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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  HEAD TURNER - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By bad by choice - July 15 - 2:00 am

  This auto is a real head turner.Big and bold styling.The chrome wheels and metallic red paint drew rave reviews from family and freinds.The bucket seats are very supportive especially with the lumbar support.This auto has 302 horses from a 281 cubic inch engine.What more could you ask for! ABS,TRACTION CONTROL and great detail inside and out.Big by nature and a lot of fun to drive.

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  Sable 24V - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By Arrow - July 15 - 2:00 am

  The 24V DOHC engine is extremely smooth, quiet and pulls this solidly built car to highway speeds quickly and without fuss. The interior room and trunk volume are exceptional and unmatched by the foreign competition. The traction control takes a little getting used as compared to my two previous Sables without this feature, but is extremely effective on snow and ice. Who needs a vehicle to haul around all those 4WD mechanicals all the time? The leather interior is top- notch and the power sunroom adds a new dimension to my motoring. I would highly recommend this Georgia-built car to anyone looking for value in well- built car.

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  Reliable - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Chris - July 14 - 8:06 pm

  I have a 2001 Grand Marquis LS and it is a very reliable car even with over 174,000 miles on it. The only things that kept this thing from starting was a few bad alternators and at about 170,000 miles a bad ignition switch. The gas mileage in this thing is a killer. I get about 15 city and 22 highway, but I dont drive like the car is made for, a grandma. For a V8 this cars horsepower is way less than impressive, most V6s and a lot of l4s nowadays have more power than it. If you want a safe, reliable family car then the Grand Marquis is the way to go. If I were to buy it again I would rebuild it to how Ford should have.

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  97 Cougar - 1997 Mercury Cougar
  By jcp - July 13 - 10:00 am

  I have had no problems with the car. The V8 accelerates well and smoothes out on the highway. The car has a stiffer sport suspension option that handles nice. Leather is a good fit for the interior. The exterior is a plus with the pearl paint finish.

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  Mels Review - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Mel - July 11 - 4:40 am

  I have only had this vehicle for a week. However I feel it is a good and reliable vehicle. It is also very classy looking. I had an Expedition prior to this and it was not good on gas at all. I can truly tell a difference.

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  Excellent Choice for us - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By stevensample - July 8 - 10:46 am

  Our family bought a Monterey to help move my college bound daughters. We were sold on its design and functions, especially the huge area of cargo space. we fit in a 88" couch and moved kids from central Illinois to Wisconsin with easy. The ride is superior and the features are wonderful. We are currently downsizing and this vehicle is doing the job again. Beat any pick up truck, and can be quickly converted into a seven passenger van with little effort and luxury appearance and feel.

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  Reliable car good value - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By marquis97 - July 8 - 5:03 am

  I bought a Marquis for my son 5 years ago for $2700 and was in perfect shape with clean title. It had 72000 miles on it. Since then he put 142000 miles on car. Had some repairs over the 5 years that I believe are common on Marquis. Replaced intake manifold(Rock auto) Has to replace front ball joints and tie rod. Had to replace window actuator on driver side door. Replaced battery and just recently replaced rear bearing. Fortunately I was able to do these repairs myself otherwise they would cost a lot of money in my area. Bought parts through Rock Auto, Autozone & Advanced Auto.

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  Milan delivers - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By baugie - July 7 - 4:43 pm

  Just picked up new Milan last week. Drove around town and on 5 hour wkend trip, and it didnt disappoint. Very comfortable seats, smooth quiet ride. Decent mileage (upper 20s) for driving 80+ mph. Overall, the style of the Milan is very supple. From the aggressive front end to the two-toned interior, I feel as though I am in slightly more elegant environment. It has some flaws such as an audiophile stereo w/out the resonance I would expect. The interior w/ sunroof is not built for a taller person as I have to adjust my seating (Im 66"). The engine shifts very quickly from 1st thru 3rd gears. However, I am very satisifed with the car and hope the reliability holds up.

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  Probably good for another 200,000 miles - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Chris - July 6 - 9:43 pm

  What more could I ask for? I dont want all the techno crap and I dont want to bump my elbow every other minute, which I seem to do in smaller cars. Granted, the cupholder is only just usable and the car could use a bit more storage in the front seat area. But you know what-I like every other aspect of this car just fine. I like its heft without being too hefty and I like how it moves. The rack and pinion steering is precise and the air suspension is great without totally isolating you from road feel. Leather, air ride, quality construction and a good stereo. For what I paid for a virtually new car with only 22K miles, I could never get a better deal.

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  Cant Say Enough About This Vehicle! - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By kaerae01 - July 5 - 4:20 pm

  I work as a supervisor in the construction industry and was looking for something that could climb over "anything and everything" and through snowy mountains. Got exactly what I wanted with this. It zooms past other larger vehicles, although I did get the V6 Premium model. Got a great deal on it too, so dont limit yourselves to the base model as the premium is more affordable than one would think! Will keep this till it kicks the bucket. Had a Chevy Tracker prior and it couldnt hold a candle to this, and before that a Mercury Tracer. Love this as much as I did my Tracer.