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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  Poised to Revitalize the Mercury Brand - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By MilanBrandon - January 14 - 8:33 pm

  Afer driving this highly satisfying Tuxedo Black vehicle for the past month, I am , firmly convinced that it is among the greatest cars Ive ever driven. The V6 engine with optional AWD has plenty of power for my daily driving conditions and can pass slow- moving Toyota Priuses with ease. On top of it all, the vehicles exterior is quite eye-catching; especially after I purchased chrome Milan VOGA appliques, badges, and grille to replace the satin-aluminum accents (which were beautiful as well). The interior is the standard, charocal black. It handles well on both the city and the highway. With all of the added options, I feel like Im driving a car that rivals most luxury brands.

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  Buy American - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Ford Person - January 14 - 5:40 am

  This car is the 5th trouble free Ford product that I have bought. I paid $10,000 less than what a relative paid for a Toyata Camry. Never has been back to the dealer for repairs and the workmanship is great. On long runs with the cruise set and at 75 mph I have gotten 30 mph. The best thing I have to say is but American.

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  Cool - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Chris - January 13 - 3:06 pm

  Smooth Quite ride. I test drove the 2006 Rav and CRV and found the Mariner to be much more luxurious than others.

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  A Great Ride. - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Tony G - January 13 - 7:10 am

  I have been very pleased with the ride, handling and performance of my Mountaineer, for an SUV. Fuel economy is great for the class of SUV it is in. I routinely get 19-21 MPG highway. My only gripe at all was with the design of the rear storage compartment. It should be able to go flat and not be on a slant. Aside from that minor beef it has given me 36K miles of outstanding service.

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  New Mariner - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Michael - January 11 - 7:13 pm

  We bought the Mariner right after the holidays, so weve had a month with it and absolutely love it. Very comfortable ride and quiet, almost like a car. We were hesitantly traded in our aging subaru outback, but now couldnt be happier. Exterior styling is excellent. We opted not to get the luxury enhancement package and comfort package (which would add power seat, driver message center, auto headlights), but we dont miss them. The manual driver seat is plenty adjustable for me and my wife to both drive comfortably, and the car is still very functional without the other features.

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  Love my Mariner! - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By BK2010 - January 11 - 7:40 am

  My M.M is much more than I thought it would be. The big rebates/incentives and good gas mileage (for an SUV) were huge motivators in my decision to purchase a M.M. I was surprisingly shocked at how much I like this SUV. My MPG gauge tells me I am getting 27, great, smooth ride, love the interior & the sun roof. An extra plus is the sync system which I have finally mastered.

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  Mercury Marquis Luxury Car - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By VPaul - January 11 - 2:00 am

  I loved my Lincoln Town Car I bought in 1989 and was confident the baby Lincoln (my marquis) would be as good. I am comfortable with it an there has been a few mechanical and electrical issues, but overall, I love it. Only spent $2,883.95 on maintenance/repairs since acquiring it in March, 1997. The damn catalytic converter croaked and it would cost $2000 to repair it. The hell with that!

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  Overall great car to play with - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By cmarek - January 10 - 3:30 pm

  This beastly ride is great! It may not have the initial tire-chirping torque that marks a true muscle car, however it does get up to speed quite quickly and keeps up better with traffic than its crown vic, police interceptor, or grand marquis brethren. Not to mention the leather seats are comfortable and make you feel very relaxed, and the car rides smooth down the highway thanks to the self-leveling air suspension in the back. This car is a real head turner also, even bone stock cause its one you dont see everyday unless you personally own one like me :D. This ride is a great keeper for anyone who is lucky enough to have one.

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  better than most - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By myquest - January 9 - 10:00 am

  Working as a courier, it is imperative that I have a reliable vehicle. One that I can run the heck out of and still count on for tomorrow. I had to replace the transmission at 190,000 and currently have almost 230,000. This includes carrying loads of up to 2000 lbs. Starting to have some issues now, so I just bought another one. Its a Nissan Quest- built Ford tough.

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  Big and Quick - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By SprepnS601 - January 9 - 10:00 am

  I have now had this for 8 months and I truly love this vehicle. There is two and only two cons about this choice, in the V8 fuel economy, and second, not the easiest thing to parallel park, without the backup sensors. Other than that it has an excellent value and features for the money, and a great resale value as of now.