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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  Bad MPG! - 2006 Mercury Monterey
  By jfturf - April 13 - 2:13 pm

  Its very average and the gas mileage (13 mpg city) is horrendous. Poorly placed cup holder for driver, poorly designed center console, too expensive for what it is. 3rd row seat is very close to the floor and is only suitable for small children. Even a small adult would have his knees in his mouth sitting back there.

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  Dont be fooled.. - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By tcmommy - March 26 - 1:11 am

  I bought this car used as my very first car. It had 55k miles on it and I loved it at first. It now has 153k miles and I dont even feel safe driving it. At about 70k miles I had already gone through 1 alternator and 2 batteries. The car started shaking really bad and I needed to replace entire transmission. All in all, Ive had to replace, many tires (more than usual), 4 alternators, 2..yes 2 transmissions, transmission and engine mounts, many batteries, the trunk no longer stays open on its own, check engine light will not go off, even though dealers have checked numerous times, lights have a film over them, and power window motor twice. It looks nice, breaks great, but just not worth it.

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  Great ride, but falls apart too quick - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By kidfilter - March 14 - 1:43 pm

  Like many of the reviewers for this car, I started having troubles from day one, nothing too major front headlight was out and a recall for the steering, but still frustrating. My major problem with the car is the fuel system. Troubles started in 2003. I started running out of gas even though the gauge said there was gas in the tank. Now (2007) I cant let the car go below a 1/2 tank without worrying that I may run out of gas. I just replaced the alternator. The cupholder is dangerous. Sounds silly, but wait till you make a tight right turn in one of these babies and have a lap full of scalding coffee. Great handling, fun design. All trunk no backseat. Not good for people over 55".

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  Nice Looking Nightmare - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Angela - February 28 - 7:20 am

  In looks and comfort, this is a great vehicle. Repairs have been plenty. Had all 4 wheel bearings replaced at 80k miles, then front differential, rear differential seals, driveshaft and transfer case all replaced at 90k miles. At 107k miles, it is back in the shop for new front differential and transfer case. This truck is a money pit and will be used in helping me to buy my new Toyota. It is comfortable though but that doesnt help me if I cant drive it anywhere.

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  RIP MysTAKE - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By kij1989 - February 21 - 11:36 am

  Purchased my 98 Mystique GS two years ago for 1,800, with 86K on it. Since then, must have put 3K worth of repairs into it. The interior lights would fall down when driving. Headlights were awfully dim, replaced them and made a slight difference, but with the fogginess of the plastic what do you expect? Brakes were replaced and still were .. clunky when stopping. Next was the transmission! Oh boy, that went at 100K, got it replaced for the amount I paid for the car. About 2 months ago, it started an awful rattling noise when starting up the car, and when the A/C was on. Took it to my mechanic thinking it was the compressor, turns out it was the engine. Im sure theres more, but never AGAIN!

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  poor mechanical reliability but some fun - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Superpops - February 16 - 5:16 am

  Replaced/ returned front braker rotors three times in first 75000 miles. Replaced front steering rack and power steering pump at 65000 miles. Car gets poor fuel economy intown 12 - 18 MPG & hwy 28 MPG. Will hang on to this car untill a catastropic failure occurs.

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  beware....its a ford - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By nveragain - January 19 - 2:53 pm

  purchased the car in 2007 with 10K miles on it. after 2 years, the "blend" apparatus required replacement. ( this is the little door that opens and closes to give you cool or warm air.) that was a 1K repair and after 2 attempts, have still not succeeded in putting the dash back together correctly. today I learned that one of fords most reliable models requires a new intake manifold. this vehicle has 92K miles on it. have read many forums about this problem however this was supposed to have been corrected in 2005. NOT!! so if youre planning on purchasing a ford or mercury with a 4.6L this will cost you around 1200. will be going back to Honda later this year......

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  Silver Bullet - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By alansf - December 30 - 10:00 am

  I love the way the car looks and in the first couple of years it was trouble free except for the recalls.

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  My cougar has wiring problems - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By slushiesg35 - December 30 - 10:00 am

  I have had my cougar for 6 months, It was a one owner lease return that had been cared for like no other... I have had nothing but trouble with it, It dies when i get on it, I just smoked my 3rd alternator, I have a had alot of wiring problems... My dash lights have gone out and wont come back on... I have taken very good care of my car and I dont trust it to get me around the block.... I paid 11,500 dollars 4 my car and in 6 months it has lost 2000 dollars of value... TO ANYONE OUT THERE THATS THINKING ABOUT GETTING ONE, DONT.... I HATE MY CAR... AND U WILL TOO IF U MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PURCHASING ONE....

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  Transmission problems - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By krose - November 21 - 12:43 pm

  We have 2 and they are nothing but trouble. Transmission on both clunked so bad you had to look in the mirror to see if there were parts on the road. Dealer said it was computer calibration, but that did not totally fix the problem. Not the dealers fault, they received no technical bulletins from Mercury. Also we dislike the third row seat. Only small children could fit there. The seat doesnt fold down flat and should be optional.