Mercury Mystique
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| Mercury Mystique | |
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| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Production | 1995—2000 |
| Assembly | Kansas City, Missouri Cuautitlán, Mexico |
| Predecessor | Mercury Topaz |
| Successor | Ford Focus [1] (For Canada and Mexico) Mercury Milan |
| Class | Compact |
| Body style | 4-door sedan |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Platform | Ford CDW27 platform |
| Engine | 2.0 L Zetec I4 2.5 L Duratec V6 |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual 4-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 2705 mm (106.5 in) |
| Length | 4695 mm (184.8 in) |
| Width | 1755 mm (69.1 in) |
| Height | 1385 mm (54.5 in) |
| Related | Ford Contour Ford/Mercury Cougar Ford Mondeo |
| Similar | Buick Skylark Chrysler Cirrus Honda Accord |
The Mercury Mystique was the Mercury version of the North American Ford Contour and the international Ford Mondeo. It was made available for the 1995 model year, replacing the Mercury Topaz. The Topaz was avalable as a two- and four-door sedan, whereas the Mystique was four-door only. The Topaz sold far better than the Mystique.
Mystiques were built in Kansas City, Missouri and Cuautitlán, Mexico.
The Mystique went into production on August 15, 1994 and ended on December 23, 1999. Poor customer acceptance, varoius mechanical ailments, such as constant stalling that baffled technicians and its short life led to the nickname "the Mercury Mistake". Due to this lack of acceptance, a used Mystique can be purchased for much less than similar used cars from competing companies, such as the Chrysler Cirrus or Honda Accord.
It was available with a four cylinder and V6 engine, coupled to a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual. It offered excellent handling compared to its competition, and with the V6 engine and five-speed transmission was very fast. The V6 was generally less reliable than the four-cylinder, and automatic transmission problems are common as these cars near ten years old. The Mystique was facelifted for 1998 with a newer grille, revised interior, larger head lamps, side Mercury emblems on the rear 1/4 windows, and a new rear facia.
A major downside of the Mystique was its lack of rear legroom, bested by smaller cars such as the Honda Civic. The main reason why the Mystique failed was because its size was too close to the Mercury Tracer, but its price was too close to the mid-sized Mercury Sable, so many customers were willing to just pay the extra money to get a boost in space and comfort by buying the Sable[citation needed].
[edit] Replacements
There was no successor in the United States, although its international cousin, the Ford Mondeo is still in production worldwide. In Canada and Mexico, where the Mercury brand had been phased out, the Mystique (as well as the Contour and Escort) were replaced by the Ford Focus [2]. Only the Mercury Milan (introduced in 2006) could be considered a viable American replacement for the Mystique, and is proving much more popular and more reliable.
[edit] Awards
The Mystique was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1995 through 1997.
[edit] External links
| Mercury | Category | Vehicles | | ||
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| Mercury road vehicle timeline, 1980s-present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Subcompact | Bobcat | Lynx | Tracer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compact | Zephyr | Topaz | Mystique | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size | Cougar | Marquis | Sable | Milan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Marquis | Grand Marquis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colony Park | Marauder | Montego | Sable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports car | Cougar | Cougar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crossover SUV | Mariner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUV | Mountaineer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minivan | Villager | Monterey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
