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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  Best car I ever owned - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Alma in Nashville - November 3 - 4:03 pm

  I purchased the 2000 Grand Marquis Mercury LS as a program car meaning it had been owned by Avis Rental Cars and it had 20,000 miles on it. It is over 135,000 miles now and I have had less trouble with the car than any I ever owned. I love the way it handles, the huge trunk and carrying capacity. I sincerely enjoy the 8 cyl engine for its quick speed in traffic in the city. The single drawback is the low gas mileage, but it does use regular gas so that has helped. I want to purchase another car exactly like this one!

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  7800 Miles and no complaints and a few t - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By SpiceUmUp - October 27 - 3:03 am

  I now have 7800 mile on the car since September and I am pleased as can be. With an average speed of 50+ miles per hour I am averaging 24.5 miles to the gallon, better than I anticipated. Nothing on the car has failed to function perfectly every time. I discovered the car does have an exterior temperature display: there is a little button on the climate control that says EXT. Push that and you have outside temperature displayed instead of the set point of the climate control. If you adjust the temperature setting, it switches back to exterior temp as soon as you are done. Nicely done but it could be a little easier to find and the owners manual could spell it out a little better

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  underappreciated car - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Thorn11acr - October 22 - 8:23 am

  This is my first "panther platform" car. Im 60 and have had hundreds of car and pickups. This is by far the most bang for the buck. I switched to Mobile 1 synthetic oil in 5-30w, added dual exhausts with an "X" pipe in the stock placement. Would you believe 28 mpg with the A/C on. I would imagine I can hit 30+ on the highway on cruise at 70mph. A simply great car, it rivals my Mercedes in comfort and handling....and replacement parts are dirt cheap. Even the Russians use this vehicle as their police cars. Rear wheel drive, proven drive train, and for 2003 you get a lot of improvements...Simple, strong, reliable.

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  the car - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By mark stahlnecker - October 22 - 2:00 am

  great car, great ride, great price.

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  Love My Mariner - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Dan - October 16 - 10:33 pm

  Very nice ride. mpg not the best but what do you expect with AWD would like to try the Hybrid next time

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  love my minivan! - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By erkinkim - October 6 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love this van. Ive had no problems whatsoever with it. Very smooth ride and easy to drive. Great with the kids and plenty of room. Highly recommended

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  the v6 5 spd recomended - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By whitelightning - October 6 - 10:00 am

  i bought my 99 cougar used with 31000 miles on it the only problem i had so far was replacing the alternator it i replaced it with an aftermarket one because fords new or rebuild ones are junk othe then that the car performs well i beat plently of imports and that was when it was stock

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  bermuda - 1996 Mercury Cougar
  By bermuda - October 3 - 8:40 pm

  bought this car brand new and loved it for all ten years that i owned it. just traded it on as close of a vehicle on the market since they dont make the cougar any longer. purchased a 2006 monte carlo. hope it is as trouble free and as great a car as the couger. it really was trouble free ownership and was driven cross country many times. it had 152,000 miles and looked showroom new.

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  I LOVE MY CAR - No problems in 5 years - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Original Owner - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car new and havent had to replace anything but gas, oil, coolent, tires and window switches. I figure if the only surprise after 80K miles was the two window switches on the driver side, Im in good shape. Ive taken it on numerous road trips and its my daily driver.

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  Original Owner - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By TJ in Texas - September 30 - 2:00 am

  This is the best car that I have ever owned. It is big, roomy, and looks good both inside and outside. For a large car, it gets good gas milage (25 - 30 MPG on the hiway, less in the city). Maintenance has been minimal. I would have no hesitation in purchasing another Grand Marquis