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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  First SUV and love it - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By Mercury - November 16 - 10:10 am

  Its my first SUV and I think I made the right choice. We looked at alot and ended up choosing the Mercury. I love it. Ive only had it 2 months but we had alot of snow in those 2 months and it handles great. Which is one of the reasons I wanted 4WD. I havent had any problems at all with the vehicle.

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  Great Car - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By jim5660 - November 14 - 11:28 pm

  Most of the reviews on the car are positive. However,if you read the Edmunds review, it sounds like this car belongs in the 19th century. What is the purpose of a car? To get one from point A to point B safely, comfortably, and reasonably economically. The Grand Marquis does all of this very well. I get 27 MPG on the highway and average 23 around town. I drive it conservatively. Im tired of Edmunds and others running down these cars in favor of more sporty handling vehicles that corner better. What the heck do you need that for? As for interior space, the claim that the Sable is just as big is just not true. The Sable is 6" narrower. Maybe the experts need to reassess a cars purpose.

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  69000 Miles of Joy - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Merc Fan - November 12 - 3:40 pm

  I was looking for a replacement for my reliable 2000 Mercury Sable LS with 225,000 and saw this car on the the net. The car had 6000 miles on it and was like new,from a Lincoln Mercury dealer, in Mertlot with a tan interior. The car other than the rear brakes replaced under the TSB there have no service other than maintenance. This car has been a joy to own and on long drives. This car is the best secret in the auto business with great features, great gas mileage 32-38 mpg expressway and 22-25 city drivung with an average of 27 mpg overall and great comfort. The car is in made in Chicago with great fit and finish.

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  Good Deal - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By bigdaddy - November 12 - 3:33 am

  Bad on gas but has plenty of power handles like a car no problem as of yet lot of room inside and very quiet ride

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  not weather proof - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By not impressed - November 11 - 12:26 pm

  My problem has to do with the rain, water and leafs, pine needles, sand, anything that touches the windows goes into the door. The seal that is normally against the window in most cars, making it waterproof is not present on the Montego, in fact in discussing this with the few people that I was allowed to talk to at Mercury it was noticed that all of their cars except one, is now built this way. The seal that does touch the window is too far down, what doesnt go into the door with normal wind or vibration of the car goes into the door when the window is lowered. My car is not garage kept, I have mulch that is falling out of the bottom of the door, until it plugs up. Then what ice, rust....

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  2000 Sport Villager - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By Not Eric - November 9 - 4:50 pm

  A sporty fun-to-drive minivan. Shorter wheelbase makes this the best- handling van Ive driven. Solid build and dependability alone would lead me to buy another, but alas, service from my dealer is well below par. A/C has leaked since new and three trips to dealer have failed to fix it. They just squirt in some more coolant, call it a fix and send me on my way:(

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  Quiet and comfortable ride - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Liney - November 5 - 4:10 am

  Just purchased 1 mo ago. Ride very good, quiet With all the cold winter weather it is too soon to appraise gas mileage. In limited short trip city driving averge mpg so far about 16. Acceleration has been more than adequate. Went from van to Montego and am pleased with the drivers seat height and visibity - much better for me than most sedans (too low). Front passenger space seems a bit confining. Leg room in back is excellent.

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  Nice car - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Steeler - November 2 - 6:16 pm

  Replaced my wifes VW Jetta with this AWD Milan. Very happy so far with this car. Interior is comfortable and attractive in 2-tone with the wood dash trim. Power is acceptable. While you wont win many drag races you will have no trouble accelerating safely onto the highway. Ride blends a sporty feel without being to harsh. Gas mileage could be better, hopefully it will improve as mileage adds up. Overall a lot of car for the money.

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  good car-bad dealership experiences - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By HISPANIC MECHANIC - October 31 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my mystique with 17000 mi. it nows has 42000 mi. i like the handling and the smoothness of the engine. the seats are comfortable. THE WORST THING ABOUT OWNING THE CAR IS HAVING TO TAKE IT TO A FORD OR MERCURY DEALERSHIP. I HAD SPRING GUARDS INSTALLED ON THE FRONT STRUT (AS PART OF A RECALL) AND HAD TO RETURN TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THEY MADE A LOUD NOISE WHEN I DROVE OVER SPEED BUMPS. IT TOOK 8 VISIT AND THREE DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS TO FINALLY FIX THE A/C WATER LEAK I HAD INSIDE THE CAR.

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  Beauty is only skin deep - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Shawn M - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This car looks great and handles great. It lacks power and acceleration especially with the auto trans. The gas mileage is horrible at about 14.2mpg in the city. Ive had various mechanical problems including fuel pump, brake pads wearing out every 12k miles, faulty tires and more. The service is terrible and takes FOREVER. I would not recommend the 2000 Cougar to anyone unless all you want is to look good.