If you want one, grab it now. Mercury has announced that it will no longer make the Monterey minivan - or any minivan for that matter. This Ford Freestar-based family shuttle has just not been selling, and it's time to call it a day. There was not much point in updating its somewhat stale style, so the Monterey has looked really the same throughout its three-year existence. While the Monterey looks like the Freestar on the outside, it's a slightly better bet inside, with a richer feel and the added aesthetic pleasure of Mercury's favored satin-aluminum trim. Standard equipment, such as the fore and aft obstacle detection system, puts it on the plush side. Available in just one well-equipped trim, the Monterey is the only minivan in which heated and cooled seats are available. It also boasts the most advanced side-impact airbags in its class. Despite the vehicle's imminent demise, Mercury makes it available in six new colors this year. They also improved its quietness and lowered the vibration factor of the 4.2-liter V6, making the ride more pleasant. Speaking of that V6, it provides power but saps fuel economy, leaving the Monterey with EPA ratings of 17 city and 23 highway. Still, the minivan has garnered better than average reviews, and its results in government crash-testing are stellar. The problem is that there are several excellent competitors out there (you got it: the ones from Japan), and those seem to be winning when it comes to what is important: sales.