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:

• 

  LOVE IT!!! - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By lovemynewcar - January 30 - 10:13 pm

  I bought my car used a month ago and I love it!!! My only complaint is a few cosmetics scratches that were on it when I purchased the vehicle.

• 

  Love "Da" Power - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Power Punch - January 27 - 1:43 am

  I"ve had my Marquis for a month now. I travel everyday from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale up I 95, I dont suffer from back aches anymore. I use to drive a Kia Sportage. Thought I was saving Gas money, with the G-Marquis I have not notice any difference in spending.I consume the same 1/2 of 1/4 tank, same as with the Kia. Love the power and sense of safety. What a car, if I change it, it will be for a recent model. No more tojos for me American all the way.

• 

  Love my Mercury - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Chuck - January 26 - 1:56 am

  Brought my car as a Program Car with 18,000 miles. Have since put on 6,000 miles which includes one long trip to Phoenix and return to SD. Were Snowbirds,and we dont travel lightly as my wife seems to move things from one closet to another. Trunk space is huge and with both back seats folded flat we load it with banana boxes, garment bags and etc.. When we get loaded, were heavy. Never the less at the end of the trip our information center said we averaged 29.8 MPG. Driving at interstate speeds,thats good. The ride is great, comfortable and quiet. I really love this car, the best one yet, and yes, Fords got it right on this one.

• 

  Good Van - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Bransonbuff - January 24 - 8:13 am

  We bought our 99 Villager Estate used in 2002. It has served us well. I did have the accelerator problem, and Ford wanted a small fortune to fix it. So I took the car to a local shop with experience with Villagers, and they fixed the sticky accelerator by cleaning the assembly. No problem, cheap fix, works fine. We took this van to Yellowstone last summer, and it performed flawlessly. I did order a used digital radio/player from a salvage yard and had it installed when the lights faded and went out on the old one. Its nice to have somebody to work on these minor fixes who knows the vehicle. We especially like the bucket middle seats (all leather) and the reclining seats. Good van.

• 

  Best car I ever had - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Jean Clubine - January 24 - 12:40 am

  I bought this car because a I wanted a larger car with front wheel drive. This is one of the few that had it besides GM. Bought it new with 200 miles on it. It is definitely the most trouble free and dependable car I have ever had. I previously had a Cadillac Deville and it has all the bells and whistles I had on the Cadillac. I got the Premier because I wanted the leather seats and then got other options, too. I had always wanted a Mercury but had never had one. I shouldnt have waited so long to get one.

• 

  Great Little Car - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By soccertaz - January 18 - 4:56 am

  I bought this car brand new, have taken good care of it for the most part. It has had a lot of recalls, but they were little things and didnt take the dealership long to take care of them. I have had little problems with the car, had to have the AC redone, only have replaced the front brakes twice, and am currently having the back brakes done too, which isnt a necessity yet, but thought it was time to do it since the front ones needed new pads. I have found it is great in the snow, I have done better with it than people that own trucks. It is one of the best cars I have had and/or driven in my life. I have heard it called the "Mistake", but so far it hasnt been one for me.

• 

  Best Family Car for the money ! ! - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Tanzer, -P.E., PhD - January 17 - 2:16 am

  Our driving and ownwership experience thus far has exceeded our expectations. At this point we have 17,000 miles on this car, we had no problems and averaged up to 32.2 mpg highway and 20.0 mpg in relatively short distance city driving. Quality fit and finish is very good.

• 

  Mercury Grand Marquis - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Barbara Cook - January 13 - 10:00 am

  I really like the feel of the steering in the new Mercury. Much quicker. Also like the adjustable pedals since I am very short.Very pleased overall.

• 

  Fine Car - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Don M - January 7 - 4:06 pm

  Great car. I traded-in a 2007 Lincoln MKZ. This car is substanially less when equally equipped.

• 

  best car i ever owned - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By mkrawczyk - January 6 - 9:34 pm

  bought this car with 70,000 miles it now has 109,000 this is the best car i have ever owned have not had one problem with this car 18mpg city and 24 hwy it is like setting in a lazy boy driving this car.use no oil between changes i will buy another one when this stops running.