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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  family man with 91k - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Urbanrob - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I bought the car with 84k miles and Im impressed. The Duratec engine starts easy in the winter and has ample pep. I get about 22.5 mpg on average (after tune up), which could be better I think. Its comfortable, quiet and roomy. No problem driving in snow. Huge trunk but the opening could be bigger. Its rather susceptible to cross winds when driving at highway speeds but otherwise smooth and solid (no rattle). The heated mirrors clear ice/snow build up pretty quick. Plenty of room for 3 kid seats in the back.

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  Major Defect - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By DMont - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Beware of KNOWN rear axle defect in the 03. A mth after purchase, I heard humming from the rear. took it back to John Eagle. informed by serv mgr that there existed a known defect w/ rear axle. Ford had to replace the entire rear end of my SUV. In April 04, my wife was driving the car in the HOV lane when the rear axel locked up. The vehicle began to skid and black smoke was coming out of the vehicle. Thru the grace of God my wife maneuvered the vehicle without having a rear-end collision. In the vehicle w/ my wife was my two boys (3 and 1 mth) and mother-in-law. BEWARE! Fords not telling purchasers of this KNOWN defect.

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  Never Had A More Reliable Vehicle... - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By alessing - March 29 - 6:07 am

  I have owned and driven anything from a Hummer H2 to a Ford Escape, to an Acura MDX and I praise Fords engineers for the work put into this SUV. I own a 2003 Mountaineer Premier AWD V8 with stock GoodYear Fortera HL tires and this truck performs incredibly. I have a heavy foot and the 4.6L V8 suits my every need. I own a 21 foot boat and the towing abilities are great! Also, being in NC means I enjoy the Outer Banks where I regularly take to the sandy beaches and have NEVER gotten stuck. Even without the Explorers AdvanceTrac traction control, the Mountaineers full-time All Wheel Drive performs admirably in virtually any situation. I simply love this truck... 200000+ miles and no issues!!

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  Still doing great! - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By Almon - March 28 - 8:46 pm

  My van now has 52,000 and the only problem was to replace a lock on a sliding door. Just replaced brakes and tires this month. Getting 21 mpg over all. About half of my driving is highway miles. My wife and I still love the looks and the comfort on roadtrips. The engine has a lot of torque and is fast off the line and good at passing in the 45-60 mph range. The advance trac feature really keeps it solid on the road.

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  Surprised and Pleased - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By MARC - March 26 - 3:13 pm

  I had all but written off Big three products. I was coming off my MDX lease and was looking for a more gas mileage friendly vehicle. I was also looking to spend a bit less. The Milan just had the best look, quietest ride, fun toys(SYNC and CD changer) for the money. My prior departure from consumer reports recommendations (with ford) have ended badly. To my surprise CR gave the Milan a full red circle(highest rating) for reliability and Camry was only given an average rating. The unfortunate rapid depreciation put a quasi luxury vehicle under 2 years of factory warranty into the range of affordability. 28 MPG 60% highway/country roads. Comp Camry had 80k miles, to a Milan with 16K

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  Cushy gas hog has issues - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Lisa - March 26 - 12:03 am

  We were so excited to get into this buttery ride only to have our Marquis buzz killed when the fuel pump went out at 47,000 miles after only having it a month & one 400 mile trip under our belts. Another surprise was the terrible city mileage, much lower than the stated 17 mpg, around 10 mpg. Highway ok w/25 mpg. As Ive seen mentioned I have to agree the lack of a center console leaves one stuffing everything into the paltry pockets given in the front seats or on the floor. So despite the wonderful smooth ride the overall economy leaves me wishing wed shelled out for a Camry etc. PS.Loaner car during fuel pump was a Sable 05. It was a gas hog also (15mph?!). Ford/Mercury needs to wake up

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  Good car - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By benji88487 - March 24 - 10:00 am

  Great looking car. drives nicely. Only problems with it have been cd player and light.

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  This car is fun to drive - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By kristie - March 22 - 7:10 am

  i love this car its cute and fun to drive and takes off pretty fast its great looking i love the lines of this car great features i havent had any problems with it

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  Love It! - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By cdjoyful - March 20 - 2:00 am

  This is the first Sable Ive ever owned, and I purchased it new. After having a horrible experience with an Escort, I was very leary about owning anything of the Ford or Mercury Division. I love this car. The trunk is unbelievably large. The 24V DOHC gives it great zip and go. It corner great and handles wonderfully in bad weather. My only negative experience was having to replace both back brakes including calipers and rotors this past summer with about 40,000 miles on them.

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  Milan Very Impressed! - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Mike Pulsifer - March 19 - 11:06 am

  I have owned a $69,000 Mercedes E Class previously, but this Milan in our opinion is BETTER. Saved $45,000 yet happier. Service engine soon lights do not come on, which became a regular grind with Benz.