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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  Milan review - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rick Wheeler - April 25 - 2:50 am

  I like the features that come with the car as well as the price tag. Most bang for your buck. Styling is nice, ride is smooth and gas mileage is great.

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  enjoyable ride - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By russell - April 25 - 12:50 am

  The ride is very comfortable. Steering is a dream to handle. All of the controls are placed for a safe drive without taking your eyes off the road.

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  Great Suv - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Danielle - April 22 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my mountaineer about 3 years and I love it. I am currently looking at buying a newer model. The only problem Ive had in 3 years (aside of the tire recalls) is the check engine light goes on all the time for no reason.

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  The Comparatively Better Hybrid - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By Kurt - April 19 - 2:56 pm

  I have now had the car for a little over four months. I previously had a Buick Lucerne. Although the Lucerne had much more room, I like the handling of the Milan much better. I am experiencing an average of 36.4 mpg. Nice, but not quite what they are advertising. But it is almost 20 mpg more than I got in the Lucerne. And I do mostly city driving. And I am being very cautious with my driving habits - trying to get the best mileage I can.

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  Love/hate relationship - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By tikitime - April 19 - 10:00 am

  This Cougar was a great design- different enough to hold some stylistic ground with the only other daring design of that time the Audi TT. I still love the it and get compliments often. Im also still impressed with its material fit & finish which are far beyond most. It has been a reliable car on many road trips and in the daily commute. Similar problems of engine light, cupholder, defroster grill, etc. Pricey repairs with pwr locks going out at 50k for a cool $600. Brakes lasted til 54k, alt/batt to 58k and tires to 30k. Some engine issues popping up which have me worried but still a darn reliable car thats fun to drive.

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  Best Value Around! - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jay657 - April 19 - 4:40 am

  I am 26 yrs old and I love this car! Its black with black with black heated leather, moonroof, digital dash, rear air shocks. I had a 99 DeVille which was a horrible disappointment. I love the RWD v.s the clumsy FWD DeVille. It handles awesome for a big car. Has enough power, but could use a dual exhaust for a little more. I put dark tinted headlight and corner lenses from the 03-04 Marauder on the Marquis and they look great with the chrome grille. I get compliments where ever I go. These big RWD sedans are getting hard to find, so I am taking extra good care of this one and plan to keep it for a good 5 to 7 years.

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  Still Rolling - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By jetgirl77 - April 17 - 5:50 am

  I bought my Sable used at 85K miles. I now have 147K miles on it and still rolling along. Ive replaced the blower motor, IAC valve, ignition coil and of course had the door panels reglued when they fell down, but with the inexpensive used price its hard to complain. Just took it through the mountains of WV and got 28.5-29.75 mpg at 70+. Get about 21 mpg around town. Comfortable ride on the highway. Im going to have trouble finding a replacement when the time comes.

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  After a year of driving - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By David - April 8 - 10:13 pm

  This car has performed quite well. Performance: The car has a good amount of low end torque that will get this heavy car moving when you want it to. My only complaint here is the slight lack in higher RPM performance for when you pass during a high speed situation such as the freeway, it can take a bit to get it going a higher speed. Reliability: I have yet to have a major problem with it. I have done well in keeping it maintained and it has rewarded me with no major problems. I have even driven it across the country. The car is very comfortable with plenty of space for your passengers. The fuel economy is standard for any full size sedan. Just dont punch it everywhere.

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  B +++ - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By J.F.K. - April 1 - 11:16 am

  A great car, power when needed in all situations and weather conditions.This marquis as like my work vehicle in(law enforcement) drives 100% identically. The very same car as a crown vic but the next size up in class. Love it !

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  Its an all right car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By autoelectric - March 30 - 10:00 am

  After over a 100,000 miles it is using some oil, probably a cylinder head problem. It has good performance. Just had some minor problems with car.