The Monterey, like the Ford Freestar, barely looks any different from the Windstar. In fact, the only exterior parts that are new from the Windstar to the Freestar are the hood, grille and headlamps, front fenders and rear liftgate. The only parts unique to the Monterey from the Freestar are the grille, which resembles that of the Mercury Mountaineer sport-utility, and the headlamps.

The one distinguishing feature of the Monterey is unusual. The front side windows lower below the inside portion of the door trim so when the window is fully down, the sill protrudes up. Designers say it was done to create an armrest of a comfortable height.