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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  I love my car - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By W_Sh3a_J - September 4 - 7:33 pm

  Even with my Cougar being a salvage, its awesome. I fixed/replaced some things, all parts were cheap, except getting the reverse fixed. Now my car is all good! And yes, the heater/air is excellent - its real powerful! My Cougar has dual overheads too and they say its rare and that its fast! Also my Cougar is beautiful! Plus, it looks small but its roomy with a big trunk for my system.

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  Will never buy another - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By TONY - September 3 - 4:23 pm

  I have owned MGM since 1992 (that was the best I owned) Purchased the 08 brand new, I took the car in for oil change and to check out a noise at 2100 miles, 9 days later I had new engine installed! The Ford rep actually instructed the service manager to take the engine apart and repair it. Only after much shouting and going back and forth did the service manager convince Ford to give me a complete new factory engine. This will be the last MGM I will ever own.

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  G-Man loves his Grand Marquis - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mercury Man - September 3 - 2:33 am

  I bought this car for my 40th birthday. It had 76,000 miles on the odometer. And the car was in PERFECT condition. As a Dad with 3 kids in the house, safety is number one. I paid $6,500 FOR THE CAR AND HAVE CONSIDERED THIS CAR THE BEST i HAVE EVER OWNED. It isnt the prettiest. But, I KNOW I could put 200,000 miles on this car. I just put a new set of Goodyear Eagle GTs on this car and it handles great. And for the harshe winters here in southern Michiagan, the car is exceptional.

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  2000 Grand Marquis LS - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Fred Nelson - September 2 - 8:13 am

  I bought this car used in 2003 and it had only 9,200 miles on it. It now has 100,000 miles on it. The actual repair costs have been less than $1,000. I get 21 MPG around town and 25 MPG on the highway at 70 MPH. Its, without question, the best car I ever owned. I cant understand why Ford is discontinuing manufacture of the Mercury line. I guess they are trying to force us into "golf cart" cars.

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  Ford/Mercury Greatest Achiement - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By Bill Palermo - August 30 - 3:56 pm

  When I first turn the ignition key on I expected to hear the gas engine come to life. Instead the EV System quietely allopwed me to drive at a in city speed of 30 mph. When accelerating the engine seamlessly engages without labor or hesitation. The ecvt transmission is smooth and dont expect to feel any shifting. The enterior design is elegant and the leather seats are very comfortable. Air climate control is quick and responsive to weather conditions. Steering is very agile and responsive. Outside noises are at a minimum. Great engineering job by Fords Engineers.

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  This SUV is underated! - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By fairlanecobra - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This SUV is great. We looked at several others, ie Pilot, Highlander etc. While slighty more expensive the feel of the SUV is so much better than the others, very comforrtable and space for every thing the family needs. Ride is great and very quite.

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  Disappointed in new Mercury - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By B. Haworth - August 27 - 6:36 pm

  I bought a new Mercury Grand Marquis Premium LS about 2 weeks ago. I had it up to Interstate speed earlier this week and discovered that the wind and tire noise are horrible. It is so loud that it drowns out the radio. I took it back to the dealer who claims to have test drove it along with another new Mercury. He claimed the other new car noise was as loud or louder than my car. His conclusion was that the noise was a design flaw and there was nothing he could do. I have a hard time believing Mercury would manufacture a vehicle with this much driving noise, but apparently they did. I cannot and will not recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Best Family Value! - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Jon - August 26 - 10:00 am

  I got a LS Premium in Red with a gold Pinstripe that makes it look very attractive. I have the optional Duratec engine That is very powerful and is good for passing people on the highway. It also gets pretty good gas mileage. Rides very smooth and decently quiet inside. The leather is great and the seats are very supportive. Lots of trunk room too. Great for if you have three kids.

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  Best Family Value! - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By jon - August 26 - 10:00 am

  I got a LS Premium in Red with a gold Pinstripe that makes it look very attractive. I have the optional Duratec engine That is very powerful and is good for passing people on the highway. It also gets pretty good gas mileage. Rides very smooth and decently quiet inside. The leather is great and the seats are very supportive. Lots of trunk room too. Great for if you have three kids.

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  Ask the Man who Owns one - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Happy Owner - August 22 - 5:40 am

  Cant understand the bad reviews that the power trains get on these cars. Being a auto mech I was impressed with the power of the 4cyl. The workmanship in this car is perfect and would compare to any higher priced car. This is a great car for the American public and for the price it sure is a buy. Buy Ford Products