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The Mercury Mystique is like a middle child: It doesn’t get the sameattention as those around it.

Mystique is an apt name for Mercury’s compact, front-wheel-drive sedan. Itsparent, the Ford Motor Co., says so little about its Mercury offspring thatthere’s an air of mystery about it.

Mystique is the fraternal twin of the compact, front-wheel-drive FordContour sedan. Ford promotes the compact Contour but mentions the Mystiqueonly in passing.

Ford also heralds the Ford Taurus, but treats the Mercury Sable as anorphan. Ford sings the praises of the Ford Escort, but other than carsalesmen, there probably aren’t five people who remember the name of theMercury companion . . . Tracer.

We tested the 1998 Mercury Mystique LS, now arriving in showrooms, at amedia preview here. The LS is the direct kin to the Ford Contour SE (Cartalk,May 11).

Thanks to different styling, Mystique bares a family resemblance butdoesn’t come across as a mirror image.

Mystique, like Contour, has been redesigned to look a lot like a miniatureSable, just like Contour looks like a Taurus without the fat grams.

The 1998 Mystique hood sports numerous crease lines for a more formalappearance. The grille features vertical bars that give it a bit of theLincoln look, which means it also looks a little like an Infiniti.

Mystique also was given a mechanical update to reduce engine noisefiltering into that cabin. Added door and sunroof seals reduce noise as well.The quieter a car operates, the better it seems to perform.

The steering system was tweaked for better online feel as well as quicker,more precise response to driver input.

The commotion from the base 2-liter engine also has been reduced by addingreinforcements to reduce vibration, and the 5-speed manual transmission wasstroked to provide smoother shifts without balkiness or jerkiness when movingfrom the light.

But the base 2-liter and 5-speed manual is not the choice for Mystique orContour. Stick with the 2.5-liter, 170-horsepower, 24-valve V-6 for fairlyspirited yet quiet operation with a respectable mileage rating of 21 miles pergallon in the city and 30 m.p.g. on the highway.

One problem neither Mystique nor Contour has resolved is rear-seatheadroom. It’s still tight. But like Contour was meant to replace Tempo,Mystique was meant to replace Topaz and not Sable, so you can’t expectlarger-car spaciousness in a compact. Of course, it would be nice to travelwithout banging your noggin on the rear window or roof even if you were in acement mixer.

Though Mystique and Contour share a family heritage, Mystique comes acrossas more formal, a little more luxurious than Contour, which takes on the roleof the performance member of the compact duo as evidenced by the fact Fordoffers a spirited, 195-h.p. Contour SVT with sports suspension but no suchMystique model.

Mystique is geared more toward refined ride an d handling. The suspensiondoes a good job of gripping the road and minimizing harshness transmittedthrough the seats and wheel, but it’s not as firm as Contour’s and will forceyou to take wider swings in corners and turns.

Mystique is aimed at a slightly older driver who wants to sit back andcruise comfortably rather than sit up and drive aggressively as in Contour.

Mystique and Contour feature the same 2.5-liter, 24-valve V-6, a quiet unitwith ample power, though you will want to disengage overdrive when needing thepower to quickly pull out to pass.

Two air bags are appreciated, but anti-lock brakes as a $600 option is not.How often will you use ABS? If only once, the $600 will pay for itself in bodywork alone. Ford makes it an option to keep the advertised price low.

Noteworthy items include dual cupholders in front of the center console, asingle cupholder at the back of the console for rear-seat passengers; a tinycoinholder in the top of the dash ; rather spacious trunk; a seat-back reclinelever that replaces the temperamental dial; a woodgrain instrument panel; andslightly fancier headlamps and wheel covers to further set it off fromContour.

Noteworthy quirks include a rubber mat lining in the console tray thatmakes it virtually impossible to pick up coins because the rubber grips thecoins like Super Glue; the absence of an arrow–available on other Fordproducts–in the instrument panel to show which side the fuel filler door ison; a panic button that wails if you press the alarm on the key fob to thwartstrangers, but a button that can be pressed accidentally when slipping the fobin your pocket; and door handles that protrude too far into the cabin, robbinghip room.

The Mystique LS we tested starts at $17,270. You can option it up close toSable level, around $20,000, if not careful.

>>1998 Mercury Mystique LS Wheelbase: 106.5 inchesLength: 184.7 inchesEngine: 2.5-liter, 170-h.p. V-6Transmission: 4-speed automaticEPA mileage: 21 m.p.g. city/30 m.p.g. highwayBase price: $17,270Price as tested: $20,205. Includes $1,875 for preferred-equipment package381A with air conditioning, power locks and windows, remote keyless entry,speed control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 15-inch alloy wheels and powerantenna; $815 for automatic transmission; and $245 for deck-lid spoiler. Add$535 for freight.Pluses: V-6 is peppy (especially with overdrive disengaged), yet quiet.Dual air bags standard. Roomy, comfortable, pleasantly designed cloth seats.Good trunk space. Adequate ride and handling with contribution from 15 inchtires. Feels and acts more formal than its Contour performance sibling. You’llwant to add the $595 power moonroof.Minuses: ABS a $600 option. Like Contour, hasn’t solved rear-seat headroomwoes, and there’s no traction control. Feels and acts more formal than itsContour performance sibling.>>