2007 Mercury Monterey Review

The Mercury Monterey is a minivan that is very similar to a Ford Freestar, but with a higher level of equipment and some Mercury styling cues.  The Monterey offers luxury touches such as a dual climate control system, wood-and-leather steering wheel with built-in cruise and audio controls, and power adjustable pedals.  The Monterey's safety is excellent, it stands out with its three-row Safety Canopy airbag system designed to offer head protection for passengers in all three rows, an occupant-sensing front-passenger airbag, and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes.  The optional AdvanceTrac stability control with traction control and panic Brake Assist can help the driver maintain control.  With a reinforced structure to absorb offset frontal impacts, Monterey earned the highest possible score (five stars) in government frontal crash tests.   Six new exterior colors are the only changes for 2007.

2007 Trim Levels

The 2007 Mercury Monterey comes in only one trim level, the well-equipped Luxury edition, previously the designation for the mid-level version of the Monterey.  Interior equipment includes first- and second-row captain's chair seats, and a cloth-trimmed third-row seat that folds flat into the floor or tilts back to form a convenient tail-gate spectator seat. Cloth upholstery is standard. Also standard: dual-zone air conditioning, tilt leather and wood-trimmed steering wheel with cruise and audio controls, a six-way adjustable driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, power-adjustable pedals with memory, power sliding doors, third-row reading lamps and roof rails. Securilock anti-theft system, overhead and front floor consoles with storage, and a park assist system that works going forward as well as in reverse are also standard.

Monterey Powertrain

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.

Driving a Monterey

 
Though it's not as trucklike as the old Ford Windstar, the Monterey still leans further in that direction than most minivans. Acceleration is adequately energetic, and the automatic transmission operates well. 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.   Maneuverability isn't bad.  Ride comfort trails some rivals but ranks as acceptable.

Cabin Features

Given Monterey's luxury aspirations, its seats could be more comfortable. The front seats are like bar stools, with narrow bottoms that lack side support. However, they do offer the option of cooling and heating, a nice feature on hot summer afternoons and cold winter mornings. The Mercury Monterey features the same interior as the Ford Freestar, but with more upscale materials. The focal point of the interior is a watch-like clock in the middle of the center dash. Both wood and bright-metal accents add richness.  Heating and air conditioning controls offer three zones of control (driver, front passenger, and rear) to tailor the temperature for your individual passengers. The rear A/C works well and can be a critical feature for kids and pets on hot days. The audio controls work fine, but don't exude quality.  The Monterey seats seven: two in front, two in the second row, and three in the third row. Like the front seats, the second-row captain's chairs are narrow and lack support, but there's plenty of room for two adults. The third-row bench seat works for pipsqueaks, but its short seat height makes it cramped for teenagers.  Getting to the third row is relatively easy.  The second-row seatbacks can be folded with one hand, which makes life easier when loading stuff in back.  The Monterey offers plenty of room for cargo. Even when all seats are in place for seven passengers, there's 31.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. A well behind the third row helps corral grocery bags or loose odds and ends. The second-row seats don't disappear into the floor, but do flip up to create more cargo room. They fold and tumble forward like those on the Mountaineer, for easy access to the third row or to create even more cargo room.  The Monterey has lots of storage for odds and ends, from bins in the rear sliding doors for books and toys to double map pockets in the front doors. A covered storage compartment on top of the dash is a good spot for cell phones and other small items. Cup holders abound, including front door holders for 20-ounce bottles. A sturdy, convenient cup holder folds down from the side of each of the second-row seats. If kicked, as they likely will be, they snap back into their storage position against the seats.

Mercury Monterey

The Mercury Monterey is a traditionally styled minivan that blends in with the scenery. Most of its bodywork is shared with the Ford Freestar. The vertically textured waterfall grille and more restrained headlamps distinguish the Mercury and suggest a family resemblance to the bolder Mountaineer sport-utility.  Turn-signal repeaters in the outside mirrors are a nice feature, helping to warn other motorists of your intentions, which can be particularly helpful when someone is in your blind spot.  One unusual design feature is the way the front side windows lower below the inside portion of the door trim; when the window is fully down, the inner door panel sticks up above at a comfortable armrest height.

Safety

Safety features that come standard include an occupant-sensing front passenger air bag, Safety Canopy curtain and side-impact air bags, perimeter anti-theft system, and heated power-adjustable side mirrors with built-in turn/warning signals. AdvanceTrac electronic stability control with Brake Assist and Traction Control is optional. Self-sealing tires are also available.


The Mercury Monterey is an excellent minivan.  Although it shares much in common with the Ford Freestar, a Monterey with all of its standard fare could represent a better value than a Freestar that has to be loaded up with options. Furthermore, Mercury offers features that the Freestar does not, including a seat-cooling system and perforated suede upholstery in the first and second rows.  With its high standards for safety, the Monterey makes a great choice for a family vehicle.  The 2007 Monterey gets an EPA Fuel Economy of 17 mpg City, and 23 mpg Highway. For more detailed specifications, read another used Mercury Monterey review.