Mercury Mystique

The Mercury Mystique was a compact sedan produced by Mercury, from 1995 to 2000. It was available for the 1995 model year, replacing the Mercury Topaz. The Topaz was available as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan, whereas the Mystique was four-door sedan only. The Topaz sold far better than the Mystique. Mystiques were built in Kanas City, Missouri and Cuautitian Mexico. The Mercury Mystique went into production on Monday August 15, 1994 and went out on Thursday December 23, 1999. Poor customer acceptance, various mechanical problems, such as constant stalling that baffled technicians and its short life led to the nickname the "Mercury Mistake". It was available with a I4 or V6 Engine. Coupled to a 4 Speed Automatic or 5 Speed Manual Transmissions. It offered excellent handling compared to its competetion, and with the V6 and 5 Speed transmission it was very fast. Of course the V6 was generally less reliable than the I4. In 1998 the Mystique was facelifted with a new grille, revised interior, larger headlamps, side Mercury Logos on the rear 1/4 window, and a new rear fasia. A major downside of the Mystique was its lack of rear legroom, bested by smaller cars. The main reason why the Mystique failed was because its size was too close to the Mercury Tracer, while its price was too close to the larger Mercury Sable. Many customers were willing to pay the extra money to get a boost in space and comfort by buying the Sable.