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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  ok....... - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By ok.... - July 29 - 12:56 am

  i really liked this car when i saw it on the lot, but now i hate it. Its got a lot of problems and i would not recommend it to anyone else. It shakes in between 60-70 mph The check engine light turns on and off. Its horrible on gas i get maybe 18 mpg The windshield wipers are horrible I hate this car Im gonna buy a jetta!

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  LEMON - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Bryan Willams - June 19 - 2:00 am

  Fuel guage gone already not covered under warranty. Strange jerk in transmission when shifting into 3rd. Anti-lock guage has been replaced twice already? Door hinges come loose every couple of months. Front strut replaced. This is a 35K DOLLAR CAR AND ITS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. I WOULD EXPECT ALOT MORE. What a lemon!

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  Grand Marquis - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By mistategrad - June 17 - 2:00 am

  We have not been very happy with the interior quality of the vehicle. Both front doors have panels that have come loose. The car has a huge trunk and rides very well. It also has plenty of power. We average about 20 mpg.

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  Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By tweety - June 11 - 10:00 am

  I have had numerous problems with this car. The fuel pump has gone out three times and the starter has also been replaced. It seems to be sluggish on take-off and dosent perform like a sports car like I expected. I am very disappointed in this car.

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  Not Up to Par - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By vanz73 - June 10 - 11:10 pm

  This is an okay vehicle after 20K miles. My prior vehicles were a Ford Explorer and Expedition. I loved both of these. The Mariner is decent. Low priced compared to competitors (about $3K less than the Japanese models). Would I buy it again? No. The continuously variable transmission robs a great deal of power from the engine. It has had several issues that were covered by warranty except one that the mechanic has yet to fix (the gas pump keeps turning off before it is full even at the slowest setting). The vehicle often struggles trying to accelerate at highway speeds (40 to 70 mph range).

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  Never again - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By illstickwithmopar - June 6 - 10:00 am

  True this vehicle may be a blast to drive but the design quality of this car leaves tons to be desired. First off the fuel injectors are of poor quality having had one go out about a month after I had bought the car. The body molding especially on the front bumper was put together by 3yr olds, not to mention all the recalls that were involved. I would expect better quality and reliability from a new model.

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  Poor design - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By lucky - May 21 - 9:20 am

  From reading reviews I guess I am lucky. I have a 2002 Mountaineer purchased new with about 77000 miles right now. The rear suspension rotted out on it 500.00 to repair, and now the ignition cylinder fell apart. 101.00 labor at the dealer and 100.00 for the part.About one hour labor. I am 62 years old and will be buying another new vehicle this year, but not a ford product. Toyota always has some vehicles in car and driver american made list. Which is why I did just purchase a new Toyota Tundra and will probably buy a Toyota car of some model.

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  Terrible Transmission - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Mark - May 5 - 1:03 am

  Mostly a very nice SUV. Many good qualities. As others have said, the transmission is a major concern and problem. Between 3500 and 8500 miles the transmission began shifting harsh between 1/2 gears. It was so harsh it felt like I was being bumped from behind nearly every time I was about to stop. Now after 21000 miles Ford has yet to find a fix, and refuses to acknowledge that this is a serious problem. Another "fix" is promised in the future, but this usually is a computer program download that solves the problem for a month or two. Be warned and stay clear of this model used or new until Ford can actually fix their new 6 speed electronic transmission.

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  One of the last big cars. - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Troy Ericksen - May 3 - 11:56 am

  Ancient design. For a car this large interior space is disappointing, Chryslers cab forward design makes offers far more interior space, roomy in front seat but back seat leg room is disappointing. Car is not very nimble. But suspension is not mushy like some cars in this class, body roll not excessive. Huge trunk. Easy to get in and out. Pretty good acceleration.Car has been very reliable but steering wheel locked up and had to be towed to shop. Okay gas mileage for such a big car. Exterior dimensions of car seem excessive, not as bad as the boats of the 1970s but still a very large car.Boring style. Not much fun to drive.

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  Okay buy - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Charles Groves - April 20 - 10:00 am

  The Mercury handles terrobly but is comfortable and takes the bumps ver well. The gas is harribole with airbag and gas millalige. I have been in the shop with transmission problems twice in a week.