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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  2006 Milan opinion after new wears off - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rick Jones - January 8 - 6:26 am

  Bought the car new in April of 2006 and it now has right at 40,000 miles on it. Its a Premier with a V-6. The lights on the clock and right visor mirror stopped working and were fixed under warranty. Otherwise, the car has been flawless. The styling and design of the vehicle is very well suited for me and my family. The workmanship and quality are impressive. We get approximately 24 mpg in our everyday driving which is about half city and half highway. On the interstate with cruise control set at 65 we get 30.5 and with it set at 55 we get 31.5 mpg. I would buy another one.

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  Great Ride - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By DBAIRD - January 5 - 2:00 am

  Most fun Ive ever had driving regularly...comfortable, looks great...what else can I say? I LOVE THIS RIDE!!!

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  A Great Car - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By pete - January 3 - 2:03 am

  My 2007 Motego was a very good car. The Sable is even better. Better ride, much better performance. Ive driven it 4,500 miles in all kinds of conditions including mountain driving. It performed very well under all conditions. Highway mileage equals or exceeds 28MPG and around town ranges from 17 to 20MPG. The first 1,000 miles I did experience a little delay in downshifting but now it does fine. I would definitely recommend this car to all types of drivers. Its quick enough, has an excellent ride and is quiet. What more can you ask for?

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  great car - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By fordman62702 - December 31 - 10:22 am

  Ive had my Milan for almost a year now and its been a great car. Put 11,000 miles on it with not a single issue. Like the looks of the car better than its Fusion cousin. Mine has the two-tone leather interior, love it. Cleans right up. Has plenty of power for a 4 banger. Sound system is awesome. Controls are easy to use. I just cant say anything bad about it. Just buy one, you wont be disappointed.

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  mariner value - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Ron W - December 26 - 3:30 pm

  We love this vehicle. My wife actually picked it out. Ive used it to haul cargo with back seats folded down and was amazed at the room inside. Although it is still quite new so gas mileage probably isnt correct yet, it seems to do very very well on a gallon of gas.

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  lvc - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By lvcollins - December 25 - 10:00 am

  I love the mountaineer. Its comfortable and has a smooth ride. The only problem that Ive experienced is that the car wants to stall out in either cold or warm weather. The engine begins to rev up, the car lunges forward repeatedly,then proceeds to stall when I decelerate upon approaching a stop sign/light or into a turn. Eventually I have to put the car into park and give it a little gas to stop the revving. Its an intermmitent problem occuring a few times a month. I have had it looked at twice and they cant seem to find the problem. Today it is in the shop for an oil change, hopefully they can correct the problem.

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  little problems - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By roack1 - December 24 - 1:03 am

  This is my 3rd mountaineer, and on all 3 the windows froze and wouldnt thaw till driven 15 min w/defrost hi. Wipers also a problem-froze up quickly. 2001&2004 check tire pressurelite always came on even when pressure was ok.I love the OD on/off-I do a lot of just riding in the mtns. Never been a problem w/ control in heavy snow-I can get right thru snowbanks when Im plowed in. I guess I love it if I have had 3 mountaineers since 1998.

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  Best Car I Ever Owned - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By I luv my cougar - December 23 - 7:30 pm

  I bought my Cougar new in 1999. It had 91 miles on it. I just traded it off 3 days ago with over 128,000 miles on it. I loved that car. Even with that many miles the engine and the transmission are still going strong. The Cougar is built solid and reliable. I traded it because my family is expanding and it is not practical with 2 car seats, but I will miss it terribly.

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  Bought for work car, but.... - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By drlmg - December 22 - 3:46 pm

  I bought this car to drive back and forth to work....appx. 35000 miles per year. I was not expecting much for the price but I have ended up liking this car more than 2 others that cost $65,000 and the other well...over $65,000. The car runs, drives, and handles great. Great sound system (pioneer with GPS). Very tight steering and handling. Ride..very good, however I do have one issue related to this. Being front wheel drive normally would not be a hit with me but I actually like it in this car. In short I love this car. It is far beyond what I expected. I will go as far as to say it is one of the best cars I have ever owned.....and aside from my school years, the cheapest!

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  Excellent !!!!!!! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By cougarkat - December 17 - 10:00 am

  Love it! 4 Cylinder !