- sedan 91,193
- Houston, TX
- 5 years
- autoshopper.com
- sedan 91,193 gasoline blue automatic
2006 mercury montego review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Roomy sedan with all-wheel drive. introductionthe mercury montego is a big sedan with a roomy, luxurious cabin, premium features and trim, and a smooth, comfortable ride. While technically a midsize car, it's on the large side of that scale and boasts a a high seating position and lots of legroom for both front and rear passengers. the montego is powered by a 203-hp v6. Front-wheel drive is standard. All-wheel drive is available for improved traction and handling in adverse conditions. The montego was carefully engineered to protect occupants in the event of an accident. Inspired by the ubiquitous sport utility vehicle, the montego gives the driver a relatively high seating position and, consequently, excellent outward vision. its all-aluminum v6 engine features drive-by-wire electronic throttle control and is complemented by a six-speed automatic transmission that shifts smoothly and always seems to choose the right gear for the driving situation. The all-wheel-drive models come with a continuously variable transmission (cvt) that's smooth and responsive and enhances fuel efficiency. the steering and suspension are european in feel, offering quick response and minimal lean in corners. The brakes are excellent, responding quickly when the pedal is pressed and slowing the car quickly when necessary. Anti-lock brakes are standard on all montegos, and all-speed traction control is standard on all but the base, front-drive model, where it's a no-cost option. montego excels in passive safety as well. Its basic structure was designed by volvo, a company that built its reputation on safety before safety was fashionable. Add to that ford motor company's personal safety system, which means that the inflation rate for the dual-stage front airbags is managed by a crash severity sensor and a weight sensor for the front-seat passenger. Side-impact and canopy-style airbags are optional. Thus equipped, montego has earned top five-star ratings in frontal and side-impact crash testing by the federal government, and was named a best pick by the insurance institute for highway safety for frontal crash performance. lineupthe 2006 mercury montego is powered by a 3. 0-liter v6 engine with 24 valves. Two trim levels are available, luxury and premier. front-wheel drive (fwd) and all-wheel drive (awd) are available for both trim levels. A six-speed automatic transmission comes on front-drive models. All-speed traction control is standard with awd and optional (at no cost) with fwd. Cloth upholstery is standard; leather is optional 895). Power-adjustable pedals are available on late-2006 models. premier fwd 26,880) and awd 28,730) feature leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power passenger seat, a memory function for the power seats, mirrors and adjustable pedals, a leather-wrapped shift knob, overhead console with homelink, wood grain interior appliques, remote perimeter lighting, a 6cd changer and subwoofer, a trunk cargo net, and 18-inch 15-spoke alloy wheels. Traction control is standard with both fwd and awd. A new navigation system is available for 2006 premier models. options include a power glass sunroof 895); rear park assist 250); a rear-seat dvd entertainment system (new for 2006), and a safety package combining side-impact and side-curtain air bags with a rollover sensor 595). Mercury styling cues, such as the waterfall-style grille and led tail lamps with metal crossbars, do a good job of distinguishing the montego from the ford five hundred, which shares its structure and most hardware. The mercury manages to look at once more crisp and more heavy, while the ford looks softer and lighter. otherwise, the montego shares its general appearance with the five hundred. Their proportions of metal to glass are similar to that of audi sedans, and the overall shape is not unlike that of the volkswagen passat. The montego is tall for a modern sedan, a design influenced by suvs. high-intensity discharge headlamps are standard, as are large and bright tail lamps. The luxury model comes with 17-inch alloy wheels while the premium gets 18-inch alloy wheels, not just for looks but also for better brake cooling. safety was a top priority in montego's design. In awd models, even the central driveshaft collapses to protect montego's occupants by absorbing crash energy. The montego was designed to meet tough future standards for rear-end impacts. interiorinside is where the mercury montego shines, in several ways. It's among the roomiest of family sedans with 108. 3 cubic feet of interior room. The back seats are notably roomy and lead the category in headroom and knee room. Mercury says that the montego has more interior space than competitive vehicles that are up to seven inches longer. its trunk, at 21. 2 cubic feet, is also the largest in its class (aided by a space-saver spare tire). Both rear seats and the front passenger seat can be made to fold down, extending the useful cargo area of the montego to station wagon proportions. The beefy steering wheel looks like it came from an auto-show dream truck, with more buttons than ever for added convenience, easier operation of the cruise control, and more audio functions. Satin-aluminum cuffs accent the spokes on all 2006 models, making the wheel look more substantial. Other suv design cues include the overhead console and the big brow shading the instruments. The luxury model comes with a straight-grain wood trim, while the premium gets burled wood trim. The instruments are easy to read and the controls are easy and quick to use. the driving position in the montego is pleasantly high off the ground, affording excellent driver visibility. Visually, they are a bit of a throwback, blocky and plain in appearance. But they are also large, plush and supportive. The rear seats are set up higher still so that rear-seat passengers can see out without craning. driving impressionon the road, the mercury montego is smooth and quiet. Its duratec 3. 0-liter v6 works well with its wide-ratio, six-speed automatic. The transmission always seemed to match the right gear with the driving situation, and was extremely smooth and quiet in operation. The cvt version also performed well, thanks to low final-drive gearing and computer-optimized ratio changes. rated just 203 horsepower, the montego looks weak compared to the japanese and korean competition, which reach up as high as 270 horsepower, but it tops the 190-hp v6 that's standard in the comparably priced chrysler 300. (the highly publicized hemi-powered 300c costs nearly $10,000 more.) fuel economy is an epa-estimated 21/29 mpg city/highway for front-drive models, while awd models are rated at 19/26 mpg. the montego handles well on smooth roads at a moderate pace. It's a big car, however, and doesn't do as well when driven hard on bumpy, winding roads where it starts to protest by bobbing around a bit. The suspension, a modified version of the volvo xc90 setup, performed just fine on smooth and medium-bumpy road surfaces, working with the stiff body and chassis to keep noise to a minimum. The rear suspension, located far outboard, kept the montego hunkered down. the all-wheel-drive system uses electronic controls to achieve optimum performance whether on dry, wet or snow-covered roads. Normally, only the front wheels are driven. But when an electro-hydraulic limited-slip coupling senses a difference in speed between the front wheels and rear wheels, it can distribute up to 100 percent of the driving torque to the rear. the brakes are excellent for a car of this size and weight. The react quickly to pedal input, the pedal travel is short, and quick deceleration follows. The aluminum disc brakes on montego are large, designed.
Houston, TXHouston, TX 5 years at autoshopper.com