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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  THE BEST CAR EVER - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mary Ann Petty - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 1997 Marquie GS on July8,1997.I can not say enough good things about it. It has yet to give one minutes trouble. I get 20 plus miles to the gallon of gas. For a car this big I think that is great milage. The ride is wonderful. It manuevers easily in traffic. I would not get on an Interstate in any other car. I feel perfactely safe and secure in it. If I buy another car it will be another Grand Marquies.

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  Rosss (04) Maurader - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Ross R. Raymond - April 5 - 10:00 am

  I have finally found the perfect car (for me),its big,beautiful and very responsive!,I also get what I consider good milage for a two ton plus car.

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  1998 Grand Marquis - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jeff - April 4 - 7:23 pm

  Bought this car for my wife with 87k. It is very nice to drive. Smooth and quiet. The best combined MPG to date is 21.72 . Since then I changed out the single exhaust to duals using Walker Quiet Flow mufflers and a Walker H- pipe. Doing this cut almost .6 sec off the quarter mile time. Dont know on the MPGs yet. I cant run the fuel out.LOL.

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  2003 Marauder - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By barry - March 24 - 2:23 am

  I love the handleing and performance of this vehicle and also has a incredible ride

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  Probably the best Cougar - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By JR - March 23 - 7:06 pm

  I own a 2002 cougar XR with 34,000 miles on it. Let me say i had a 1999 cougar and i thought it was sweet, this car by far beats it. The nicer interior and sweet headlights make me want to drive it constantly!

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  Rate this vehicle - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Lisa - March 22 - 8:26 pm

  I love the style of the vehicle however the fuel economy is not what I expected. Currently the Mariner is only averaging 15.5 miles per gallon and on the sticker it stated 19-24 mile per gallon. I currently have 7,000 miles on the vehicle. Other than the mileage I am pleased.

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  Shapest Looking mid-sized SUV hands down - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By californiahub - March 22 - 10:00 am

  I was looking for a mid-size SUV with a fold-flat third seat. My brother-in- law had one for 18 mos and raved about it, and mentioned he had no problems with his - a good endorsement from a serious car buff. COMPETITORS/WHAT ELSE I LOOK AT: The GMC Envoy XL was too long and looked to goofy from the back, the MDX was just too expensive (another $200/month) ,and the Pilot was slightly too big, a little more expensive($100/mo), the front styling butt-ugly (a porpoise nose), the vision was poor and the feel from the driver seat seems like I was driving a huge cave around, and the 3rd seat is an absolute joke.

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  Better than the Edmunds Review! - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By ksuwildcat001 - March 22 - 12:00 am

  I have to disagree with the Edmunds review. I bought a fully loaded 2001 C2 Cougar and I couldnt be happier with it. The interior is extremely comfortable and very well laid out with each to use controls. No problems so far and I already have 10,000 miles on my Cat. Very comfortable car to drive long distances, handles great, and stops on a dime. I highly recommend the Cougar to anyone looking for a sporty car.

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  Fully loaded included - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By bpmiller87 - March 18 - 9:10 pm

  I bought this car used and absolutely love it. In my opinion everyone thing is right where is should be. The stereo controls are easy to find, importants gauges or readings are located near each other, so you dont have to search for what you need to read. I have the optional v8 which is great for towing and will throw you back in your seat real quick! Leather comes standard, 3rd row comes standard, heated mirrors, tons of storage, it has it all and then more, great SUV.

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  Year two with the G/M - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By jesse - March 18 - 3:40 pm

  I purchased my very low mileage Grand Marquis almost 2 years ago as a cheap car just to go back and forth to work. Ive since realized that this car is not a cheap car. Its very well constructed, Very reliable and gets excellent fuel mileage for its size. I drive 66 miles to work a day and Im 64" so I needed something comfortable and good on fuel....my truck was very thirsty so I bought this second car. Im very glad I did now...I love the car and hardly ever drive my new truck anymore as a matter of fact Ive only put 2000 miles on my truck in the last year....thats how much I enjoy driving this car.