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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  excellent suv - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By STEVE - May 28 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Mountaineer for 2,500 miles now and I am as happy with it as I was when I left the lot. I have had no problems except the CD player acting up. the drive, the handling, the looks inside/out, the quality and firmness of ride is outstanding. Rides as well as the Land Rover for 2x the price of the Mountaineer and I like the styling better. Its fun to drive, stable and the front end stands out as a dressy explorer. I have gotten lots of compliments on it as you dont see many on the road. One reason why I like the Mountaineer.

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  BEST AMERICAN car you can buy! - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By John - May 27 - 5:30 pm

  Bought this car in Jan, Wanted a Crown Vic. but couldnt find any.. No-one was selling them.. Settled for this.. basically the same car.. More Luxury than I Needed. but thats just another plus to this car.. Got it with 39,000 miles on it. had it for almost 10 months. and now have 54,000 on it.. Ive own Foreign Hondas, volkswagons, Mitshubshis. Nothing compares to this car.. its just built to LAST. i can tell. I beat on this car. and it takes anything i can give it.. And the Gas mileage isnt bad either for a 3800 pound car.. 21.5 mpg on average! If youre thinking about one. BUY IT! dont hesitate. there arent many of them left! enjoy them while you still can..

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  great car - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Rick Sowder - May 27 - 2:16 am

  I bought the car just to have an extra car around for family transportation emergencys with over 100k miles, it has become our extended familys favorite vehicle,great car,great value.

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  I Love It! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Lauren - May 25 - 5:23 am

  I have had my car for a year and a half and I absolutely love it! I havent had any problems at all. I love the design and everything about it. Nice big trunk, a lot bigger than a lot of people think. Gas mileage isnt the best, but it is a V6, so what do you expect? We have previously had Hondas and Toyotas and this car is so much better than any Honda or Toyota we have had. The seats are incredibly comfortable and we actually take this car on long trips rather than our CRV. It handles really well and the cruise is right on. Very smooth ride and you cant even feel it shift. I would recommend this car to anyone!

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  2007 Mercury Mountaineer Premier V8 AWD - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Justin - May 24 - 9:03 am

  The Mercury Mountaineer is a great suv the ride and handling is excellent the V8 power is superb and the comfort is great and from what i can see the leather and other interior materials are great quality and the navigation system is cool and the power moon roof and the Sirius Satellite Radio are awesome and the rear parking sensors come in handy when parallel parking and i am just really happy with my Mountaineer its been great so far not a problem and everything on it works great and its a great price for what you get mine was only $38,500 and the Honda Pilot with all the same equipment was over $40,000 so i got a great vehicle and a great deal i highly recommend the Mercury Mountaineer V8 ..

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  Me and My Wife Love It - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Jordan - May 24 - 6:00 am

  Me and my wife recently purchased a 2006 Mercury Milan Premier V6 after looking at the Lincoln Zephyr and Ford Fusion and to us the Milan was the Best For the money it has the best looking exterior out of the three and i like the the all black leather interior with the nice looking wood grain accents and the 221 HP V6 is speedy and gets great gas mileage and the interior is also quite roomy although headroom could be better and the trunk is a good size and i like the bright LED taillights and the Sleek Front Design and to me this is the best car in the midsize car segment and by far the best for the money so i highly reccommend the Mercury Milan because its great

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  2005 Mercury - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Bob Pollock - May 21 - 6:30 pm

  No problems to date - wifes car so it is not driven daily. Have had two (2) 500 mile trips - mileage just now getting up to rated - 28 / 29 mpg highway. Like the six speed auto - very smooth. Good looks outside and inside. Lots of room in back seat and trunk area. Could use more power but the six speed helps the 3 liter engine perform fairly well.

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  From Suburban to Mariner - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By jbrooksws - May 21 - 9:46 am

  We have always had suburbans and decided to go small for insurance and economy. Wanted to go with hybrid, but replacement battery is $8000 and initial car price too high. Really good car. 4 cylinder is OK but look at the gas mileage. Seats are too short for thigh, but heated leather is good. Wish Ford would make 6 way power for all. Averaging 24 mpg in city 28 on highway. No maintenance issues so far and we have 8000 miles on car. We have been to beach and mountains no issue. Have not noticed that car is particularly noisy or that fans are noisy. Have had two or three "clunks" when shifting. Decided I need to come to complete stop before shifting. We would buy again.

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  good economy car - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By Fibbo - May 18 - 10:00 am

  I personally like it, I have the 5 speed manual 2.5L V6 and it gets where its going.

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  Not a Ford man but I like my Cougar. - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Just Curious - May 18 - 1:23 am

  Bought with Sport Package option which means the 16" tires, V-6, sport cloth interior, fog lights, spoiler, rear wiper and 4-wheel disc brakes. This car also came with ABS, auto, and traction control. We have had it for 5000 miles and have yet to put a dime into it. The road noise was a bit much but I switch from the Firehawk tires to Dunlop SP Sport A2s and it is extremely quiet now. The windows tend to creak but this is because they dont have a window frame.