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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  my new experience - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By v murphy - July 15 - 4:36 pm

  I had several Mercury Grand Marquis sedans that were fully loaded, and wanted to try a change to this new model, and it really is new/different...

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  Nice ride - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By domwestbury - July 14 - 11:50 am

  We owned a 2003 explorer and never had a problem over the 60,000 miles we drove it for. Never let us down. As a result of this we decided to stay in the ford family. We priced the explorer loaded and the mercury mountaineer loaded. Much to our suprise the truck was about $2,000 less. It was a no brainer we went with the mountaineer. Overall the truck is quite an improvement over the 03 explorer, rides great, more comfortable, just nice all around. The only draw back is the fuel mileage. It could be better. With the explorer we got spoiled after I changed the fluids to full synthetic. With the explorer we got about 15 town, 23 highway. the Merc gets 11 town 18 highway.

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  99 Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By dlrkid1 - July 14 - 2:00 am

  This car is great to drive. I love it. It is so fun to drive and it has plenty of room. Everything is easily accessible and the sound system is great. No complaints.

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  I soooo love it!! - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By a. skoutas - July 9 - 4:03 pm

  Im lovin this car! The interior is as roomy as my husbands Jeep GC, but so much smaller! I traded in a Volvo that I loved, but I am not missing it! This vehicle is my perfect "mommy-mobile," but I still feel very stylish in it. It holds the 2 carseats plus another person well in the back, and the front is very roomy. The pick-up is substantial, the AWD works great in the Cleveland winter, and it handles like a small car. It is comfortable to drive and the ride is quite smooth. I Absolutely love it!

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  Had problems - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Greg - July 5 - 1:20 pm

  Just after warranty pin on clutch broke and destroyed trans an clutch. Had purchased extra warranty that covered $3180 repair. this happened after 36,000 mile warranty expired. Actually 110 miles after warranty. Now I find pretty common with Fusions and Milan stick shift. Not real happy considering this is supposed to be such a good automobile.

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  Lv my Grand Ma - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bill - July 4 - 11:43 am

  2nd Grand Ma Ive owned. Other was a 96 which I drove for 100k miles and loved doing it. My 2002 I bought used with 11,000 miles on it and it hasnt been a dissapointment at all. Rides great, acceleration good and gas mileage on highway averages 27 mpg. Love it esp. with the price of gasoline going up these day. Cant imagine buying another car unless they just stop making them. Highly recommend Grand Mercs. Bill

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  wonderful features - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By Andra Capaci - July 3 - 10:26 am

  This is a great van. Lots of leg room in the front. I love the buttons 2 open side doors in front as well as rear. The ride is smooth. The rear seat folds in giving GREAT SPACE in the rear when not in use. You will not be disappointed if you buy this one.

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  My favorite vehicle - 1999 Mercury Mountaineer
  By RWH - June 29 - 4:10 am

  I love this SUV. Bought it new, have over 170,000 miles on it and hope to get another 170,000 miles out of it. The 302 V8 does and pulls everything I ask it to. This SUV still turns heads and get compliments on it after 10 years of owning it. I also drive a Jeep Commander. For snow I still prefer the Mountaineer. Had the shocks replaced a month ago and ride is very stiff now. Hope it will smooth out with a little more miles on them.

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  Great Value - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Mark - June 28 - 11:50 pm

  I went from a Chrysler 300M to this car and Im so glad I did. It is a great value. It is the roomiest car in its class. I am 64 and can sit comfortably in the back seat with the drivers seat all the way back. However I was slightly disappointed in the foot well space on the drivers side. Also, being tall, my head is pretty close to the roof of the car with the moonroof option. The engine is quiet and has great acceleration when you need it. You may be disappointed in the gas mileage though if you dont do a lot of highway driving. 75% of my miles are highway miles and I still only average about 23.5 MPG. The only real negative I have is the instrumentation. Pretty basic.

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  2007 Mercury Montego Premier - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Tim Lange - June 28 - 12:06 pm

  Bought it with 14,000 already on the car. Chose it over Buick Le Sabre/Lucerne and similar Oldsmobile. It has higher seats was easier to get in and out of. Gas mileage seems poor, I never push it hard and never exceed speed limits, but on a trip of 60mph all day I get at best 24mpg. Most driving is in town, so mileage is usually 19mpg. Ride is excellent, visibility is good, Im very happy I bought it.