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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  Classy little truck, dont pass it up - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Chuck - July 31 - 6:23 am

  Overall impression: The exterior of this truck is outstanding.The front and rear fascia make this vehicle classy. Mercury did a great job separating this from the Escape. The interior is equally impressive. The black leather with tan suede inserts steals the show. Truck drives very well, very comfortable, only detractors are tire/driveline noise but its not too bad. You really wont hear it since you will have the mach 360 stereo turned up! Gas mileage is not up to par, hopefully it will improve with more miles on it (averaging 17 mpg city so far).

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  Geatest car ever designed - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By mikecosta - July 31 - 2:00 am

  If you want a quality automobile i suggest that you go ahead and get two.

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  Id buy it again! - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By CSpringsDriver - July 31 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car off the showroom floor in 1996. It now has over 82,000 miles on it and has had no major problems. I drove it from NY to Colorado in 1999 with a fully loaded trunk and 2 dogs in the back seat. The car runs smooth and quiet with plenty of power. I like it because it has lots of interior room and the seats are very comfortable. Im definitely considering buying another Grand Marquis when the time comes to replace it.

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  Go Mountaineer! - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Harry Zechman - July 30 - 10:00 am

  This car is wonderful! We have driven new JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITEDs for the past 8 years. This car makes the Jeep feel like a truck.

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  Great Car for the Price - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By John - July 28 - 2:10 am

  Ive always been a Chevy man, but after they took bailouts from us, I decided to go with the only American manufacturer that didnt take our money. So, looking for a car I decided to try the Merc Milan. I still compared it to the Chevy Malibu, but the Milan was nicer. Plus, the Mercury dealerships are so much more professional than most others. They actually let me take a Milan out and try it for part of a day. I thought it was a great car for the money; it now in my garage.Especially surprising is the city gas mileage. So far, in town only, Im getting over 24 mpg.

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  New big ride - 2005 Mercury Sable
  By peter - July 27 - 1:26 am

  Just having my accident a few weeks before, was looking and not buying but going to a 2004 Nissan Sentra to a bigger car was adjustment. Driving and sitting in the Sable was different than Sentra. Going from 15,900 to 13,900 and 15480 miles on it was a good deal. The leather seating and wood console was class and all around controls were easily on reach. The trunk was huge to me and its a smooth ride

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  2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By berelbr - July 25 - 3:36 pm

  This is a perfect SUV for in-town/suburban driving. I have owned the car for a month and a half and we are averaging 33 mpg (not bad for an AWD SUV). I live 15 miles out of town. Therefore, driving 13 miles on the highway and 2 miles in town I am averaging 33 mpg. There is plenty of cargo space. The back seats fold forward for additional storage space. Overall, this is the best car that I have ever owned.

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  The Perfect Car - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By SGman - July 21 - 12:36 pm

  My Mariner is the perfect car. It has more features for a great price than I ever expected. The interior looks like a European luxury car. Nobody in my family can believe how quick this car is. The exterior is great, with the brushed chrome detailing. No problems with the ice and snow, and it heats up in minutes. All in all, I am using a lot of gas because I cant stay out of it. The gas mileage isnt the greatest, but neither are most SUVs. Even my 6ft.3 brother doesnt complain about the room. My Mariner is the perfect car!

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  Keeper - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By tmouse - July 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car 4 1/2 years. Not one problem. Took 8000 mile trip and it behaved with style. Writers want hot rods and strange styling, but forget why we buy the car. The only competitive car when we bought it was $6000 more.

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  go mercury go! - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By mercury - July 21 - 10:00 am

  Second owned Mercury Sable and 3rd mercury in the family. Very good reliability and styling. Win buy another, 22mpg city needs improvement.