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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  Marauder Rocks! - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By robleyw - January 4 - 2:00 am

  Finally a full size sedan with performance. Simply awesome!

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  Good buy - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Konrad 2002 - January 2 - 10:00 am

  I bought a year old Sable in 2003. I like the comfortable seats and well designed interior. Handles well on any surface. Good audio system and excellent radion reception. Good car for family or everyday driving. Had a misfortune of a battery going bad on a 2.5 year old car, and had to buy a new one. Other than that, so far, it has been a reliable and fun car to drive.

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  Fantastic Vehicle!! - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By pop123 - January 2 - 10:00 am

  this mercury mountaineer is a great vehicle to drive.... great features, powerful engine...and luxury package is the best! Thanks MERCURY!

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  Upscale Musclecar - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Blue Marauder - January 2 - 10:00 am

  Great combination of performance and comfort for a daily driver. Low production figures. Frequent compliments given by total strangers.

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  GREAT MINI VAN - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By TEC - January 2 - 10:00 am

  great vehicle - great NVH - GREAT FUEL ECONOMY - GREAT PERFORMNCE - GREAT SPACE FOR LONG TRIPS - GREAT FEATURES- INFO CTR.-FOLDING REAR SEAT- JUST A FUN TO DRIVE CAR

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  ...crazy bout my Mercury - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Chugalug - January 2 - 10:00 am

  I just purchased our Mariner for my wife on 10/04/2004. We chose the Mariner because of the refinement and class that it has. This is more upscale than the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute. There are also far fewer Mariners out there for now. The quality exceeds our expectations. Handleing and performance are exceptional as well. The fit and finish are excellent too. I am a tall big guy and I fit in the Mariner with ease and am very comfortable. There is also plenty of back seat leg and head room. Great lighting from headlights and fog/driving lights. The ride is smooth and responsive.

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  "Runaway Dream Mercury" - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mercury Man - January 1 - 7:40 pm

  This Mercury is a Lincoln with a ten- thousand dollar discount! It is crisp in performance,tight in all the right places, the paint is flawless, the fuel economy aint bad either! Wow....what a looker, and engine performance seems to have a hefty rocket under the hood. There is some road noise at highway speed, but Lincoln is a bit noisey too! You can not go wrong with this product, as this is like an expensive wine, at premium beer prices, so go see your favorite dealer A.S.A.P!

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  Best value for the money - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Aimee - December 30 - 2:36 pm

  I Bought this car not even knowing what a Milan was. This truly is a great car. After driving a Honda Accord as a rental for a week, the Milan is far superior over the Accord. I love everything about this car. Would advise test driving one if you are in the market for a new car. I got every option and all of it works well as it is intended to.

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  Go buy one - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By JAC - December 25 - 6:16 pm

  Me and my wife just bought a Mariner and we love it. This is our first SUV. It has great visibility, and is roomy. Has good pick up with the V6, and rides nice. It looks good inside and out. If your looking to get a small/mid size SUV check out the Mariner.

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  Ultimate Grand Marquis - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mike Elliott - December 25 - 10:00 am

  This is an excellent automobile for the consumer looking for confort at an affordable price. The gas mileage is acceptable as it averages about 20 mpg on regular fuel and around 28 mpg on the highway. It has plenty of power for passing and driving in mountains. I personally prefer the rear wheel drive over frontwheel drive as it handles much better. The rear air suspension really smooths the ride. It is so quiet that the driver hears hardly any wind or road noise. The only thing I would change are the inside door handles. They should be chromed metal and not the hard plastic, after all this is the ultimate Grand Marquis. .