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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  Flywheel? - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By NH,JH - November 24 - 2:40 am

  Solid feel, wagon is stylish,in lighter colors. Almost five years of ownership. BUT, a minor and a major problem. Minor: grabbing windshield wipers, even after dealer replaced at 25K miles. Rainex helps for a while. MAJOR: Flywheel just replaced, at 70K miles. Also, the starter. A bit over a year ago, there was an occasional screech at startup attempt. It kept getting more frequent. Of course, it didnt do it for the dealer AND the symptoms described to same did not lead them to suspect, as they should have, a flywheel defect. The reason for all the detail above: have others had same problem?

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  SOLID - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Uncle Rem - November 20 - 2:00 am

  It came down to the Sable or Camry (my last two were Tauruses). The Sable has a solid feel, more powerful engine, and cheaper price. I am fresh off the lot with my Sable, but my Taurus was relatively bug-free for the 120,000 miles I drove it. Granted, Camry has a better rep, but I am not sure why.

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  Its an okay car - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By loveswedcars25 - November 17 - 11:58 pm

  My family has had this for 12 years. I have to say, Im surprised it has lasted this long with us. The engine is great. Very powerful and quick to take off. Will definitely spin a pair of tires off. But, the transmission was terrible from the start, and the interior sizing is terrible for a car of its size. Its like they crammed to much sound canceling material into it before they thought about how they were going to fit the seats into it with enough room for the passengers to be comfortable in it. Air is great, I like the fact that it is a climate control system. Radio is terrible. And the rearview mirror is placed entirely to low. I wouldnt recommend this car to really anyone.

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  Practical and Dependable - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By AtlantaMariner - November 13 - 1:46 pm

  I bought this car fresh out of college in 2006 and so far, no complaints. This is not the flashiest car on the road, but there are several times when I pat myself on the back for choosing this one. I disagree with any owner that criticizes engine power because for the size and amount of money, this thing has some punch to it. I am approaching 40,000 miles and I have had no mechanical issues what-so-ever. Overall, I rate this car very dependable, practical and a great every-day ride. My best friend even bought one because she liked mine.

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  Better than expected - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By maxie - November 10 - 8:30 am

  After having my heart set on an Audi A4, I test drove the Milan at the same dealership. When I compared the cars, it was apparent the Milan was the better buy, and I decided to take the chance. Of course, its not an Audi, but it is very comfortable, has great features like the Sync and the satellite radio, and drives extremely well. After putting about 7,000 miles on it, Im still happy with my decision and would definitely recommend this car to anyone.

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  06 Milan - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By enriched - November 3 - 9:30 pm

  Over all it is a very fine car, pretty much happy with it after 6 months & nearly 8500 miles. My wife is primary driver does a lot of in town driving, so in town mpgs were important she hovers around 27-28 on average. Nice interior, not cluttered & and overly busy, good support on the seats, a main element for my wife. Stylish exterior, much better than the goggle headlight look of its sistership Fusion.

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  Owner - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Juniper - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I have a 2003 model & like it quite well. Front cup holders placement & size flexability need improvement. Why not have tilt-down lighted mirrors for rear passengers? Needs better quality carpeting. Consol lid not convenient for front passenger. Why not have same size tires on front and rear so they can be rotated? I am happy with the handling & performance.

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  Gas Mileage Poor???? - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By papasmith - November 3 - 2:38 am

  I am not sure if others who are complaining of poor gas mileage have a different engine or what in their GM but, in my case, this car gets excellent gas mileage for its size. On road trips, my GM will get 28MPG and a bit more. This is with around 120k. We have not have the car tuned or anything else to enhance gas mileage. This is no hype or exaggeration. Now, I know that it is listed to give 22MPG Hwy as the official number. That might be true when it is new but, once it is broken in, the MPG shoots up. This is a very comfortable and reliable car for the most part. This why they and Crown Vic are popular as taxis and cop cars.

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  A Great Traditional American Car - 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Clifford W - October 25 - 1:53 pm

  I bought this car from an older fellow in Feb. 2010 for the sole purpose of replacing my Oldsmobile Aurora. This Grand Marquis is not as advanced or as modern as the car it replaced but the ride and comfort far surpass anything on the road today. I have driven many cars from Acura to Volvo and can personally say that Ford did a great job on keeping the traditional American sedan alive. It is a shame Ford is discontinuing the Panther platform of cars ( Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, Town Car) as of 2011 because I am now sold on these excellent cars. The Performance is good for its almost 3800 pound mass and the powertrain is smooth and responsive. I highly recommend you test drive one today!

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  just drive it - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By peretz - October 25 - 2:00 am

  just drive and change the oil. no problems in 163,000 miles