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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  Trunk lock - 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By mirliyaqat Alikhan - May 18 - 10:56 pm

  The trunk lock of the car is going bad in 55k miles. This is happening in almost all of this model. Please look into this matter.The Air condition electronic switch is going bad at 40k which need to be look into it. Thanks

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  reliable - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By STEVE - May 17 - 8:20 pm

  I bought this with 47,000 miles on it...change the oil every 3K and it runs like new. Highway gas mileage averages 18mpg which is about same or better than newer premium SUVs. It also takes regular gas. My Mercury service manager said I could expect another 100,000 miles without a sweat on the 5.0 liter V8 engine.

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  Unexpectedly Amazing! - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By mwj12487 - May 17 - 10:34 am

  To begin, let me explain that I purchased this vehicle in haste, in August of 2011. My Sable had 102k on the clock, and had some exterior signs of a earlier collision, but the interior was clean, and the motor sounded well. I jumped in. After only about a week I realized how peppy the 3.0 V6 is. I was very much accustomed to the thriftiness of 4 cylinder cars, but when I began regularly driving the Sable I was not only impressed but satisfied. The ride is comfortable for all shapes and sizes of drivers. The reliability is better than that of a newer Audi I have previously owned. The gadgets are sparce and simple, but they are reliable as well and easy to use. Now at 139K- no problems.

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  2006 Mountaineer Needs human engineering - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By George Houchens - May 17 - 7:00 am

  Great vehicle except for interior. Dash and doors need redesign with attention to human engineering and style. Door handles are very inconvenient (too low and far forward), Seat belt needs to be longer for easy hookup (I am a big guy), and heater controls need to be located higher above radio so I can use them without taking eyes off the road. Center console shifter is ugly! Square seats look blocky, and interior metal trim looks cheap. Rear fold down seats leave too many holes for things to fall into when hauling cargo. Vehicle interior is NOT an improvement over 2003 Mountaineer. My wife agrees. Otherwise, car has great ride, very quiet, handles well. Outside styling great.

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  Motor and Rear Axle problems - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By scooter - May 11 - 11:56 am

  Had to replace front rotors and brakes when we first bought it. Makes a roaring noise because real axle is bad. At 110,000 miles lost all oil and motor went out, oil warning light never came on so I had no idea I had lost all the oil. We replace the motor and now have tranny problems. Also it has a water leak somewhere and have water stains on the seats that wont come out.

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  Realistic Review - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Realistic Reviewer - May 10 - 6:50 am

  Vehicle handling is excellent considering this is a SUV on a truck chassis. I drive this vehicle lighting most of the time and it gives me a very acceptable ride. When thrown around a bit it does show that the suspension does not quite adapt well enough and does bounce around slightly too much. Off roading ability is great, but nothing too impressive. Can easily get around 14mpg city with smooth driving, around 12mpg letting it loose sometimes. Overall this is a very satisfying vehicle to all but the most discerning people.

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  Mystique - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By David Svetcov - May 4 - 10:00 am

  The Leather Interior is a must, this car is as comfrortable is a BMW3 series. I liked it so much I would buy a used. I baught another Ford Contur SE Ford dropped the line. Too bad. A great vehicle. I would not rtecommend the 4 CYLINDER.

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  Love my Cougar! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Wandawoman99 - May 4 - 10:00 am

  In fact I love it so much, I am about to trade it in on a brand new one! I have never had any problems out of my 2000 cougar. It has been a fun reliable car for me. I am looking to buy the 2002 Anniv. Special real soon! So you can go look up my little Blue trade in and get you a really good car!

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  2005 mercury montego - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By premier - May 3 - 10:26 pm

  fun to drive, has plenty of power except when at a complete stop. like the reverse sensing

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  Styling Ride & Great Value - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Luke Duke - April 30 - 10:00 am

  The Montaineer offers simple elegance in a hearty frame and body construction. It might not handle as softly as a hybrid SUV but then again many of those those vehicles are merely sedans-like undercarriages with a faux SUV looks.