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Mercury Mystique




  name Mercury Mystique
  manufacturer Ford Motor Company
  production 1995 - 2000
  class Mid-size
  body Style 4-door Sedan
  predecessor Mercury Topaz
  successor Mercury Milan
  similar Chrysler Cirrus <br> Nissan Altima <br> Oldsmobile Cutlass <br> Toyota Camry
  related Ford Contour


The Mercury Mystique was the Mercury version of the North American Ford Contour and the international Ford Mondeo . It was made for the 1995 model year, replacing the Mercury Topaz .

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 and its short life led to an inside-Ford 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.

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 transmission problems are common as these cars near ten years old.

There was no successor in North America , although its international cousin, the Ford Mondeo is still in production worldwide. For 2006 , Mercury received an upgraded version of the mid-size Ford Fusion called the Mercury Milan .

A major downside of the Mystique was its lack of rear legroom, bested by smaller cars such as the Honda Civic. Many people believe the 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.


AWARDS


The Mystique was on '' Car And Driver '' magazine's Ten Best List for 1995 through 1997.


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