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:

• 

  Mountaineer - 1999 Mercury Mountaineer
  By robertn78 - January 9 - 10:00 am

  After looking at Explorers for a couple of weeks, we found that there were way too many options and interior and exterior colors. Finding a V8 with grey interior and good options was impossible. We found the Mountaineer to have all the upgrades we wanted and had more of a luxury feel. The head lights, tail lights, and grill set it apart from the Explorer. The V6 is powerful, but if you tow or just love power (like me), you have to get the 5.0 V8.

• 

  tired of buzz boxes - 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Dave - January 9 - 3:05 am

  I bought this after my Audi blew up. This car used was about the same price as to repair German engineering. I drive it on a whim and twenty minutes later fell in love with it. Faster more comfortable, definably a better experience. I wont even miss all the red led lighting on The Audi or the crazy maintenance costs. Car may look like a land yacht but its really a Ford muscle car in disguise! Get em while ya can kids.

• 

  97 merc mtnr - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By buzzbaylor - January 7 - 2:00 am

  Consider the 97 Mercury Mountaineer as one of the best cars I have owned. Would buy another one if I could get as good a deal as I did on this one.

• 

  worst car ive owned - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By prpcpd - January 6 - 8:00 pm

  will never buy another ford again. be ready to drop alot of money on repairs. everytime car hits the shop(which was often), be ready to spend at least $1000. tires are ridiculous, and mpg sucks (i got 15.6).

• 

  Been a good car thus far - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By atxredhead - January 6 - 12:38 pm

  We bought this Milan in Sept 2010 with 36,000 miles on it. We have put approximatly 20,000 miles on it already and we havent had any problems. Transmitions fine...Gas mileage is decent, its comfortable and roomy (even with two car seats in back) I have notices one thing though, when I first start it the RPMs run high, but if I give it a second (literaly) they go back down to normal. Certainly the best used car Ive ever had. My husband missed the "get up and go" of our 3.9 liter Impala that we had before it, but we have two kids and Im not trying to haul ass around town or anything, so its perfect. I LOVE the side cutain airbags, makes me feel like the kids are safe! Good car thus far!

• 

  Mariner classy vehicle - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Kevin - January 3 - 10:16 pm

  This car is really a great little SUV It is fun to drive. It has power to get up and go. The interior is really sharp looking .The body is great looking the front of it with all the chrome makes it look that much more classy . Try it you will like it.

• 

  Very good return on investment - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By Mike B. Beats - January 3 - 3:33 am

  I purchased mine in 02 with 46K on it for 6500. In my opinion, I couldnt have spent my money more wisely on a car. I got everything I wanted in the car besides a cd player. It gave me roughly 100K miles with minimal problems. The trans went out at 145K and it costs to much to repair, given the value of the car, but its a great car otherwise. the heat/AC is stellar. The HP is good. It doesnt handle the best, but were not racing here. The inside is very comfortable, and my favorite part is that it doesnt draw any negative attention. It is difficult to steal too, which is always a bonus. For the money you spend, you get a good product in return. this car is a road warrior.

• 

  Stylish, affordable car - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By SteveEE - January 1 - 10:00 am

  This car is serving us well so far, It has a comfy, big interior. A somewhat smooth ride thats usually disturbed only by the worst bumps. Passing power is good and the engine is smooth when warmed up but kind of raggy sounding when its cold.

• 

  good value - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By mbailey1 - December 31 - 12:46 am

  When comparing this model to what else was out there this van with the rebates and year discounts made it a worthwhile purchase. Only problem in the short period we have had the van is that the freon in the air was low and didnt cool correctly. There wasnt a leak just improperly filled at the factory.

• 

  Mariner handles like a dream - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By D. Bryant - December 28 - 11:40 pm

  Just purchased the Mercury Mariner 4wd and love it. This is the second snow storm in two weeks, and it handles perfectly thru the heavy conditions. The last two days Ive insisted that my wife drive it to work for her safety. It does handle like a car not stiff like the Explorer we had last.