Sometimes I'm really surprised at which vehicles elicit the most comments. A sedate sedan like the Mercury Montego certainly didn't create a blip on my radar for possible controversy or even care. Today we're going to take a close look at the interior of the Montego that is currently in the Autoblog Garage. For those who wanted the sticker information and plenty of images, please click below.
2005 Mercury Montego Premier AWD
3.0L 4V V6 Duratec Engine
CVT Transmission
Light French Silk Exterior
Pebble Leather Interior
MPG: 19/26 city/hwy
Base Price: $28,245
Optional Equipment
Power Moonroof $895
Safety Package $595
Reverse Sensing Sytem $250
Total MSRP: $30,635
AWD is an $1800 upgrade.
Now the first thing I noticed that didn?t make any sense with the Montego?s interior was the combination of dark gray faux surfaces with tan and beige everywhere else. These surfaces should be some shade of brown (that would imitate real wood) to compliment the other colors. This is a glaring contrast that is unattractive and hopefully not a standard combination.
The plastic is everywhere and is coarse to the touch. On the side of the center console, where you must buckle your seat belt, it scrapes the back of your knuckles every time you snap yourself in. This is one of those attributes that could drive owners nuts.
Another glaring sore thumb is the interior door handle. Could it be anymore out of place and cheap looking? The handle itself has a nice weight and feel but this generic handle hampers the Mustang as well as the Montego. Aren?t these vehicles high volume enough to warrant their own unique handles?
The only relief on the eyes are the gauges and the center stack. Unlike some commenters, I really like the new Ford/Mercury stereo system and environmental controls. All the buttons, throughout the car, have a nice weight and touch to them as well. The gauges are a big upgrade and add that bit of class, for which, Mercury was aiming.
While the leather isn?t horrible, it certainly isn?t of a high quality. The Mustang?s (I?m using it as the most recent Ford product I?ve tested) is actually much nicer, and perhaps the company could have shared those bits instead of the door handles. The steering wheel feels cheap in the hands with the exception of the buttons for cruise control, stereo, trip info etc (again high quality).
Hopefully, this thorough rundown of the interior, and all these pictures, validates my thoughts from yesterday.
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