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 BODY BUT.... - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By YOSHE - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW W/ 7 MILES ON IT. IMMEDIATELY I RAN INTO BRAKE PROBLEMS CONSTANT GRINDING. BRAKE DISC WERE SHAVED DOWN THEN COMPLETELY REPLACED. NEXT PROBLEM ELECTRICAL. CAR ELECTRICAL SYETM THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT COMPLETELY. TWICE ON THE HIGHWAY!! ON-GOING BATTLES BETWEEN DEALERSHIP NOT WANTING TO WORK ON THE VEHICLE B/C THEY DIDNT DO THE INITIAL REPAIR WORK. LOVE THE BODY LOVE DRIVING CURVES AND WINDY ROADS. AS A YOUNG PERSON BUYING THIS VEHICLE STYLE OVER RIDES OTHER OPTIONS. IM NOT COMPLETELY UPSET OVER PURCHASE, BUT NEVER AGAIN BY A 1ST YEAR VEHICLE. LET THEM WORK OUT THE KINKS FIRST AND THEN BUY ONE....

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  Great car!!! - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By bigdawg17 - July 30 - 12:29 pm

  I bought my Sable new in November of 03 and now have over 100k miles on it and the first thing I had to do to it other than regular maintenance was an A/C compressor this month. The car is stylish,quick and the Mach stereo in it is possibly the best factory stereo Ive ever heard. Comfortable on long trips as well as good mileage. I average around 23 combined city/highway.

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  My three years with the Mariner Hybrid - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By satisfied7 - July 28 - 10:33 am

  I put a lot of miles on my car with my sales job. When I first drove one, the seats fit me comfortably and it sat nicely. up high and with good back support. After three years, I couldnt be happier. I average 30.5 miles per gallon on my half highway, half city driving and its peppy enough for me at the age of 56. I love my Sirius radio along with my navigation system. It wont have the pickup of cars Ive owned in the past but how often do you really need it. When Ive needed it, it responded adequately. Ive put 105,000 miles on it in just over three years and all Ive done is get the oil changed and kept up with the required maintenance at my dealer. I love it.

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  Best of the dieing breed - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By Shane - July 23 - 5:41 am

  Other then the darn goofy door locks. You will never find a better minivan. Mines 20years old. Its been beat, battered, and still deals with 4 children and a dog daily. The interior must have been made out of some space age stuff for 1995 because at 20yrs old and 250,000+ miles it still looks great. The body although bland still looks great, and as for getting down the hiway this vans been wonderful. Really going to hate to see the day the poor ol girl croaks. To anyone thats still looking at a mercury villager. Buy it. And keep it serviced shell run you forever

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  Good reliable vehicle - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Topcat - July 20 - 6:16 pm

  Purchased new, have 169,000 miles. Replaced all four brake pads at 167,000. Replaced a/c comp at 148,000. No other cost except tires, oil changes, and transmission service. Have traveled on many long trips. Gas mileage from 23.8-to 25.0. I have the handling package with the 3.55 gear, dual exhaust, 16 inch rims. Mileage is better at below 70 MPH. My speed is 70+. This is my third panther body vehicle.

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  THIS CAR IS THE BOMB - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By CHAMPIONS789 - July 20 - 10:00 am

  THIS VEHICLE HAS THE BEST STYLING, THE BEST FUN RATING TO DRIVE, PLUS I THINK HONDAS SUCK.

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  SLOW SERVICE FROM DEALER - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By BERNIE - July 20 - 10:00 am

  I TRADED IN A 2001 GRAND MARQUIS ON A 2003. THE FIRST DAY I NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION SURGED IN REVERSE. THE DEALER REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION TWICE & IT WAS STILL BAD. FINALLY THEY PUT IN A NEW FACTORY TRANSMISSION & IT WAS OK. THIS TOOK 37 DAYS SO THE LEMON LAW KICKED IN. NOW I AM WAITING FOR A REPLACEMENT CAR. I LOVE THE CAR BUT THE SERVICE WAS BAD.

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  2004 Mercury Mini Van - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By R. J. Herman - July 15 - 10:53 pm

  The electronics in this vehicle are outstanding. Very comfortable, easy to drive and handle with plenty of storage room. Gas mileage is not too good but is reasonable for car that weighs over two tons has a six cylinder engine and front wheel drive. Interior materials and upholstery are very good. Exterior body panel fit, trim and paint are also very good. Would like to see larger tail lights, more visable to the rear and more reflective material on the rear of the vehicle.

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  my new experience - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By v murphy - July 15 - 4:36 pm

  I had several Mercury Grand Marquis sedans that were fully loaded, and wanted to try a change to this new model, and it really is new/different...

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  300 miles and new transmission! - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Joe - July 15 - 2:50 pm

  I am giving this car low scores only because after one week the transmission would not shift correctly. i took it back to the dealer and they gave me excuses about why they could not download a program from Ford to test the transmission. After two days they finally decided that the car needed a new transmission. I purchased this car and drove it only 5 days. Now it has been in the shop for 7 days. I do like this car but I feel like its the same old bad Ford service. Before the trouble I would agree with the other positive reviews.