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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  Hard to beat for the price. - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jim - July 8 - 3:56 pm

  This is my second Grand Marquis. I had a 2005 (Ultimate Edition). The only repair I made on the 2005 was front brake pads at 88,000 miles (I drove the car to 101,000 miles). Great repair record, great ride, roomy trunk, OK gas mileage. Feel that if the rebate is $5,000 or more the car is hard to beat.

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  mercury let me down - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By b_santiagoo - July 6 - 11:40 am

  this was my first car it had 90k at the beginning. I drove it all over the place and still do. Its alright in the gas i have to fill it up every 5 days (i drive the car a lot) but i have done a lot of repairs in the past 4 years, timing belt, water pump , brakes, battery has been replaced. It all happened in the past 4 years. It has 160 k check engine light came on dont think is worth fixing it, also air bag light came up 2. Ive invested so much $$$ in this car when is totally not worth it, it has last this long just because of the repairs. Back seats are uncomfortable. times are hard and had no option to repair it. best advice dont buy it!

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  great truck - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By aficionado - July 4 - 2:00 am

  great design, functional interior, nice options, great power, good stereo, nice 17s and great grip from the tires, feels well built, overall would recomend this over explorer and any other suv in the price range

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  Great big road car! - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By junglej - June 26 - 10:13 pm

  I bought my LS used 2 yrs ago at 70k and now have 130k with no repairs whatsoever. I love the gas mileage - Im getting 24.6 summer and 22.6 winter with about 60%hwy and 40%city driving. Even at our mile-high, theres plenty of power in the small V8 to accelerate up hills. I easily and inexpensively bought a Ford OEM radio/CD player to replace the std cassette player. I found the drivers seat didnt fit me well until after I took out the lumbar support and put more foam in the upper back and seat bottom. I also found that I have to brake with my left foot or the awkward right leg position causes pain. Im 62" and 270lbs.

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  American Muscle Lives ! - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By spider0101 - June 23 - 10:00 am

  There are very few if any vehicles out there that can evoke a visceral feeling when you put the pedal to the metal. The first time I got on this baby my heart skipped a beat and I felt it all the way down my spine. An econo box with a hood scoop just doesnt do it for me and never will. Give me a big bad American V8 pushin 300 hp with attitude.

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  Great SUV - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Love my Mariner! - June 22 - 8:46 am

  Ive owned my Mariner for about 5 weeks now and couldnt be happier. It may be a smaller SUV on the outside, but it doesnt feel small while driving it and the interior is rather large and accomodating. The gas mileage, in my opinion is excellent for an SUV of any size. I came from a 2007 Grand Cherokee Limited with a V8 engine and assumed I would have some trouble getting used to the size and power of the Mariner, but that wasnt the case at all. The back seat is actually bigger than the Jeeps and overall, it feels like it is the same size. I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend the Mariner.

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  Step Up - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Jose Romero - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Vastly improved Suv. Traded 01 Mounttaineer. Independant suspension,smother acceleration, all the way thourgh the band, more horsepower, roomier, great towing capacity, I could go on & on. Mercury really did it right. Well thought out with great safety features. Bang for buck, Big Bang!

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  cold feet - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By C - June 10 - 3:16 pm

  the only bad feature that I have found is that the air conditioning vents on the front floor do not turn off even though the controls indicate that they do. I asked the dealer about this and they told me that they contacted Ford and that this is normal. That there is no way to turn off the air comming out of the bottom vents. This is a problem for women that are wearing shorts with sandles on. It is to cold on their feet.

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  I have two Cougars! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By My2cougars - June 10 - 12:10 pm

  I love to drive these cars! They can be expensive to fix and a little hard to see out of. The back seat is not a bench, so if you need room in the back, this car is not for you. You can only fit two people in the back, and it doesnt get much leg room. Both of my cup holders are broken, so I have to use the one in the back. There is a lot of trunk space, and the car has pretty good pick up too. But it makes wide turns, forget trying to make a sharp turn, it wont happen. I like the factory rims mine have on them, and I have driven them both to 150,000 miles now. They are an expensive car to fix though, the parts can be kinda hard to find and a little pricey.

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  Nice vehicle for the money - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Brooks Gardner - June 8 - 8:50 pm

  My wife and I love our 2002 Mountaineer. We also have a 1998 that is still in excellent condition. V8 in both with most extras on both. The 2002 has everything you would ever want. 2002 has great power and very smooth and quite ride. I only get to drive it when my wife is off work that day.