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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  Smooth Ride - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By duke - January 28 - 12:36 am

  The auto handles well and gets good milage on the open road. It is stylish. If I had to find one fault I would say it could use better soundproofing. There is high road noise from cabin.

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  Great Car, - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Scoutmaster477 - January 26 - 10:00 am

  It is the best you can get these days. A real muscle car in the style of the late 60s and early 70s. Fun to drive.

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  Love my Mountaineer - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Wendy - January 25 - 2:16 pm

  I bought my Mountaineer as a program car and have been extremely happy with it. In the 4 1/2 years that I have owned it, my repair bills have been minimal. I have had brake work done twice, purchased tires one time, and purchased one battery. There are now 113,500 miles on the car and it is still going strong. Everyone in my family loves driving it. I am considering getting a new car in the future (just because I want a new car), and we will probably keep this vehicle for a spare. It just seems too good to give up. I have never had such good service out of a vehicle.

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  Great alternative to minivans & SUVs! - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By HappyBuckeye - January 20 - 10:00 am

  After considering several minivans and SUVs to fill the role of our family vehicle we selected a Mercury Sable LS Wagon. Its a great value loaded with so many extras, very comfortable, great incentive laden financing and it carries 8 passengers!

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  Mariner Premier - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By Robert - January 19 - 2:03 pm

  Car rated as 21 - 28 mpg. Was initially pleased as I got 22+ mpg in town. Then I took a trip to Nashville (902 miles roundtrip). Was disappointed when this 4 cylinder returned a miserable 24.3 mpg. I drove the speed limit using cruise control for almost the entire trip. Went back to the dealer who stated they had a quite a few people commenting on the weak mileage. They stated it was because most gas had 1-10 percent ethanol added. Did not believe it as the SUV I traded in averaged 29-30 mpg for the same trip. It had the same HP engine and weighed only 100 lbs less. Of course there is a disclaimer on the window sticker stating the mileage may vary between 23- 33mpg. Guess Im stuck.

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  Great Small SUV - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Happy Owner - January 18 - 10:00 am

  This has been a great little SUV. I used to drive Explorers. Bought this to get better gas millage for a Minneapolis driving. Great in the snow and super reliable. Get rid of the Continental stock tires and it is very quite comfortable to drive. I have had zero problems, but do regular maintenance. Love the radio/6cd player, and leather. Love it Love it Love it. I would recommend to anyone

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  Heaven to Hell - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By JosieListens - January 18 - 10:00 am

  I got this car as my first car. It was bought with busted valve gasket (easily fixed, cheap). Beautiful car! Drifter body kit, engine mods, custom exhaust and muffler. 4mo after getting car Timing Belt crystallized (expensive, had to get tensioner too). 1mo later replaced vacuum line. Engine light has always been on. NOW, master cylinder blew. I loved this car in the beginning. Super fun, with 5 speed transmission, super quick. BUT, it JUST SITS more than i drive it. Expenses to get it fixed are just ridiculous!!

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  Bye, Bye 300!!! Hello Milan!!! - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Nancy82 - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Well, I traded in my 08 Chrysler 300 and wanted something "different". My friends always refer to my car as the old, businessman car; as Im in my 20s and they only see old, businessmen driving it. Lol. I love it and that is all that matters. Driving is still pretty smooth after a year and dont really have any complaints.

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  Mercury Revival - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Mercury Montego - January 18 - 7:00 am

  This car has great handling and great ride quality. The build quality is also better than that of Japanese competitors. It just needs a better engine.

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  Great Car - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By RichReindl - January 14 - 2:00 am

  This is by far the best vehicle I have ever owned. I purchased it from a dealer that had it on a 3 year lease and it only had 34,000 when I got it. Only thing I didnt like about the car were the General Tires they put on it. I have been to numerous trips and get around 26.5 MPG highway miles. I noticed that I get about 3 extra miles per gallon using high