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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  Number and still going - 2002 Mercury Villager
  By Denzil - May 19 - 5:00 am

  Ive owned 5 Mercury Villagers, starting with a 1995 nautica version. I keep buying them because theyre the best vehicle Ford ever made. Ive put no less than 100,000 miles on each of them, this one has 115,000 miles and is in excellent condition My first one, I sold to a friend is stiil on the road, and he is still a friend. If Ford still made them, Id buy another. Too bad Ford and Nissan couldnt work out their joint venture, Ford would still be in the mini-van market and have a greater market share. If Ford would have put some of the features of the Villager in the Windstar theyd have sold a bunch more of them. I love mine and will drive it until it drops since I cant buy another

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  Happy Driver - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Lynn V. Holaday - May 18 - 12:26 pm

  We love our new Mountaineer--mainly for its comfort and performance. It drives better than any of our earlier SUVs and feels quite classy. Unfortunately it gets pretty awful gas mileage, but I guess thats the tradeoff with a SUV. Two thumbs up.

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  1st Merc - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By 1stMerc - May 14 - 2:00 am

  Weve only owned our Mountaineer for 3 days, and its our first SUV. Weve already used it to haul a number of large items home, and we love the roominess, power, handling, and convenience of the vehicle. Compared to the minivans, other SUVs, and cross- over vehicles we looked at and drove (Buick Rendezvous, Nissan Murano, etc.), this vehicle is an incredible value, even before the free DVD system offered at the time!

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  Mercury Grande Marquis - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By jgillis - May 14 - 2:00 am

  The car handles very well and is confortable for long trips. The trunk is very handy. Exceptional gas millage-over 30 at times.

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  AWD - Awesome Worldbeater Drive - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By GeorgeT - May 13 - 10:00 am

  I wanted a 7 seater that could pull my 3000lb boat. I got the V8 with side curtain air bags and tow package, white pearlescent with tan interior.Everybody thinks it looks great. It is still not broken in but I am already getting 14 mpg around town and I have a heavy foot.The rear seat has lots of room and it is easy to enter .The transmission shifts beautifully and the V8 has lots of power.

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  Power train - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By UNHAPPY FORMER OWNER - May 13 - 10:00 am

  On the whole I was happy with this car. My reason for getting rid of it was that when passing I would give the car gas and the only thing that would happen on occassion was the engine revving, no power was going to the transmission. I had the dealer check this problem out and everything was within specs.

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  Mountaineer #3 - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Kathy - May 12 - 9:10 pm

  I have owned a 99 Mtnr, 03 Mtnr and now a 05 Mtnr. I enjoy driving this auto and feel that it is very dependable especially in the winter as I sometimes get 10 to 18 inches of snow overnight and Ive always been able to get out of my driveway. The 03 and the 05 have better stability and cornering than the 99. I also like the extra room in the cabin. When we take out of town trips of 300 miles or more I am very comfortable after the long trip due to the comfort of the seats. I also enjoy the heated seats since I have frequent back pain. The service dept. at our dealership gives excellent service.

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  Leak - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By From NEPA - May 12 - 10:06 am

  I only have 150 miles on the Mariner. I had it only 2 days when it rained and water gushed in from the moonroof. It is currently at the dealsership for the second time for repairs on the moonroof. It is a shame when a person spends hard-earned money only to have the car that he saved for for four years leak from the begining.

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  In a Class of Its Own - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By alexr79 - May 12 - 3:26 am

  A very good friend owns a 2002 Sable wagon with under 50000 miles on it. We go on road trips in it a couple times a year and I am very impressed by it. It is smooth, quiet, comfortable, and roomy. It has decent power and gets about 29 mpg when we are traveling. I love driving it and I am currently looking for a low mileage 2002 - 2005 Sable or Taurus wagon so I can get rid of my 2011 Equinox that is gutless and only gets 25 mpg on the highway.

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  Gas Pedal/Throttle Sticks - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Sue - May 11 - 11:00 pm

  We bought this van used in October 2002 with 27,000 miles on it. For the most part we have been very happy with it. The major problem that we have is every two or three years the gas pedal begins to stick. For the longest time the dealership had no idea what the problem was. Finally, they figured out that brake dust was collecting in the area underneath the car where the gas pedal is. They fixed it for less than $300. Two years later we had the same problem. I brought it back in and again they fixed it and things worked perfectly. Like clockwork we are experiencing the problem again, and it is two - three years later, so I need to take it back again. Hope this helps someone!