1997 Mercury Mystique Review
1997 Mercury Mystique Review
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Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Fun-to-drive, German-engineered Mercury offers great bang-for-the-buck. Either of the Mystique's powerplant work well with the 5-speed manual transmission, but the 2.5-liter Duratec is the one you'll want if you need to do much high-speed freeway driving.
Cons
- The tires on the GS are inadequate for this car's otherwise excellent handling capabilities. The rear seat is not big enough to hold two full-size adults comfortably.
What’s new
The addition of a Spree Package for the GS model and the inclusion of a tilt steering wheel and standard trunk light are the only changes for the 1997 Mystique.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 1997 Mercury Mystique 4dr Sedan and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$168/mo for Mystique Base
Mystique Base
vs
$176/mo
Avg. Midsize Car
Vehicle overview
Ford Motor Company spent six billion dollars developing the Mercury Mystique/Ford Contour "world cars," designed to be the best compacts in every market in which they were sold. The program tested FoMoCo's ability to utilize all of its worldwide resources to create a car that would streamline production, thereby slicing overhead and building bigger profits.
Who cares? The result is the Mercury Mystique, and for the average amount of a typical car purchase in the United States today, you can get one loaded up with equipment, with performance and road feel you never would have expected from a sedan made in America. Actually, the road manners of the new Mystiqueare no mystery, given that Ford of Europe did the development work on this car.
The GS and LS are both available with a 24-valve, twin-cam, 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter V6 engine that doesn't require a tune-up until the 100,000-mile mark. Also available on both models are big tires mounted on alloy wheels, and antilock brakes. Load up the LS model with air conditioning, power windows and locks, moonroof, cruise, traction control, leather seats and a CD player with premium sound and the sticker stays under $22,000, with lots of room for negotiation. The Mystique GS and LS come standard with a four-cylinder engine, and are surprisingly zippy when mated to the manual transmission.
Much has been made in the automotive press about the Mystique's rear seat, and after spending a week with one, we found ourselves wishing for more room. Acceptable only for quick trips to the grocery store, the Mystique's rear bench will squeeze most adults. The front seats in the Mystique are great, offering plenty of room and very good support; not what one would expect in an American compact.
In the last two years, the Mystique has won plenty of awards and has received great press from automotive critics. Thus, the 1997 Mystique offers very minor changes. The most notable is the newly optional Spree Package which transforms the plain-vanilla GS model into attractive sport sedan with the addition of fog lights, aluminum wheels, and a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.
The Mystique looks good and handles like higher-priced German sedans. The body structure is stiff, and the ergonomically correct instrument panel features legible dials and well-placed controls. We really like the way the Contour feels, but for people who need more interior room the Dodge Stratus offers a convincing argument to shop around before buying.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 1997 Mercury Mystique.
5 star(38%)
4 star(34%)
3 star(22%)
2 star(3%)
1 star(3%)
32 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
1.75 out of 5 stars
would NEVER own another!
Tim, 09/04/2009
1996 Mercury Mystique GS 4dr Sedan
My 96 has cost me over $8,000 to fix! Includes transmission, engine, timing belt pulleys, and cv joints! If you want to buy a new car, stay away from mystiques.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Thought it was a good buy
EPierce, 02/15/2006
1997 Mercury Mystique LS 4dr Sedan
Bought used with 50,000 miles. Looked to be in goods shape. In less than a year had to replace the water pump (plastic impeller broke in two), power steering pump, puller idler arm, and some vacuum hoses. Now transmission is making noises and idle problem has cropped up that no one can find. Not my idea of reliability. Have cars with double the mileage with less problems.
5 out of 5 stars
Dont Listen To the Negatives People
Kevin Landy, 12/17/2003
1997 Mercury Mystique GS 4dr Sedan
I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT THIS VEHICLE
IS OVERALL WONDERFUL. MY MYSTIQUE IS
IN PEARL WHITE WITH A KEYLESS ENTRY,
SUNROOF, ALL POWER OPTIONS, AND IS
EQUIPPED WITHT HE SPREE PACKAGE. I
BELIEVE THAT THIS 4CYL IS ONE OF THE
MOST TOUGHEST 4 BANGERS AROUND
ESPCIALLY HAVIN A DOHC INSTEAD OF A
SHOC. PASSING MANUEVERS ARE NOT BAD,
THROTTLE RESPONSE IS SATISFYING, GAS
MILEAGE IS … VERY GOOD, AN HAS ONE OF
THE SMOOTHEST RIDES A 4 BANGER CAN
OFFER. BELIEVE ME PEOPLE I KNOW MY
VEHICLES AND IM TELLIN YA IF YOUR LOOK
FOR A REAL NICE CAR, BEAUTIFUL
FEATURE,HAS GOOD POWER, GOOD GAS
MILEAGE, AND GREAT RELIABILITY. THE
MYSTIQUE IS FOR U.
3.38 out of 5 stars
Now I understand the joke about Fords
rebecca.shrode@bovis, 01/05/2004
1996 Mercury Mystique LS 4dr Sedan
This car was very reliable until I got
a recall w/ a valve that has to do with
emissions. It just constantly broke
down every other month. I dumped about
$6,700 into it until I got fed up and
bought a new car. That by the way is a
Pontiac. This was absolutely the worst
car I ever owned and I owned 3 before
this one. I always buy used and never
experienced so many … problems as this
car had. It was a LEMON!!!!!!!!!
We have a limited number of reviews for the 1997 Mercury Mystique, so we've included reviews for other years of the Mystique since its last redesign.
1997 Mystique Highlights
Base
Engine Type | Gas |
---|---|
Combined MPG | 24 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $168/month |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 13.9 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver5 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver3 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRolloverNot RatedDynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalPoor
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
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