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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  No.3 - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Carl T - May 20 - 6:16 pm

  Nice ride in bad weather is a plus.This is the 3rd mountaineer I have owned the previous 2 have given me many miles of fun. This years model is by far the best of the bunch.

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  Mariner - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By stephaniewesztergom - May 20 - 2:50 am

  It is a noisy drive. Extremely poor fuel efficiency. Uncomfortable. The rear seats are supposed to fold flat to make a larger cargo area. Good luck with this feature. The seats do not fold. They lean forward making the "feature" obsolete! I am 22 months into my 39 month lease and I am trying to find a way to get out of this vehicle. I am very disappointed as my previous expereince with Mercury made me try the Mariner. Not again!

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  Great little car - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By terry.pittman - May 19 - 11:00 pm

  easy all around fun car to drive, very responsive steering goes exactly where you point it and hugs the road. good visability from all points. this car gives you a secure feeling with a quiet smooth ride. get the LS model the engine alone is worth it.

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  Quality Not Job One - 1997 Mercury Cougar
  By Mike Harris - May 19 - 2:00 am

  Be aware of Fords 3.8L engines. They are widely known to have defective head gaskets. Recallled for 92, 94 & 95 but not 97. This includes Mustang, Thunderbird, Taurus, and Cougar. Premature failure, usually just after experation of Factory 3yr./36000mile warranty.

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  After you hit 100,000 miles - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By william1971 - May 18 - 10:40 am

  After you hit 100,000 miles a lot of the parts need to be replaced. I notice the parts on the car are cheaper when I replace these parts the replacement parts were made better I had to replace the lower ball joints sway bar links and bushing, hoses, belts, axles bearings, transmission but one thing it has a great motor paid 2000 dollars at 73,000 miles for the car put 3000 dollars after it reach 100,000 miles

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  Trust the Editor rating - 2001 Mercury Villager
  By Luck - May 15 - 5:20 pm

  This is a third set of front brake already; the vehicle has less than 40K miles. EOM brake pad will last up to 20- 25K miles in normal driving condition. Cost $350 plus for the brake service each time. After the car being parked for more than eight hours at work (in the Winter time) Temperature gauge showed the engine is over heated right after the ignition was turned on. Now, I often seeing the temperature gauge jump from normal range to hot range and back and forth from normal driving condition. Water gets in headlights assembly. Two rear tires have radial crack. Rushed Roof rack track on Driver side. A/C light switch

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  Fun to drive - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By PghHybrid - May 12 - 3:26 pm

  Ive owned my Mariner Hybrid for a little over two weeks, got 37mpg out of first tank, 34mpg with highway and city on second tank. Very impressed with this vehicle, love the Nav with Sync and Sirius. Mercury hit a home run with this one. Rides very nice, comfortable with loads of front leg room.

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  purchase only if youre rich - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By phantomrogue - May 10 - 8:20 pm

  i can not tell you how bad this car is...i bought it used with 65000 miles on it thinking that it wouldnt give me any problems, because i knew someone who owned one. the repair list is as follows: the tie rod ends went on the car. my mechanic was suprised that i was actually able to drive it without the front axel dropping out. the steering rack went, along with the starter that had to be replaced 2x. and now my mechanic thinks the flywheel needs to be replaced. the sunroof broke, and i had to fix it myself, cause i think youre out of your mind if you are gonna spend over $1000 to get it fixed. the upper and lower intake manifolds went and had to be replaced along with the gaskets.

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  Reliableness - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By saget222 - May 10 - 8:13 pm

  Great reliable car. When over 115,000 problems may start to occur, in my case anyway. Can really get what you pay for with this car. Bought with 80,000 and didnt have a single problem for over 4 years.

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  It is fun to drive not just a ride! - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By BG - May 9 - 12:03 pm

  Although I only have 1000 miles and have owned the Milan for only a month, I am completly satisfied. What a fun car to drive here in the hills of Western Mass on our rural roads. I like the economy of the four cylinder with a five speed stick, but the real pleasure is it is fun to drive. The Premier with leather and moon roof gives it a touch of class over the cheap interior of similar priced imports