Description: Mid-Size Near-Luxury Sedan
Base MSRP Range: $24,430 - $28,730
Invoice Price Range: $22,532 - $26,402
Where built: USA

Mercury's premium sedan has the body of a mid-size model but the cabin of a big car with seats for five plus luxury gear and an enormous trunk with large-car capacity. Montego shares DNA with Ford's Five Hundred, as the architecture for both vehicles comes from Volvo with a variable-size platform.

Ford's Duratec 3.0-liter V6 engine fuels Montego with 203 hp and there are options for a continuously variable transmission (CVT) from ZF-Batavia or a six-speed automatic by Aisin. All-wheel-drive (AWD) traction goes on Montego's list of options, as do side air bags for front seats and Ford's Safety Canopy curtain-style air bags.

Mercury splits Montego into two grades -- Premier and Luxury. New options for 2006 include a backseat DVD video player and a dashboard navigation system, plus new paint shades like Satellite Silver Clearcoat Metallic and Dark Blue Pearl Clearcoat Metallic.

New models in the 2006 line of Mercury, from the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motor Company, multiply with the addition of two new nameplates. Milan is a fresh mid-size sedan for Mercury with premium equipment and two powertrain choices, while Mariner the crossover sport-utility vehicle spins off a gas-electric version sporting the badge of Mariner Hybrid.