Overview & Reviews

Mercury was a division of Ford Motor Company marketed as being somewhat more upscale than Ford. Throughout the latter part of its 71-year history, Mercury's vehicles were essentially Fords with unique styling details and special features meant to enhance their desirability relative to similar Ford products.

It all started in the 1930s, when Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, saw an opportunity to create an additional brand within the Ford hierarchy, one that would exist between the everyman Ford Deluxes and premium Lincoln Zephyrs. To achieve this, Edsel felt the vehicles of this new brand should offer distinctive styling along with innovative features and better capabilities. He named the new division "Mercury," after the Roman mythological god. The 1939 Mercury Eight was the division's first car. It distinguished itself from similar Ford products via a 95-horsepower engine that offered 10 more horses than the Ford V8.

The Eight proved to be a hit, with more than 155,000 sold by the early 1940s. Production stopped during World War II; after the war, the brand was realigned more closely with Lincoln. The company grew from strength to strength in the '50s, establishing itself as a maker of vehicles offering style, performance and cutting-edge technology. A dash of glamour was added to the automaker's image when James Dean appeared onscreen in a Mercury in the film Rebel Without a Cause.

The 1960s saw the introduction of Mercury's Comet and Meteor vehicles. The Comet featured diminutive dimensions and luxury accoutrements, while the Meteor was a midsize family car that followed the trend toward more reasonably sized cars. Racetrack wins boosted awareness of the Comet and helped the model make a big splash in terms of sales. By the end of the decade, the iconic Mercury Cougar, a variation of the Mustang, had been rolled out, its Eliminator version taking its place in the pantheon of legendary early muscle cars.

Hit hard by that decade's oil crisis, consumers during the 1970s were hungry for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Mercury responded with a new, smaller Comet and the Bobcat, the former a fancier version of the Ford Maverick, the latter a fancier version of the Ford Pinto. The brand's sales grew during a decade that was filled with turbulence and uncertainty for many competing marques. Mercury further expanded its lineup in the '80s, this time including the small, Ford Escort-based Lynx. Mercury enjoyed success with the 1986 launch of the Sable, a fraternal twin to the Ford Taurus whose sleek, aerodynamic lines and futuristic "light bar" front end styling set it apart from the Ford.

Mercury's sales hit an all-time high during the 1990s that would never again be matched. Minivans and SUVs were a big reason for that as Mercury introduced its Villager minivan and Mountaineer SUV. Late that decade it introduced a new Cougar, which differed from its predecessors by being a front-drive sport compact that also holds the distinction of being the last Mercury that wasn't a rebadged Ford.

The years following the new millennium were challenging for the brand, as changing consumer tastes and a lack of differentiation between Mercury and Ford vehicles hurt sales. Pundits often proclaimed the end of Mercury was near, but Ford kept stating it would keep Mercury around despite offering no hope for any unique future vehicles from the brand. Finally in 2010, Ford pulled the plug on Mercury, putting an end to more than 70 years of car-making heritage.

User Reviews:

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  Dog on the highway. - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By lugnutzz - May 4 - 9:08 pm

  Bought this van thinking that i might get better gas mileage than my old Olds Sihlouette. Boy was I wrong. 18 on the highway, 14 in the city. I thought a tune up would help... Nope. did it myself the first time and figured I messed something up. Took it to a reputable shop and had them do it... nope. Took it on a long trip. Great on the straightaways, but if you climb a hill, you have fully loaded tractor trailers up your butt trying to pass you. Also have had to replace the knock sensor TWICE. Having said that, this is the most comfortable car I have ever had. Bells and whistles work great and cargo is good.

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  Lost love - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By gmarch - April 29 - 1:28 pm

  I have always been a Ford man and I loved my Milan Premier until recently. In the last three thousand miles (after it hit 50K miles) I had some kind of solenoid, a tail light, a throttle body, and a battery go bad, all common problems with this car. The one that really killed me was the tail light. Instead of replacing a bulb I had to replace the whole light assembly for $400. What kind of engineering is that? I am so turned off with Ford (and all American engineered cars).

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  Great Value - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By nvbanker - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Having now 26,000 miles on the clock and 2.5 years into ownership, Im impressed at how the MM is holding up. This was one of the first 2002s made and was actually acquired in May of 2001. It has amazing A/C, is the perfect size, the fold flat 3rd row seat and independent rear suspension are class leading, were industry leading at the time. Reliability has been flawless.

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  Realistic review - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By arlene capeluto - April 28 - 3:03 pm

  Car is comfortable in very good condition. I drove around town did my errands and it never let me down. I had no problems with it. Now I just want a new car. It is a dark blue with a blue interior the upholstery is in good condition, the radio works good and so does the airconditioning. It is easy to look out in all directions. The tires are in good shape and it heats up quickly in the winter. It is comfortable for passengers. I have liked owning this car it has been good to me. The pick up is good and it stops easily. I think it would make a good family car. There is a small oil leak and that is the only negative I believe. I hope who ever gets it, has as good luck with it as I did.

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  A Pleasant Surprise - 2009 Mercury Sable
  By MDNC - April 26 - 6:40 am

  Ill admit, the Mercury Sable wasnt even on my radar screen. Id fallen in love with the Lincoln MKZ and was shopping for a late model used one. In doing my research I ran across quite a number of very low mileage 2009 Mercury Sable Premier program cars. I liked the Lincoln a lot but the Mercury impressed me even more. Its a large car with great passenger and trunk space, it has great road manners, its very comfortable, it gets great safety numbers and the MPG is good for a large car. Its surprisingly quick and in some ways it reminds me of my a much more refined version of my old 1995 SHO Taurus. I am really happy with my purchase.

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  Sad to see it go - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Jolin - April 24 - 12:33 am

  Ive had my SUV for over 5 years now and its the best thing Ive ever owned. Never once left me stranded & only had to fix normal things like tires, battery, brakes, & spark plugs. Would love to keep it but the family is too big and we need a 3rd row now. If I could buy new I would just order one that way. I think I will cry when I trade in this week. Currently at 92,000 miles and still going strong. Back wiper never quite worked right & light bulb issue on the dash but the stuff that really mattered and would cost a lot to fix stayed strong. Hope to own another one some day.

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  1st time Mountaineer owner - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By 1st time Merc owner - April 22 - 2:06 pm

  Weve been SUV drivers forever, live in rural area, and this has been a nice surprise. Purchased this Mountaineer replacing our Ford Explorer that had 170,000 plus miles. Took it on its first road trip to the mountains for skiing and the comfort level was top notch. We are also impressed with the quiet ride this SUV has as opposed to our older Explorer. Average gas mileage on this 500 plus mile trip ranged between 18-22 mpg which is what we are used to with SUVs. Love having the reclining second row seats in this Mountaineer since we didnt have it on the Explorer. Cargo space was great for all our ski gear.

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  our first suv - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Donald Sistrunk - April 13 - 10:36 am

  We have had many new trucks and cars, but this is our first suv. Very pleased with the smooth ride and good handling. Since Im used to driving a big truck, the gas mileage id not bad. the few bad points I have against it are the small seats that bit too high. It feels like my head is always touching the ceiling. also the door handle is too low to be comfortable. overall I am still pleased with my purchase of a mountaineer.

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  Owner of Milan, 5,000 mile review - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By ron w - April 11 - 9:20 pm

  The outside raised saddle on the front seat creates excessive exterior left thigh pressure when sitting for 8-12 hours traveling accross country. I weigh 200# and I think the seat is to constraining. My 04 Sable leather seat was more comfortable and should have been a design benchmark. The cruise control, radio control and heater control on steering wheel are too small requiring to observe when setting. The size of the 04 Sable steering wheel controls were excelant. The lock/unlock controls on the key fob should be larger. In the dark, confusing which is which. The 04 Sable should have been bench marked. The remote trunk lid should pop the trunk open and not just a release.

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  Declining American Original - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By FlyinHawaiian - April 11 - 7:43 pm

  After having my offer turned down on a 98 Cadillac Deville dElegance, I setteled for this 2000 Grand Marquis LS. This car is loaded with most all options available: dual power seats, dark, charcoal leather, 6-CD changer in the trunk, aluminum wheels, climate controlled a/c, etc... I read in Edmunds.com that a loaded-up Grand Marquis is as good as a Lincoln Town Car, but for many thousands less. I agree!