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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  Cant Really Complain much. - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By BilliardKing - January 13 - 8:03 pm

  I really like the style of this car, the outside is really updated! I havnt found a difference between the 2006-2008 models except for the decal on the doors. The grille is an eye catcher, I have had many complements on the car, especially about the color (Gold) The MPG is acceptable so far it is and avg. of 25 I cant wait to get the window tint darker, that will just top it off! Im glad I bought it.

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  Sable for the win! - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By warthog11287 - January 13 - 11:33 am

  I have owned my Sable for over a year now and dont have any complaints at all. Most of my driving is done on the highway with my shortest trips being about an hour and a half. That being said, I still do a little driving in the city, so Ive been able to see how it performs there- flawlessly. Ive performed nothing but routine maintenance even with a couple off-roading experiences (I have the pictures to prove it), burning rubber and maneuvers that are usually only taught at police driving courses.

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  Great Car! - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Steve Whetstine - January 12 - 2:26 pm

  This is a great car. Its got plenty of power and can peel rubber even when you have a full load of people-which is six. Very comfortable and has great visibility. Just a great "big boat car" from the seventies.

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  1998 Mystique LS - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By mikef - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Bought this Mystique LS used. At that time it only had 17K miles, was still under warranty, and was loaded with every option except the moonroof. I now have 40K miles on the car and I am very pleased. The purchase price was $10,300 and I really doubt I could of found much more car for the money.

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  werferer - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By doe - January 12 - 10:00 am

  good

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  Grand Marquis - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Brian Nadler - January 12 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle provides a refined quiet ride. It is powered by a 4.6 liter overhead cam v8. This is the same engine which powered the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar up till 1997. Being a heavier vehicle Grand Marquis does not have the same level of pickup as 8 cylindar Thunderbirds and cougars of the 1990s. Performance may be imporved by added the performance package with dual exhausts. Finally, I would like to see Mercury add a Tachometer to the intrumentation. This is a very practical way to confirm the transmission is in overdrive and visualize low engine rpm at highway spped.

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  AFFORDABLE SUV WITH HIGH PRICE STYLE - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By FIRST SUV - January 12 - 2:00 am

  I found the Mountaineer to drive and handle better than the land cruiser and seems to be finished off and built as well for 1/2 the cost. The ride is better than my concorde lxi, very stable handling, and lots of bells and whistles. controls are easy. I found the design to be a sophisticated explorer and get lots of compliments from co workers on its look. With the features and safty features that murcury has included its hard to find competition in the same class. I am happy with the purchase. Only defect was the CD player fade/bal buttons had a mind of their own and the dealer swapped it out with out waiting.

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  my review - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By riverrat - January 12 - 2:00 am

  good family and shopping car

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  coolest car - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By ROBAK1 - January 12 - 2:00 am

  overall its a brill car and so fun to live with!! :-)

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  Great, functional SUV - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By GLS - January 10 - 9:46 pm

  This is my 3rd Mountaineer (1997, 2004) and it keeps getting better. New ride is much smoother and quieter. New steering wheel design very comfortable. Turning radius seems better. Glad the heated seat control was moved to the console.Great size for times when you need the extra seating. Like the split 3rd row seat. Overall good value compared to other SUVs on the market.