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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  my car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Cougarchick - June 4 - 10:00 am

  i love my cougar. its never let me down. handles well in the snowy minnesota winters.

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  Love this suv - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By I like my Mariner 05 - June 3 - 1:53 pm

  I like the style of the body and the interior. I have gotten about 26 mpg on freeway and about 14mpg city. I like the cd player and the close controls for everything. The acceleration for a six cylinder is impressive. There is some road noise at higher speeds and the computer for mileage is not real accurate but overall does pretty good with mpg.

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  My Mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Pookie - June 1 - 10:00 am

  This SUV is not only powerfull, but comfortable. It drives like a car, but has great visibility. It looks very good both inside and out and gives a smooth ride.

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  Classy car - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By Sablelover - June 1 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love it!Bought it a week ago and am enjoying showing it off. It drives beautifully. Very luxurious feel about it.Leather interior, moonroof, Mach sound system, automatic climate control,heated mirrors, side airbags,ABS,etc. The staff at King LinconMercurySuzuki in Gaithersburg,MD are top notch. Went back just to pick up my license tags today and they still treated me great.

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  Love It - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Crnpeach - June 1 - 9:56 am

  After 10 yrs with a mini-van I did not want to move down to a car or up to a large SUV. Then I saw the Mercury Mariner. I love the looks inside and out, the solid color and chrome add a nice touch, no black molding to worry about. Handles great and picks up speed nicely. The Mariner was in the right price range for me. So far so good.

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  Big Mistake by FoMoCo - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By TomMc - May 27 - 2:33 am

  The Mercury Merauder is a truly great automobile. It has it all: Performance, Handling, Looks an all around great pleasure to drive. Ford/Mercury failed miserably to advertise this vehicle and get it out to the public. Examples: GTO, HEMI, these words and advertising are really selling cars. If Mercury had followed suit and made it to the Two Door model and bumped-up horse power versions, this car would be a Buyer "Magnet." I truly feel sorry for those that didnt experience driving the machine...

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  So glad I bought this one - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By mddd - May 26 - 10:00 am

  I am a physician with 2 small girls very concerned about safety and comfort for 2 car seats. This SUV is perfect for us. The dealership did a great job making the sale throwing in all of the options including V-8, luggage rack and tow kit. We would have taken the back seat captains chairs but this is inconvenient with 2 car seats. The ride and handling is stable-- I feel comfortable and safe even during the worst storms in Texas. My only complaint is the gas mileage (about 13.5 MPG), but I love the computer features-- even tells you how many miles you have left to drive on your gas tank.

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  AWSOME - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By hfhf - May 26 - 10:00 am

  AWSOME ilove that car

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  What a deal - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By Baby boomer - May 26 - 10:00 am

  I just bought this car in July 2004 after all the rebates were announced. I have the luxury package for a premium Mercury LS Sable, and got almost $6,000 off the sticker price, which included $4,000 from Ford. The rest was from the dealer. I got an excellent deal on an excellent car. Would highly recommend a Sable.

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  Love the car!!!! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Lauren - May 26 - 1:43 am

  I have loved this car since I bought it back in 2006. I dont treat the car very well but it has been tough. Its VERY comfortable. I could go on and on about things I love about this car.