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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  Great Mini-Van for All Your Family Needs - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By rrherman - September 14 - 10:30 am

  An all around great buy when considering all incentives and price paid for it. Great low torque power. VERY comfortable interior. In our opinion - the best looking Mini-Van out there. Fuel mileage is comperable to all other vehicles in this segment - which all could show improvement. 3rd row fold flat seat and tip up 2nd row seats provide plenty of seating and carrying options. We are very happy with it - 2 years later!! At 60 mph - we get 24 mpg on the highway. around town is around an average of 16-18 mpg. Had a few recalls - but those were fixed right away. no problems with the vehicle otherwise. HIGHLY R RECOMMEND BUY*ING IT!!

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  Best one yet! - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By pop123 - September 9 - 6:30 pm

  this 2005 Mercury Mountaineer Premier is the best vehicle i had yet. Love the color "Silver Birch" in PREMIER, love the V8, Premier touches, Factory Remote Starter, everything else.

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  great value - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By spartanfans - September 5 - 2:00 am

  shopped them all, felt this was best value-awd, dvd, 3 row seats.. we have the premiere edition and it offered the most features and still priced out at a strong value..4.6 v8 offers lots of

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  But I dont feel like a Grandpa!! - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Chuck801 - September 3 - 10:00 am

  Which is a good thing since Im only 45. There just comes a time in every mans life when he gets tired of those small, 4 passenger, no power cars. When youre ready for something bigger with some major power, the GM is it. Truth be told I really wanted a DeVille, but for a little more than half the price I got the same style, roominess, comfort and POWER! OK maybe it doesnt have the GPS. A real man wouldnt use that anyway. When youre ready to give up on those toy(ota) cars and step up to some style, check out the Grand Marquis. For the first time in 15 years, Im not embarrassed to offer to drive.

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  American Quality - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Andrea - September 3 - 1:03 am

  This car really takes the bumps & railroad tracks nicely. Its very solid feeling and it has great acceleration. The interior is very roomy. The dash is impressive and I particularly like the analog clock, it seems classy. The trunk is quite large and the vertical grill is cool. And what makes this car all-the-more sweeter, it’s assembled in America with 86% American parts. Ford Motor got the Montego right!

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  Love my Mariner! - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Kortney - August 31 - 12:23 pm

  I love my Mariner. I went from a Mustang to this "more family" type vehicle. The power is impressive for this suv. It is very comfortable for me. I did remove the side steps because I found they really served no purpose, my dress would drag across and get dirty when getting in. I removed them and problem fixed and it looks great still. I love that the back glass will open by itself, Ive used this feature very often already. the gas mileage I average is 18.6 (better than my Mustang) so Im happy.

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  1999 Mercury Sable - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Ford Fan - August 31 - 3:50 am

  This is my 15th car I have owned. It has been the best performer of all. I looks and performs very well. It is comfortable on long trips or short trips to the store. I have owned Ford, Chevrolet, Plymouth, Toyota, and Isuzu vehicles. None have performed or been more reliable than this Sable. Im sorry they are being discontinued.

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  2006 Mercury Mariner - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Peggy - August 29 - 9:43 am

  This was the best deal on a vehicle all the way around. I commute 3-4 hours per day and didnt feel safe on the freeways in my 4-cylinder. This car was top on the safety list for its class and I can see why. Its sturdy, not too big, has a luxury interior, and good options. Handles well in traffic. I looked at the Ford Escape which uses the same body, but the interior was very cheap, using plastic instead of chrome for the buttons and console areas. The fact that I got it loaded for 0% interest and $1,000 rebate made my purchase even sweeter.

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  Surprises Ford wont tell you about - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By CMB - August 29 - 5:06 am

  I love my 2008 Mariner. But be warned, in 2008 they changed a design that sends the transmission fluid through the A/C condenser. Why? Not really sure, but if you think you are leaking oil, it may be transmission fluid and it may be coming from the condenser. This leak will drain your transmission in about 3 days. Call Ford, they will have this $450 part in stock as they are replacing them weekly. But, they will not admit there is a problem. Yes, there is a TSB on this issue starting with 2008s. Again, based on my ratings, I do love this truck. As for the loud tire noise, trust me its the original tires. I put new tires on and now I enjoy my hour and half drive to and from work.

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  The Memphis Marauder. - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By MemphisMarauder - August 28 - 10:00 am

  The Marauder is everything you would want in a full-sized sedan. With Five passengers in the car riding comfortably they begged me to quit stomping on the gas pedal. Truth is that I was not putting it all the way to the floor only about 3/4 the way!!! Not as strong from a start as my Allen Supercharged 96 Thunderbird but I could not comfortably seat five adults in it. Dual-piston front Brakes are fantastic. Marauder stops very quick with no skidding and its hard to get the ABS system to kick in.