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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  The Mariner, just short of excellence - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Lou - July 4 - 4:06 am

  Love the car, not putting gas in it. I also miss having some more electronical gadgets in it. Too many gadgets have to be put in after market. Also not enough power outlets.

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  Reliable and cheap but has drawbacks - 2001 Mercury Villager
  By brian174 - June 30 - 6:33 pm

  Ive had the van for 3 years now. I bought it with 85K miles on it and have 140K now. I bought it because I got Nissan quality at Ford depreciation levels, so it was cheap. I like the Nissan engine and transmission. Only problems Ive had were the usual Ford electrical gremlins. It is a gas hog. Seating system is poorly designed. Van is noisy going down highway (wind noise mostly.) Im basically satisfied but cant figure out why this thing only gets 18-20 mpg when other bigger vans with bigger engines get 25 mpg. Its a good, cheap van, though.

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  Very nice hybrid SUV - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By JBC - June 30 - 11:20 am

  Traded in a Jeep Grand Cherokee (6-cyl) for it. Going from 17 to 29 MPG is a great jump. The ride is comfortable in the city, but with bumpy roads some suspension noise is noticeable. The acceleration is good in the city but the powertrain is not as peppy on the highway; it takes some time to get to the speed you want, but is fine at cruising.

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  This is my second Sable - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By KDP - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Sable. I would buy it again

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  Bought used, this car is a bargain - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By KitGerhart - June 19 - 11:40 am

  While decidedly "old tech," the Grand Marquis is comfortable, performs adequately well, and gets better gas mileage than all but the smallest SUVs. The car has good crash test results, and mine, bought used, has been completely reliable. While this car doesnt handle like a sports car, with the handling package, mine handles well for such a large, low- tech car.

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  Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Not worth it - June 14 - 10:36 pm

  Runs great when not needing repairs. Like the others, engine light never turns off. Fuel pump replaced, hoses replaced, but beware the biggest problem is the engine is on top. The labor costs are double due to this fact and since they no longer make this type, the parts are hard to find and costly. Good freeway car but the maintenence was costly due to parts and labor costs. All mechanics hated working on this car and I paid for it. They commented never to buy a Cougar again....not a mechanics favorite and you will feel it in your pocket.

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  Oldie, but Goodie - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jay - June 13 - 2:33 am

  Im a 26 year old male and I prefer the "old Fashion" rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame construction. The car feels solid, powerful, and comfortable. RWD with traction control does well on slick roads during Buffalo, NY winters. I plan on keeping this car for atleast 5 years or more. My only fear is that they will stop making them.

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  2002 Mountaineer - A very good car! - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Joey Thomas - June 11 - 3:06 am

  The car has been an excellent familty SUV. Very reliable and the V6 gets roughly 18 mpg overall. We currently have 65k miles and experienced our fist real problem - fuel pump. The exterier has been excellent and the AWD goes through any kind of snow/standing water.

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  Happy owner - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By chas36 - June 10 - 12:04 am

  Bought the Villager new in 2000 as a leftover 1999 for a good price. You can put 7 people in the van, or their luggage, but not both at the same time. Its a little small. Its short on power too, but thats about all the negatives there are. The ride and comfort are great. Its been very reliable. I replaced the cvu joints at 80,000. The radio lights are intermitting. The throttle sticking is a very common problem. The solution is not that bad. Get a can of throttle body cleaner and spray around the edges of the flapper in the throttle body. Overall Im well pleased.

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  2004 Mercury review - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Joseph Moore - June 9 - 12:23 am

  I am happy with my mercury GS,it is fun to drive, handles well, pretty good gas mileage, need a little more leg room if you are riding in the front center seat. but all in all, the car is a good automoble. Ride a little hard on the road. It is a roomie car for five passagener.