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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  Couldnt ask for more - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By Ashley - October 18 - 11:16 am

  Sadly, I only had my Mariner for 3 months when I was in an accident and totaled it. Luckily, I walked away with no injuries, which is why I will be purchasing one again. Ive never felt more safe in this vehicle. Very comfortable and smooth ride. I loved the extras: Reverse Assistance, information system, stock AMP, heated leather seats, moonroof, keyless entry.

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  Top Trucks - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By samsung v206 - October 13 - 10:00 am

  I love the Mercury Mountaineer its a beautiful truck and fun to drive

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  Great value and ride - 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By John - October 12 - 2:53 am

  I have to admit that I never considered a crown vic or grand marquis but after driving a crown vic as a company car for several long trips I was so impressed I went and bought a 2009 Grand Marquis. I love this car and hope the stories of reliability hold true for me as I drive many miles each week and look forward to the trips in this car.

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  Best Vehicle Owned - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Mike - October 11 - 10:00 am

  Bought this vehicle new. It is the first SUV ever owned and a great performer for pulling a boat, carrying a load, and overall road car. Highway average mileage is 20 mpg with nominal load and no boat. Town driving not as good averaging about 16 mpg. Regular maintenance per owners manual has kept this vehicle extremely reliable, it has not let me down yet.

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  A Mercury Winner - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Jim - October 9 - 11:13 pm

  The Hybrid is fun to drive and is very responsive. If you drive the speed limit and irritate the drivers behind you, the mpg for combined city/highway is around 33 mpg. In town only I have averaged 36 mpg. For the size of the SUV and the gas mileage I get, this is a very nice combination.

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  This is a Ford? - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Colorado Sable - October 9 - 1:03 am

  Needed AWD sedan. Looked at Audi, Benz, BMW, Lexus, Subaru. Test drove 08 Sable and was floored. Quiet, comfortable, good power and 6 speed tranny. Can be picked up for little over invoice. Gas mileage on par with other >250hp v6 large sedans, do the research. AWD is super. 80% of the luxos at 1/3 the cost. 5000 miles and not a single issue. Below 60 turn off overdrive and car is much more responsive around town and MPG stays the same.

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  The BEST bang for the buck! - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By carecarpro - October 7 - 4:00 am

  This vehicle is underrated and the Nissan/Mercury name has been badly ridiculed. I have owned my Villager for over 14 years and all I can say is $21,000 for this LS model and all is well. My wife owns a Lexus SUV and I paid over $53K a year ago and it has been in the shop 7 times. The Villager we own has 267k miles and has never seen major repair. My cousin and my good friend both have 95 Villagers and all I can say is 289k and 212k miles and the same results. That is a real review.

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  its been good to me - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By readany - October 7 - 2:00 am

  I have nearly 100,000 miles and have never had to do any mechanical work other than routine maintenance.... It still drives and looks like a new car!

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  Go For It - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By David in Dallas - October 7 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car with 63000 miles on it and it now has 100000 miles on it. I plan to have it another 50000 miles. It is the best riding car I have ever owned. Very smooth, fun to drive, and great on long trips. You wont regret the purchse. Best one I ever made.

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  mystique is good - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By j to tha lo - October 6 - 10:00 am

  i like my mystique. it rides very well and is fun to drive. i love its cherry red color.