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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  I love this SUV!!!! - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Lori - March 1 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Merc. Mtnr for over a year..driving over 25,000 miles and love it! Have had several SUVs...but this one is by far the best. Some real nice extras and has a different look than most SUVs. Have had -0- problems.

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  solid and comfortable - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By brian waters - February 27 - 10:48 pm

  Will not hold resale value, but if you want to keep it and do some basic maintenance it will last. Solidly built, lots of passenger and storage space

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  Still Crazy in Love - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Silverauder - February 21 - 10:40 pm

  Ordered my04 Silver Birch in Oct.03 (after owning a Crown Vic that just made me yawn.)WOW! Not the same animal...the difference between a house cat and a tiger! Reliability is suberb. A daily driver, it performs flawlessly. Love the handling that takes me through the twisties with ease. Its just plain ol FUN to drive. Its striking exterior and throaty exhaust note still turns heads. After all these years still get a thrill jumping behind the wheel and firing it up. With low production numbers over 2 model years, many devoted owners keep in touch via internet forums and regional meets. For gearheads, this car is a dream. Wake it up...and hear the tiger roar!

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  Very pleased - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Jessica - February 20 - 12:20 am

  I seem to have a different view than most people here. I have a 2002 Anniversary edition and absolutely love it. I have had no problems and have put 8k miles on it making a grand total of 51k. I dont know if its too soon to talk but it handles great, is a comfortable and quiet ride on the interstate, and gets great gas mileage (after driving 250 miles at 75 mph I have half a tank left). For a 2dr car the back seat is very roomy and comfortable except it does not seat very tall people well.

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  V6 Premier - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Paul - February 18 - 4:10 pm

  Biggest bang for your buck. What a car. Employing pricing is a give away. Suggest the heated seats as an option. Plays 6 cds full of mp3s, thats at least 600 or more tunes, all info shows on radio panel. The message center is all good info. Once you sync your phone youll love the option with Microsoft Sync, all info of your phone is displayed on the radio panel, last call, phone book, play your phone MP3s etc. Excepts I-pods, USB port and more. All controls are on steering wheel. The 3.0 engine has been around for a while.

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  My first Ford product in over 20 years - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By John J - February 15 - 7:10 pm

  I really like this car. It has a very quiet interior, no squeaks or rattles, accelerates impressively, has plenty of room (and I am 62"), excellent ride, handles well in town and on the highway, I cannot think of one shortcoming on this car. I have been in Chrysler products for many years and this vehicle really drew my attention from the beginning. I tested the Honda, Toyota, and Nissan equivalents. Dollar for dollar, feature for feature, Ford/Mercury got this one right. It is about time a US manufacturer got their product in line with what we are looking for: value, economy, and styling. You owe it to yourself to look at the Milan.

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  THE NEW CAT IN TOWN - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By XLiBra26x - February 15 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my black 1999 Mercury Cougar-V6 Sport Premium in December of 2002 (pre-owned). Some of its qualities are: rear spoiler, 16in" rims, side panel blinker lights, moon roof, fog lights, 600 watt stock am/fm cd player, mint conditioned black interior, solar tinted windows, cougar side panels, cougar emblem floor mats.

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  2008 Sable - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By ronsmith38 - February 13 - 5:50 pm

  We replaced a 2000 Olds Silhouette, and wanted a vehicle with high seating. The room in the car and trunk is great. So far with 2000 miles driven, we are getting about 19 mpg in town, and 28/29 on the highway. This is an very good car.

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  11 months Still love it! - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Karen - February 11 - 4:20 pm

  I bought my Mercury Mariner Hybrid 11 months ago and have 13,000 miles on it. We live in Colorado and Ive driven over mountain passes, in snow storms and snow packed roads numerous times with no problems. I traded in a Yukon Denali for better gas mileage. The Mariner was the closest vehicle that I could find that had all the "doo dads" like the Denali: leather seats, nav system, satellite radio, heated seats, sunroof, etc. I average 31 hwy and 34 mpg in town. It is much easier to park than the Denali and has a wonderful ride. Ive not had any problems with the engine, electronics or anything. If you are looking for an AWD hybrid, this is the best one on the road and its American.

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  Sables been good to me - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By johnny5 - February 10 - 9:20 am

  At 135K miles, I cant complain much, I have no major repairs at all. Proper maintenance is key. My pet peeve is the retraction of the rear seat belts. They were installed such that they need flipped over to be worn, and then get caught on retraction becuase the belt is twisted. This is a lack of attention to detail in the design & manufacturing process that should not exist. This car is still fun to drive.