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 Family Car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By dhoening - November 27 - 2:00 am

  Very good family car. We drove it all over Texas with 4 adults (actually 2 adults and two very big teenage boys). No complaints. Plenty of room, large trunk, and rides very nice. And its gets great highway mileage as well.

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  Sage Mariner w/o all the optional stuff. - 2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Whirl-E-Brid Man - November 25 - 11:06 pm

  Not too big and not to small. Its just right says me. Cloth seats. Solid ride. Quiet. Fun to Drive. The standard equipment is just fine. The gas mileage averages about 30.5 mpg overall in my driving situation which includes about 16 miles of some what rural 2 lane roads that are not congested.

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  I Treated Myself - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By normkol - November 25 - 3:16 pm

  I had a Mazda Tribute ES for the last 7 years, and was very happy with it. I decided to treat myself, and moved up to the top of the line Mariner Premium for my new car. This has a new V6, new 6 speed auto, and most options. The optional stereo with Sync is great, Im still learning the features. The ride is comfortable but solid, acceleration is comparable to the old V6, but much quieter. My daughter said the ambient lighting gives it a spaceship feel.

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  Great commuter - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By JP - November 23 - 1:10 pm

  Bought this used Milan as a commuter for a 100 mile daily commute. So far, averaging 28 MPG mainly HWY miles. Seats are very comfortable. The 6 CD changer sounds great. The sync system works much better with my blackberry then the system in my 2004 Acura TL! A slight power trade-off but well worth it for the 28 MPG. This car is a great value!

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  The best van i have ever owned - 2006 Mercury Monterey
  By Julie - November 21 - 8:33 pm

  I have owned many vans in the past i have owned Mercury Villagers Ford Windstars and 1 Chrysler Town and Country and the Mercury Monterey is by far the best is has a smooth quiet ride and it handles like a luxury car would and i love the wood grain accents and the chrome door handles and door locks and i love the front design sporty on the outside yet elegent and luxurious on the interior and i like the 17" rims and i like how everything is just at the push of a button you push a button and the slides open and the lift gate opens and so many more things i just love this van its so nice and sporty and i get many compliments on my van people say it looks great and i also love that 4.2L V6

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  Mecury Sable - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By Ed Bowler - November 21 - 2:00 am

  The Mercury Sable has exceeded my expectations in the areas of ride, engine performance and fuel economy. The ride under most conditions is very smooth and comfortable. The steering and handling are excellent. There no steering wheel feedback on rough roads. There no "torque" steering while under acceleration. The engine is quite under acceleration and little or no high revs noise during acceleration changes. The MPG on road trips at speeds of 65-70MPH is high 30s and around town mid 20s.

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  Awesome - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Johny - November 21 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 2002 Sable LS Premium in Dec 2002. Opted for the Mach Audio system, with the 6 disk cd changer in the armrest, and spash guards. The car itself rocks. It has a lot of power, does 0-50 in no time. Love the looks of it, and the cabin is quiet also. Gas mileage really sucks. I do about 260 miles per tank the most in the city, and 320 miles per tank on the highway. For people who are thinking about buying it: Its an OK car, except for: Bad gas mileage, water leaking in from under the drivers floormat (car always smells of mold because of that), engineering. And last, its nice and comfortable.

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  Mariner - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By C.L. Clark - November 19 - 11:03 am

  The Mercury Mariner Premier is the sharpest vehicle I have ever owned. Ive owned other suvs and they could not compare to the way the Mariner handles the road.

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  2006 Mercury Mount. - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Danyse Keiser - November 19 - 10:36 am

  My husband and I have had this SUV for one year. So far it has been the best vehicle we have ever purchased. It is comfortable and fun to drive. the kids love the DVD player and T.V. We now have peaceful trips to the beach. Thanks LLM.

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  Remarkable SUV - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By RoadKing - November 16 - 10:00 am

  Im at the end of my second lease w/mountaineer. My 98 and my 00 have been great. Im not a Ford fan and these are the first Fords Ive owned out of about 16 vehicles in my life. This is my last SUV (just dont need it) so its not that I am in any way dissatisfied. If Ford made anything remotely comparable to the vette I might consider it (on second thought, probably not). You wont second think you purchase of a Mteer tho.....