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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  99 Mercury Sable LS Special Edition - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Rich - September 10 - 9:36 pm

  End of year model had factory dual exhaust & dual overhead cam V6 and 16inch chrome aluminum wheels and stiff suspension. After 62,400 miles it has been nearly trouble free, Replaced the master cylinder at 49,000 & idle control valve at 46,000. Runs very good easy to start and handles good. Original brakes lasted for 49,000 miles. Nice road car and looks great. Tune up is not needed until 100,000 miles. I really like the car.

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  shes gone a long way - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By sprosper - September 10 - 12:37 pm

  i have a 2001 sable that my fiance bought 7 years ago with 185k on it. i do all the normal maintance on it, ive NEVER done any major work on it. the most intense ive got with it was a water pump. i was brought up as a chevy man, dont get me wrong i love the bowtie but my sable is probably the best car we have ever had. today 8-20-2013 the sable hit 400,000 miles!!!! i am beyond impressed with this car. i would most defenatly buy another one :)

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  Bring back Murcury; A wonderful car - 2009 Mercury Sable
  By rickmm - September 8 - 7:31 pm

  Ive owned a 2009 Sable for several years and have found that it has the greatest brakes. They are quick and sure without being too touchy. They have already saved me in an emergency. The steering is quick and on our twisty curvey roads in Penna. this car handles like it is on rails. The engine is very responsive and smooth. It gets amazing gas mileage for a of this size; over 30MPH on the interstate. I agree that it did take some time getting used to the steering wheel being farther away than usual without telescoping however, it feels perfectly normal now. Actually gives you more room, makes other cars feel cramped. It is such a great car that I bought a 2nd one for my wife.

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  2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By Dave Hansen - September 8 - 12:00 pm

  I bought this car because I need a vehicle towable behind my motorhome. Ive been looking for 3 years for a car with all the features Ive grown accustomed to. This one has it all. Its beautiful, platinum white tricoat, great looking interior, sync with nav, great handling, comfortable. Ive always been a GM person, but they couldnt sell me anything like this car. The average mpg displayed is 39.9 for 1150 miles. All short trips and fast freeway runs. I havent yet been able to verify this number with fuel used.

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  New owner - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By NewMarquisowner - September 8 - 10:00 am

  Just picked it up a couple of days ago, Took a bit to get used to the light touch steering. Enjoying the room and the ride. Cant wait to take it on a long trip...very comfortable, still a good looking car! Suprised at the lack of extras in the interior, really sparse..my 2 year old Sable had many more interior features and was better appointed inside. Looks like there was a big giveup by buying the convenience model vs. the limited. lousy cup holders and nothing automatic in front..all manual..oh well! its still a very good value and I dont mind since I saved about 5 grand over a Japanese model......I will enjoy the room and the ride..

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  A Non so likeable SUV - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By MechanicalAnimal - September 7 - 12:43 pm

  I leased our 2006 Mariner for my wife in 2006 in an effort to find a more economical replacement for her 2003 Nissan Pathfinder. I thought she would be able to live with a smaller sized four-cylinder SUV. I was sorely mistaken. She almost immediately complained about the lack of power. After spending time behind the wheel myself, I must admit the engine is not powerful enough for that size/weight vehicle. Furthermore the brakes are substandard in wet conditions and the gas tank is too small which results in having to hit the gas station more often than one would like. Overall not a fun vehicle to drive. My first (and probably last) Ford Motor Company product.

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  Great Value and Style - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By PJ - September 6 - 6:03 pm

  Love my Mariner. I handles better than a larger SUV, feels peppy and stylish. Perfect for trips with the family (and large dog).

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  Fun car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By tjl - September 6 - 12:36 am

  I just bought my 2000 Cougar V6 with every option it could possibly have. It had some of the problems I read about in these reviews like stalling and the electrical but I brought it to a Mercury dealership 7 times till they got it right. They replaced the fuel pump, egr valve several vaccum lines. Every once in a while the engine light comes back on and its just a vaccum line came off the egr valve. Just put it back on and the light turns off after a cycle or 2. Its been running great since I just put a Cougar banner across the windshield and an aem ram air intake. It gave the car a mean growl to it. Now Im just waiting for my new exhaust..

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  Great car - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By Nancy - September 5 - 5:31 pm

  I have had this car for 5 yrs now. Loved it! Had a few problems but nothing major. I would definitely consider getting another one if I were able to find a newer version but I think they have discontinued this vehicle.

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  Slunk - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By SLUNK - September 5 - 1:40 am

  I think this is one of the best cars ever made. I have had many cars over years, this is 1st one I have complete faith in running all the time. Comfort is grand and mileage is 23 to 25 hwy and 20 to 22 city for v8 that is outstanding. I have 120,000 and still hold mileage rate high. I would recommend anyone to buy this model and never look back.