Orlando Sentinel's view

Most people probably would want to get out of a car after an eight-hour, 450-mile road trip.

Not me – at least not when the car is the Mercury Mystique.

I drove a beautiful red Mystique LS sports sedan from Atlanta to Orlando, and when the trip was over, I wanted to drive it some more. So I did, logging another hour driving it over some of Orlando’s roughest roads.

Then over the next few days I put another 250 miles on it.

I can’t remember being more impressed with a car.

The Mystique is far and away a world-class automobile. I think it’s the best vehicle in its segment and easily the finest American car I’ve ever driven.

And it should be. After all, Ford spent $6 billion developing the Mystique and its two cousins, the Ford Contour and the European Ford Mondeo.

For that amount of money, Ford didn’t have to cut any corners or make any compromises.

When I test a car, I go over it thoroughly, and I don’t cut it much slack. About the only thing I discovered about the Mystique that may warrant further attention are the pop-out cupholders. They can’t hold larger drink containers.

To me the car is perfect or close to it in every other area.

Smooth, quiet and powerful, the Mystique’s no-maintenance 165-horsepower V-6 delivers delightful performance. Ford engineers say the V-6 won’t need a tune-up or any other maintenance, except fluid and filter changes, for 100,000 miles.

The four-speed automatic in our test car offered a level of refinement previously unavailable in this class of car.

For instance, the driver will feel absolutely nothing as he downshifts from fourth to third at 65 mph. In most other cars, you’ll feel a gentle nudge as the transmission shifts. In the Mystique, only the movement of the tachometer needle tells you what is going on under the hood.

On the road, the Mystique turned in 26 mpg on the highway and went an impressive 350 miles between fill-ups. In city driving, the Mystique got 21 mpg.

When you are driving at 65 mph with the radio off, the experience is very much like being in an electric car. You hear nothing but the gentle buffeting of the wind as it gusts over the top of the car.

The stylish leather seats are without peer for a mid-size car. They are firm and supportive, and offer electric adjustments and a headrest that tilts. They are clearly better than anything available in the competitive cars.

If all that sounds impressive, you’ll be amazed further at how well this car handles.

The power rack-and-pinion steering is lively, tight and responsive. It has an excellent weighted feel to it. The four-wheel power disc brakes, which are outfitted with an advanced anti-lock system, are as good as you would find on a powerful BMW sports sedan.

The four-wheel independent suspension system provides a ride that is moderately soft but very sporty. The body will not lean in aggressive cornering. And the suspension system will not pu nish you with excessive noise or jarring bumps as you drive over rough roads.

Interior sets Mystique apart

The interior duplicates the cozy feel of the Japanese imports, but it does so with a level of style and an attention to detail that no other car I’ve driven in this class can match.

I like the curvaceous dash and the attractive controls and instruments. This is what gives the Mystique its personality and this is what makes the car feel special. It’s a cut above such cars as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Maxima.

Our test car, a pre-production vehicle built to test the assembly line and the final fit and finish of the parts, didn’t come with an owners manual. But I didn’t need one.

Three knobs control the air-conditioning system. All other switches and buttons were cleanly labeled, placed within easy reach and simple to operate.

Switches and buttons are lighted for easy use at night. Even the rotary headlight switch and the in erior door handles are lighted.

I let three other people drive this car. T hey settled in quickly and felt at ease right away with the size, style and layout of the interior.

Even when equipped with the optional power moonroof, there’s plenty of headroom for six-footers.

The trunk is simply cavernous, and because the lid extends down to the bumper, loading heavy items should be easy.

The Mystique is likely to start somewhere around the $14,100 price range. Our test car, which had every option except traction control, likely will cost about $18,000 or so.

Even at that price, the Mystique is a steal compared with the imports.

Keith Magee, general manager of the Lincoln-Mercury Division, thinks the Mystique will become Mercury’s best-selling car.

He may be right.

After five years of test-driving cars, the Mystique is the only mid-size car I’ve ever driven that I like better than my own.