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 ever - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By pastkg - June 2 - 8:16 pm

  My Wife and I bought our 05 Mariner used only about a month and a half ago. We couldnt be happier with our purchase! bought it with 47,000 miles on it, and it preforms like new. enormous amount of room for being a small SUV. handles better than our ford focus we replaced for this. We plan to buy another Mariner (2010) when its time to say goodbye to our 05. This SUV has all the options I could ask for and more! leather, power window, locks, seats, mirrors, heated seats, mirrors, roof mount for garage door opener & glasses, very bright visor light (great for reading & night), auto adjust rear view mirror, auto headlights, etc. This is so far the best vehicle I have ever owned.

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  The best SUV - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Wardo - May 31 - 4:06 pm

  This is the best SUV Ford ever built. I plan on keeping this thing forever. Great on and off road capability. The 5.0l V8 is one the best engines that ever came from Detroit. Its acceleration is very surprising in a vehicle of this size. The performance and off-road uprgrades are plentiful. Adding just a dual exhaust and a cold air intake makes this thing sound awesome. No problems yet and having AWD will hopefully stem some of the front end problems so associated with these vehicles.

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  Happy Mercury Driver - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By buggin - May 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had this vehical for 3 months and have put about 8000 miles on it. I have driven it on gravel roads, dirt roads, and ofcourse paved roads. Have not haf the heart to go off roading yet but one of these days I will. The mountaineer has a smooth ride and a quiet cabin with easy access to all the buttons. Needs more cubby holes for junk. Easy access cup holders. Indash CD player is great. However, it lacks the ability to go backwards or back to the begining of the song at the wheel ( a bit nit picky I know). I really like the back up warning system never thought I would like it as much as I do.

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  Better than the Japanese Imports - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By GEMINILAF - May 30 - 10:36 am

  Super styling cues. I love the 17" multi-spoke alloys. Lots of trunk space, especially when you fold flat the back and passenger front seats. Mercury has really raised the bar with quality materials. Love the Microsoft Sync, 6 disc in-dash CD changer, Sirius satellite radio, and all the bells and whistles you would pay extra for in other vehicles in its class.

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  07 Mariner - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By Derr - May 29 - 1:03 am

  Good visibility, good adjustably seats, no problems, peppy, good brakes, good cargo space for small SUV, tight turning radius, parks easily, good stereo, better than my former 2004 Toyota RAV4.

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  2006 Mercury Mariner - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Ken Gabriel - May 28 - 7:23 pm

  Wonderful little SUV. Very nice interior. Really fun to drive. Very good on rough roads. Easy to park.

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  Grand Marquis - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By CGood - May 25 - 4:26 pm

  This is the fourth Grand Marquis Ive had in the last 6 years. I now own 2 and will be purchasing my 5th in the next year. I do a lot of cross country driving and you just cant beat these cars on the used market for comfort and handling. Mine has 120,000 miles and runs like the day it was new.

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  2007 V6 Mountianeer - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By rmb181 - May 25 - 1:03 pm

  Ive had this vehicle for about a week and I am very pleased with it. My wife and I are expecting soon and feel that this vehicle will be more than enough. It has a smooth, quiet ride. Overall, we are very happy with this vehicle and would recommend it to anyone.

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  What a Sweet Car! - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By JBJ - May 24 - 5:46 pm

  I bought my Villager used with 20,000 miles on it, Sept 2003. Its a reliable Nissan Quest twin but better looking. A beautiful car. Just had it towed last week and had to say good- bye. Will miss all the bells and whistles. When I was low on gas, it told me how many miles I could still drive until empty. It has a roomy interior; bigger than you think. I had a Previa before, so it seemed small at first, but it really met our needs as the boys went through middle and high school. It had 154,000 miles when it died. With the diagnosis, a engine cooling fan that was freezing up, and the repairs with labor estimated at over $800, I decided it was time to say good-bye. Lots of fun family trips.

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  two weeks and very happy - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By bobmetro - May 22 - 2:16 pm

  Two weeks into the new hybrid and Im glad I bought it. Its fun to drive...great response from the steering...rides firm and quiet. So far averaging 29 MPG in a mix of NYC traffic and highway. GPS is much better than the 07 reviews I read.