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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  I Love My Grand Marquis - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Happy Owner - March 30 - 3:10 pm

  I have always owned American cars, so I can not compare the quality and value of this car to a foreign one. Having said that, I cant imagine any other car offering the quality and value this car has. I have put 67,000 miles on my car in just under 4 years (it now has 135,000) and it runs just as strong as a new one. I have only used premium fuel in my car and consistently average 25 miles per gallon in combined driving. I am very happy with my car.

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  Awesome Vehicle! - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Chris - March 29 - 7:53 pm

  I absolutely love the new Mariner. Rides great. I4 is kind of loud, but its okay. Huge moonroof! Ride quality is great. Great looking, awesome stereo. Excellent price for what you get.

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  Best EVER - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By navygrl183 - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Out of all the SUVs-this is the one to have! It is excellent inside and out. You cant go wrong with a Ford made SUV. Better than another SUV around. If you are looking for an SUV that closely resembles the Lincoln Navigator or the Aviator, but you dont want to spend that much money-then this is the SUV for you! Look no further!

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  Marauder fun - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By bigpapaC - March 26 - 2:00 am

  The pick up is excellent, faster that of 1996 Imapala SS. Ihave raced 3 or 4 on the streets of Detroit, none have even came close to winning. Loud pipes, chrome wheels, and dark tents, make the Marauder a head turner, and a favorite with tennage boys

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  mercury marauder 2003 - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By nonie - March 26 - 2:00 am

  overall great, except side mirrors are too high and limit turning visibility.

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  A Great Car - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Harlan M - March 26 - 2:00 am

  I love the electronics on the car, it is equal to a much higher priced car. Auto temp control is great.

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  Great new car - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By eric - March 24 - 1:13 pm

  This is the best car ive been in, in its class. Beautiful in and out. Smooth ride, handling, and very comfortable.

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  Great Car - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By sandy - March 21 - 11:56 pm

  Bought the car used, 10+ years ago, with 25000 mls on it. Car now has over 276,000+ miles. It consistently gets 21 mpg. We recently took a 1000 mile trip and got 29 mpg. Getting old and having some problems but has been a GREAT car!!! Will probably replace with a used, NOT new style, model.

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  Had to be a 5-speed manual - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Rich Lee - March 19 - 5:36 am

  So far, I am very pleased with my Milan Premier. The Milan is a best-kept secret. I had picked out an Alloy Fusion SEL but just couldnt go through with it. Odd- looking fog lights. So, I located a black/black Premier about 100 miles away, brought the print-out to my local dealership, and they arranged to have it delivered. During my first day, I continued to hear conflicting info RE: outside temp display. I called the service dept, and they told me where it was. Press EXT on the auto climate center. The gas mileage has inceased to 24 after 600 miles and is continuing to improve.

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  My Mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By dhalliburton - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I love my Mountaineer. It fits me to the T. I wished all SUVs got better gas mileage but what do you expect? My children like it too. As a matter of fact, my son picked it out. Thanks Mercury.