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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  Lovin my ride - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By Happy Mariner - March 12 - 3:46 am

  I was a confirmed hater of driving until I bought my new Mariner. I would have gone with an Escape, but the ice blue interior lighting hooked me. (Went with the 4 rather than the 6 to stay within budget). Theres a tad less pickup with the 4, but Ive merged onto I-95 and reached 60mph with ease. Once in a clutch situation, I had to brake suddenly and hard - there was no fishtailing nor did the brakes lock. Nice. My SO pointed out the three color interior styling on the dash - theyre all neutral tones, very classy. Got my exterior color - Ice Blue - and I am one happy motoring sistah. Icing on the cake - chosen as a recommended vehicle by Consumer Reports.

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  winkerwag - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By winker - March 8 - 5:43 am

  Wagon was very versatile and comfortable. Got it for a fair price, used. Trouble was car was not reliable, cat. converter went out shortly after warranty ran out at 80k. Transmission modules replaced twice. Last straw was when transmission needed rebuilt. Ended up selling it as is.

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  Best car for the price - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Kay Roberts - March 8 - 2:53 am

  This is by the nicest car for the price, and I am including small BMW. It is very solid and rides like a car double the price.

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  Impulse Buy, But LOVE It! - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By ElleElle - March 3 - 8:40 pm

  Literally purchased my Mariner within 30 minutes of walking in to the dealership and seeing it for the first time. Have never had an SUV, but jumped at this one for so many reasons - - including the low APR loan and the great safety features. LOVE the interior features such as leather seats, 7 speaker sound system, seat warmers, and sun roof. Its stylish on the outside, the ride is smooth and quiet, but best of all -- its fun to drive! Looking forward to taking it on a long road trip.

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  1999 Mercury Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By C. Navarro - March 3 - 10:00 am

  Good performance. Very fast for a 6 cylinder vehicle. I would not recommend for a young driver or anyone with a "heavy foot". Somewhat uncomfortable since this is a sports car. Excellent gas mileage. however if

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  Transmission problems - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By VIC - March 1 - 10:00 am

  We bought this car in august 2009. We have taken it to the dealer in 3 different occasions for transmission problems. The first time they said they had to reprogram the computer. The second time they said they had a recall and they had to reprogram the computer again. This week we took it in again and they said they can fix the problem since they cannot reproduce the problem while testing it. This is the worst car we ever owned. The rpm jump to 6000 in the highway, the car basically stops working and you have to get out of the highway to avoid an accident. This happens randomly. Once you stop and restart the car it runs without problems. This dealer has not help us in solving the problem.

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  Good later years vehicle - 2009 Mercury Sable
  By hansenfarm - February 28 - 9:03 pm

  Very happy with the 2009 Sable compared to 2003 Grand Marquis which we still own. Good vehicle for older people for ease of entry, more room than it appears. Is a fun to drive auto and takes less room to park.

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  Better value than Imports - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By jdf2007 - February 26 - 10:13 pm

  Driven this Milan for 3 weeks and it is a car that you just cant get enough of! 4cyl. w/ 5 speed auto has very good power even with 4 adults. Avg. 28.6 mpg with under 1000 miles on car. The fit/finish is great and with 17" wheels this car is very attractive. Drove Honda, Nissan and Kia and this Mercury handles better than all. For the value this one hard to beat!

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  Wow - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By villagermom - February 25 - 2:00 am

  Van had 23K miles on it when purchased 6 years ago, now it has 172K. We have only changed the oil and brakes and brakes. The AC went out 2 years ago but the van just keeps on running. Its been great! Have NEVER replaced the spark plugs, wires, hoses, or belts!

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  1st time - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Greg Saxon - February 25 - 2:00 am

  I had a 1997 Crown Vic. which I enjoyed very much. The GM is a much quieter car and has better acceleration. Leather seats are much better than fabric ones.