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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  Reliable Comfort - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By JGP - October 4 - 10:10 am

  Traded a 2002 Miata in for it when I needed a new car to drive coast to coast pulling a trailer. Wound up making the drive twice and the car performed flawlessly. Now has 55,000 miles on it and the only repair trip to the dealer was to replace a failing speaker. Car has DOHC 3.0 engine. Pulls down 28 MPG on the highway and 22-24 MPG around town which is surprising for its size. In winter I use 4 studded snows and have never gotten stuck in the worst storms New England can throw at it.

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  Not all of us like SUVs - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By rizcpa - October 3 - 10:30 pm

  The car is absolutly wonderful in the snow. Have had nothing but good to say about it. Caught the gravel once and the car pulled right out of it. Worst snow of the year and drove right through it, the all wheel drive is great! Plenty of room in the back for my teenage boys, more room in the car and trunk than in most of the SUVs on the market. Sits a little higher than other cars but lower than a truck. The only problem I have is reaching over the window sill at the bank and the ATMs. Going to sell the 2005 and buy a new one. I havent found another car on the market today that handles this well in the snow and rain, and the safety features are really comforting.

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  great car - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By c.h. - October 3 - 2:36 pm

  the milan is a great car with lots of features of a luxury car and very roomy comfortably fits five a very roomy trunk. powerful for a for cylinder fun to drive great tranny five speeds does great in the mountains downshifts going up great in drive i dont even see why they have a low gear on this car it does awesome in drive eatc climate control is nice you just set it and forget it overall im very happy with this car i would buy another in the blink of an eye

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  This is my third Mountaineer - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By fredroc_cohiba - October 1 - 8:36 am

  I have owned the 1998, 2002 and 2005 models. Each one has improved in quality of ride and workmanship. I wish gas mileage would improve, but I am willing to live with it.

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  Buy A Used 08 Sable Like I Did! - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Sable Premier Owner - September 30 - 11:13 am

  I bought my 08 Sable Premier in April just as the first used vehicles started showing up at local dealers. Got my 08 with only 7K miles on it and more than two years to go on the warranty. Saved all that first year depreciation, and it looks and drives brand-new. To me, the sweet spot and a great deal.

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  A lot of car for the buck - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By lvnorte - September 30 - 9:46 am

  My wife recently wanted a every day small SUV that got good gas mileage She looked at all of the small SUVs in the market including the BMW X3. She was thinking about a Ford Escape and one look at the Mercury Mariner changed all of that. For the price difference which is not much the Mariner has many extra features that make it much more luxurious. Trading from a 740i BMW was a difficult choice, however the premier Mariner was what mife decided she wanted and she has not been disappointed. The vehicle is nice to look at has good performance and economy

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  Best Darn Car I Ever Owned - 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Steven Rapp - September 29 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned BMWs , Mercedes and Jags, but the Mercury Marquis is the best car for the money. Ive driven this car thru thick and thin, including moving 5 times, a divorce, and this baby has been with me the whole way. She is as comfortable and rides just like new and she now has 185,000 miles. Car looks and rides like new. I salute the engineers and workers at Ford-Canada for producing a wonderful product for a working stiff like me.

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  FOR THE MONEY - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By SNAKE - September 29 - 10:00 am

  THE AUTOMOBILE I RECIEVED ( IN BLACK, WITH CHROME WHEELS )WAS PERFECT. EVERYTHING ON IT WORKED. THE ONLY THING I WISH FORD SHOULD HAVE DONE, WAS TO PUT DICS ON THE REAR WHEELS. ENOUGH HOSEPOWER TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B.

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  Mercury Sable is no fish - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Oleo Mann - September 26 - 10:00 am

  We have had good experience with this model. My at 5ft.wife loves the adjustable pedals. The ease of controls is well designed. She does have trouble with the dash board it is a little too high for her.

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  Great Van - 2006 Mercury Monterey
  By Shawn - September 23 - 8:16 pm

  The Mercury Monterrey is hands down better than the Town and Country that I traded in on it. The mileage is slightly better than the Town and Country and the van is of much better quality. I liked the T&C but I love the Monterrey. It has much more style, and is more appealing (interior and exterior.