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:

• 

  Bargain - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Purley - June 27 - 10:00 am

  Purchased used for about $11,000 after my 1996 Grand Marquis was stolen. Fifteen months and 25,000 miles the only repair has been a turn signal bulb. 320 lbs of sand in the trunk makes winter driving ok despite RWD. It is very comfortable and the AC and heater work exceptionally well. Road noise is moderate. The interceptor package makes handling pretty good and passing acceleration outstanding. I average 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. I get grief because its an old mans car but have lots of extra money to spend on other things. Like the 1996, it occasionally feels a bit loose over uneven surfaces.

• 

  My new Montego - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Diana McNeil - June 26 - 8:43 pm

  This is a great new american product from Ford Motor. I have only owned Ford products for the past 20+ years. This is the very best I have ever driven. I cant imagine why anyone would ever buy an import now.

• 

  "Wow!" On Initial Quality - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Joe Frances - June 23 - 6:10 am

  Just got started a couple of weeks ago with my I-4 Premier Milan, but it is wonderful! The new car quality reports are not wrong. This is a well-built car with tons of features. I bought a "loaded" models with NAV and backup camera. I love it. It feels solid, strong and responsive. Theres a touch of engine noise, but to my ears, its a nice throttle growl not a straining sound. With the radio going its hardly noticeable, and does not impede conversation at all. After the "Cash for Clunkers" program, it took a long time to get this car, but I am glad I waited. The color is Smokestone, and it is beautiful. I am a very proud and happy owner.

• 

  mercury granmaquis ls ultimate - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By e.l.sanders - June 23 - 5:03 am

  ive owned a 1987/1998/granmarquis- these is by far the best g/m ever!-i get 26-28 on highway with 5 people- around town drops to 14.5-17--not bad 4 4,000 pound car.handling is big improvement-can go around h/way exit curves&speed up, no need for brakes like older g/marquis.ride&comfort r 1st class-ac&heat r perfect&fast auto temp works great-reg gas a big plus!

• 

  We love this car - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By slosbelm - June 17 - 6:33 am

  We find the exhaust makes somewhat of a rumbling noise more so than our previous 2000 vehicle. We experience less outside noise than the previous car. The ride is quite smooth although rough roads have a little bumpiness to the ride but certainly within acceptable limits. The compass over the rear view mirror has saved many tempers and the garage door opener is very handy. The leather seats are very nice but take a little getting used to. We would reccommend this vehicle especially for distance driving.

• 

  Watch Out - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Patrick - June 16 - 7:00 pm

  I can say that I do like my new Mountaneer, but be warned have the dealership check out the instrument cluster before you leave. I bought mine with 23 miles on it, two days later it was in the shop having a new instrument cluster put in. Even having the new instrament cluster put in, they still had problems with it and it still sits there now after 4 days! Hopefully this will be the only problem I will have as I have always had good luck with Ford products.

• 

  Where does the Gas Go?? - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By NJ Mitch - June 14 - 12:43 pm

  I just purchased my 09 coming out of a 07 Mariner. Both trucks are night and day. I have a fully loaded Mariner ,some days I do not want to stop driving. Only issue is fuel economy. I am getting close to 270 miles per tank and that is with 75% hwy driving. I am hoping this is the break in period and will improve. This is the best bang for your buck in SUV class. Kudos to Ford for making such drastic improvements and driver friendly features. Oh did I mention the Sync package with Nav, oh it is one of the best I have seen. It does things my friends Lexus wishes it could!

• 

  2009 AWD MMH - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By bikerrich - June 7 - 2:50 pm

  Had it about a month now; enjoying the mileage and the kick of trying to keep it on battery. Nice car for the price. A bit wallowy. Cant take curves at 60. Suspension needs some improvement. Brake pedal feels fine, dont notice any difference from my other cars.

• 

  lo e my mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By KS connection - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Excellent would recomend to all I see and that would listen

• 

  All smiles - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By hp6465us - June 7 - 10:00 am

  I test drove a bunch of cars, including alot of Europians like Mercedes and BMW,and although the models I drove undoubtedly out performed this car, They lacked the inside room and comfort. But for the money, there is no competition for the Marauder. Some other American sedans are slightly better off the line, but once she gets moving, the handling and road feel are beyond anything GM or Chrysler has to offer. And yes, even including that utterly disappointing, uncomfortable, tub of goo Monte Carlo SS.