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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  Unhappy - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Unhappy - January 10 - 4:10 pm

  We purchased the Mariner over the Escape because of the nicer interior. The light grey seats seem to hold water stains and other stains and do not clean well. We have a very bad squeak on the rear left side - and drivers side window squeaks loudly when opened. Disappointed.

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  DONT BUY!!!!!! - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By TRICE - December 19 - 1:03 am

  Right now I am waiting for a buyback from Ford on my orginal mountaineer. I have to get another one from them. Issues: (1) transmission constantly skipping; feel transmission switching gears; (2) car has died on me 4x since I purchased; would not start; needed to be towed. If I had my option, I would be looking at another car manufacturer at this time. I wish I could afford the time & an attorney to push forward, but I cannot at this time.

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  1997 Sable GS - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By kain1 - November 30 - 10:00 am

  Vehicle has a chronic shudder in the front end while driving at highway speeds. Replaced CV shafts twice and still has not fixed this problem. May have been a good vehicle when it was new, but has not aged well. Should consider buying its cousin, the Ford Taurus. Although they are basically the same car. Feel the Taurus may be more reliable and less troublesome.

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  Transfer case problems - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Brian - November 4 - 8:23 am

  Nice looking vehicle and drives well for an SUV, however body of vehicle is lacking quality. Mechanically our new vehicle needs a new transfer case and has been leaking transmission fluid like crazy. Also, the roof of the vehicle has many welding defects.

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  A Mercury or a Kia? - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Steven.W. Farell - October 30 - 6:20 am

  this car works like a Kia! Everything is cheap! The ride is jiggilly, the seats are to soft, There is fake wood, the v8 engine doesnt have enough power because it only has 224 HP, The radio and cd player are cheap. this car has very fine leather and is good in bad weather. In 47,000 miles I have had no mechanical problems.

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  Okay SUV - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Maxine - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Mine has a V-8 that gets 10-13 city / 17-20 hwy MPG.I added the Tornado to see if it would help(Very little). I have problems with the anti-theft not letting it start at times which is probably moisture related.I really wanted to buy a 2001 Aztek GT which was fully loaded but was afraid of the glitches of newer model productions.The Aztek was the same price.Even though this Mountaineer is certified.I wish I would have had it inspected at another dealer to have found the problems before I bought it.The dealer that sold it claimed it was checked over.Someone needs to be fired! "Dealer BS"

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  Worst car I have ever owned! - 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By besaolli - October 4 - 1:29 pm

  For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Ford cars; this is my last one! While many of the most important things about this car are good (comfort, handling, reliability, etc.) too many others are awful! The flimsy grill brackets, both visor mirrors, the gear-shift boot, the heavy plastic guard under the bumper . . . all broke or broke off within six months of the warranty ending. In the past several years many other things have mysteriously gone wrong; the headlights only go on if the cars in gear, the "air-conditioner" and heater both only blow HOT air and they blow it whether or not they are turned on! Hot air ALL the time! Im running out of space so Ill just say "Bye Ford!"

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  Glad I didnt pay to get this car! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Art Jackson - September 19 - 10:00 am

  I got it because my father couldnt drive anymore. Styling nice, but has ergonomic issues. Center console hits my leg in an uncomfortable way. Door wont stay open easily. Cup holder is PATHETIC! Radio has VERY weak reception! At about 57000 miles the maintenance headaches started: oil pan gasket leak, catalytic converter replaced, A/C leaked refrigerant, oxygen sensor failed. Oh yeah, at 36500 miles (just barely out of warranty) the C/V joint broke leaving me stranded on a freeway onramp.

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  average car - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Eric - August 24 - 6:36 pm

  Bourght in late summer 03, had 7000 miles on it. This is not a bad car but I would not buy it again. Bought with extended warantee. Went back with paint peeling on front air vents. They said car was in a accident Repainted front bumper. They did not tell me this when I bourght car. Would not make good on warantee. Transmission had to be rebuilt at 35,000 miles. Had better cars.

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  You get what you pay for - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By nobigdl - August 16 - 4:30 am

  This car seemed like a good deal, but after getting used to it I find many annoying items. Like the 2-zone air conditioning is really confusing and doesnt keep the settings when turned off. A/C has already needed major repair. At midday (high sun angle), the glare on the speedo is so bad you cant read it. Poor design foresight throughout. The information display is fairly useless and very confusing when trying to reset oil change interval. Dash board surface is bubbling. Light dash color glares horribly. Seat bottoms are too short and seats are too hard. Interior quality feels like a rental car. If you find dumb design annoying, dont buy this car.