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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  Rave review - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Eaglefan - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Im about to return my Mountaineer after a 33 mo lease and Im going to miss everthing but the fuel mileage. Ford did a terrific job with the quality of this vehicle. I had a few problems with the radio but that was fixed under warranty. I had more probelms with a Hinda I bought afterward than I had with this Ford. I recommend the vehicle for any bad weather region. It was great to have and fun to drive. Nice job Ford!

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  Very Disappointed - 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By upset-grandma - June 23 - 8:53 am

  Very disappointed with the quality vs. value. Wanted to get rid of it within 2 months, but now very upside down on loan (because a lousy quality vehicle) and now have to keep until loan is paid down! Which makes me dislike it more! Outside too big, inside too small, ride is very rough. Just stuck with a lousy car that I dont enjoy driving! The only positive thing about the car, its been dependable. But so have my other cars, which makes us regret the day we bought this car. No wonder the car companies are going bankrupt, the quality is not worth what theyre charging. As soon as its driven away, it immediately drops in value $10,000?? But the new ones are still priced at $27,000??

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  My Cougar - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By cougowner - June 22 - 10:23 pm

  I bought this Cougar as a first car in 2006 and so far it has been a pretty grear car. It is an absolute blast to drive! It could use a smoother ride and a new cup holder! I have recently had some odd issues with my electrical (Gauges act weird when started and mirrors and courtesy light just stopped working.) So far nothing major has gone wrong with it though (crossed fingers!)

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  Wish I Never Sold It - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Harry Nuccio - June 20 - 11:53 pm

  Bought this van used and put 75000 miles on it in 3 years. Sold it when it reached 115000 miles, and replaced it with a 2005 Chrysler Touring. The Mercury was a much better vehicle - especially in the ride comfort department. The Mercury rode quiet and solid. The Chrysler is noisy and you feel every bump in the road. The only complaint with the Mercury was that it was underpowered with a 3.2 (?) engine.

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  2003 MERC - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By FERNANDO - June 20 - 10:00 am

  AS A FAMILY MAN AND MUSCLE CAR BUFF, THE MERCURY MARAUDER IS DEFINETELY MY KIND OF CAR. IT CAN TRANSPORT MY FAMILY IN A SECURE COMFORTABLE WAY TO GRANNYS AND STILL BE AN EYE CATCHER ON A NIGHTLY CRUISE ON THE BLVD...TOO BAD ITS ONLY HAS 302 PONIES!

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  I love my car! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Amanda - June 19 - 1:20 pm

  I have not had my Cougar very long only about a year and I love it, despite the moon roof and the 6 disc cd player dont work, but minor things can be fixed! Otherwise this is a great car! I have a 5 speed and its super fun to drive. They are hot sleek cars that people look at when you drive by! Having the V6 really helps with the outter look! Very sporty reliable car!

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  Expectations exceeded - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Ron - June 18 - 4:03 pm

  Purchased the car mainly for the Mrs. where safety and comfort were a top priority. It has more than exceeded my expectations. I had a Milan as a loner car for about a week and when I picked up the Montego and drove it home the difference noted in just about every aspect of driving was amazingly better. A day/night difference and an eye opener to the quality built into the Montego. Took the Mrs. about a week to get used the CVT which she now raves about.

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  My first car - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By nell523 - June 16 - 1:36 am

  When I first bought the car it only had about 80000 miles on it and I was only using it to commute to work and school. Within the first week of owning the car I had to buy a new battery because I was driving and the car shut off on me. In the end I think it was the alternator because this past summer I had to replace that when the car shut down on me at an intersection (btw I was 9 months pregnant with a small child in the back not the best experience.) Throughout my ownership I have had the routers done, the flywheel and starter replaced and the last thing was the alternator. In the end I donated the car I just didnt feel right selling it to someone with so many problems.

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  Love my car! - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By vicmar - June 15 - 10:00 am

  I have driven Marquis for 10 years. My last had all the bells and whistles Bigger engine, Alum. wheels, etc.) When I saw the Marauder, I knew I had to have one. I purchased it in April, and I love it! Lots of luxury, and alot of power!

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  Replace Transmission - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Kimber - June 13 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! But after owning it only 9 months (purchased used) the transmission went out! No warranty with 39k miles! It has a auto trans so Im not sure how this happened? Now Im stuck with the repair/replacement bills. Will never buy another Mercury again. I bought only after my Mercury sable was a total loss from a guy hitting me. Not a happy Mercury owner right now. Will prob trade off and cut my losses! : (