entertainment system and a navigation system were added to the options list. Bottom line: If you're looking for a used large sedan that prioritizes spaciousness over performance, there are worse choices. Moreover, the Montego's low resale value certainly adds to its appeal for shoppers on a budget. But if you're looking for a car that offers plenty of room along with spirited acceleration, you might want to consider other large sedans.
I took delivery of my Montego in October 2005. While my wife and I love the car the quality is not there. Since October the car has had struts replaced, ABS repaired other things that dealer cant find, Main issue is that the Main airbag warning light has come on 4 times and Ford is unable to fix. They have replaced the OCM module and yet the problem still exists. Now they will be replacing the sensor under the seat. Wont be keeping the car as we are not sure of the reliability of the vehicle.
Negatives 1.Windshield glare from front dash area (have tan interior) 2.Perreille tires good for 24k thats it 3.Rear door panels hold water 4.Service Bulletin rear disc brakes 5.Transmission rough when cold 6 HID front head lights heat to intense for internal yellow turn signal materials 7.Paint quality could be upped a notch 8.Rear bumper needs top external flange so to not scratch the bumper when raising the trunk. 9.Side Mirrors too larger can block visability 10. AC Weak (car is black)
I bought this car new, and loved the comfortable and roomy interior. It had a lot of "bells and whistles", like seat warmers, moonroof, leather, beeping back bumper, etc... Unfortunately, the exterior quality and engine quality are out of alignment. Ive had nothing but problems with this vehicle. Ranging from minor inconveniences such as the trunk latch not working and the brakes needing replaced after 30K miles (covered by manufacturer recall), to major issues like the a/c needing replaced and the transimission failing after only 63K miles. I would warn anyone looking at this vehicle to not let the outside fool you. This is a poorly made Ford.
Currently my 05 mercury is in the shop with a bad strut mount. I have gingerly gone over bumps so to not have this problem. Im in my early 40s and have driven cars up to 225,000 miles, and never needed to buy a strut mount. The gas mileage is also so, so, Ive been getting about 19 city, and possibly 26 highway. Boy my next car is going to be a Toyota.
The Montego is a decent car with a few exceptions. My main complaint is the area where you would rest your left foot is awkward as the wheel well comes in at that area and makes long drives very uncomfortable due to the restricted area for your left foot. My second complaint is the seats should be wider & the console narrower. The width of the seats is very restrictive. The seats could be padded a bit better as well. The CVT transmission is great & smooth, the engine lacks acceleration but is ok under normal driving. My Montego averages about 20-21 MPG which is lower than the specs state but still good. Im not sure of the aluminum block for long life.Radio is real cheep sounding.
My problem has to do with the rain, water and leafs, pine needles, sand, anything that touches the windows goes into the door. The seal that is normally against the window in most cars, making it waterproof is not present on the Montego, in fact in discussing this with the few people that I was allowed to talk to at Mercury it was noticed that all of their cars except one, is now built this way. The seal that does touch the window is too far down, what doesnt go into the door with normal wind or vibration of the car goes into the door when the window is lowered. My car is not garage kept, I have mulch that is falling out of the bottom of the door, until it plugs up. Then what ice, rust....
When I first purchased this car I was initially impressed.
It was very comfortable to drive with the seating and easy to get in and out of the car with lots of trunk space.
Unfortunately, then the problems started to surface.
The paint began to peel off the leading edge of my aluminum hood, the drivers side window goes down when you press the up button, the rear drums are rusting prematurely, and the module that controls my AWD shorted out my control panel!
The dealer quoted me $1900 to replace the module and keep my AWD! My first and probably last experience with the Ford brand.
BTW, my car has not even reached 100,000 miles.
This car seemed like a good deal, but after getting used to it I find many annoying items. Like the 2-zone air conditioning is really confusing and doesnt keep the settings when turned off. A/C has already needed major repair. At midday (high sun angle), the glare on the speedo is so bad you cant read it. Poor design foresight throughout. The information display is fairly useless and very confusing when trying to reset oil change interval. Dash board surface is bubbling. Light dash color glares horribly. Seat bottoms are too short and seats are too hard. Interior quality feels like a rental car. If you find dumb design annoying, dont buy this car.
I was looking for an AWD sedan, and drove the CVT Montego. The car is big, but I found the drivers seating position to be cramped. Power was adequate, but the engine was rough and noisy. The CVT was weird, but seemed to work OK. I could get used to it. The car is nothing special to look at and a bit unrefined. The price is right, however, and if it had been more comfortable, I might consider it. There are too many other choices out there. User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 186.00
By swiftone
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- January 11 - 7:16 am
By montego crap
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- December 30 - 10:36 pm
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- September 21 - 4:02 am
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By R J Harris
- June 19 - 7:36 am
