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:

• 

  Mountaineer is Solid - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By M. Fitzgerald - May 21 - 5:30 am

  Solid vehicle through and through. This has been everything and more that I could have wanted in an SUV. You MUST have a V8 though.

• 

  mercury marauder-2003 - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By serge ruggio - May 18 - 2:00 am

  I needed a 4door vehicle for family reasons,but WANTED performance ,comfort and safety. I got all of this with this car. good price and incentives made the deal!

• 

  So far, So good... - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By SC - May 15 - 4:06 am

  While Ive only owned this car for about one month, Ive already hit my first 1000 and love it. Its not a V- 6, but the ride power doesnt feel much different than my previous suv, which was 6 cylinder. So far, this purchase has been well worth it. Ive gotten several compliments on the look of this vehicle and my friends who have ridden in it compliment on the smoothness of the ride.

• 

  2004 - Great value ! - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By Brian - May 14 - 12:26 pm

  Bought in July 2004, now have 15 K on Odometer. Runs great. Drove 1600 miles on recent vacation from Ohio through PA mountains to ocean and back. Avg 21 MPG. Was 24mpg on flat lands of Ohio with a/c on and 5 people on gear on board. Cant beat the value and the power !!!!!

• 

  Best car Ive ever owned - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By rfauske - May 11 - 10:00 am

  Ive never needed any service but annual oil changes. Runs great, looks great and Im very happy with it.

• 

  Great value, great car - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By chris caggiano - May 7 - 11:00 pm

  After owning two Nissan Maximas in a row, their size and price had balooned beyond my needs. I never thought about Mercury until I did my homework and test drove the Milan. Handling is competent and accurate, ride is very comfortable but not sloppy and cabin noise is nill. The 6 cyl engine mates well with the 6 speed automatic. To my ear it produces a better note than the CVTs in Nissans, etc. Fit and finish are outstanding. For some reason this car looks best in dark colors. So far,after ten months, no repairs or problems.

• 

  surpirsed - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By driver3 - May 4 - 2:00 am

  didnt expect to like this vehicle as much as i do, coming from an older bmw 735i. however, its the same size and width as the car, has lots of V-8 power and drives tight. substantial looking and stylish at the same time, the interior trim looks great. drove the explorer too, but the mountaineer edged out the explorer in every department.

• 

  Mountaineer - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Tommy - May 3 - 6:23 am

  Excellent handling SUV. Quality interior, great sounding stereo system, a pleasure to drive.

• 

  Great Car - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By seadog215 - May 2 - 10:00 am

  My cousin talked me into buying it. I have a Lincoln Blackwood and was looking for another car. and this car is a Gas. Fun to drive Corners like a big Saab but has that american feel for the road. Good gas mileage when cruising 60-70 great pickup from 40 on up. its so good I had to get a new radar detector. Huge trunk.comfortable seating. Decent sound system but nothing to brag about. But I think they only made 18000 of them each year for two years. So if you want afun car to drive that may go up in value this is it

• 

  nice car - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By mick - May 2 - 7:50 am

  I went from a Ford Explorer, that used to be my daughters but thats another story, to a new 2009 Milan and it has been wonderful. I was worried about the power of the I4, but it has plenty for my taste. After driving the v6 and was certain that the I4 would serve my purpose. I drive it mostly to work, about 10 miles one way, but my wife ownes an Lincoln MKX and we are finding ourselves driving the Milan more and more. Great little BIG car from Ford.