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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  Love my Sable - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Roberto - December 15 - 6:33 pm

  I have had it 3 months and have 6,500 miles on it driving from Pa to Canada to Florida and back to PA. No problems detected so far. I looked at Buick Lucerne, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima before selecting the Sable. I traded a 2004 Subaru Forester because it wasnt comfortable on long drives. The Sable has a very smooth, quite ride w/good mileage. Sync system took a while to master and performs reasonably well. The Sync system, Sirius and 6 CD player have overwhelmed me w/music choices for those long drives. Overall the Sable is a great value car.

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  WHOOP - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Joe Momma - December 15 - 2:00 am

  I like this car, i bought it for money, and it is fast, whoo!!I like this car, i bought it for money, and it is fast, whoo!!

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  Marauder fills a niche - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By ufd60 - December 15 - 2:00 am

  What a great car! There are not any like this with the size and performance of this car. Turns heads everwhere I go. Everybody loves this car and so do I. Mine is getting better the more miles I put on it.

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  Highly Impressed - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Bob - December 14 - 8:33 am

  Have a little over 700 miles and getting almost 22 MPG with A/C on. V-6 extremely quiet, has plenty of power. Interior is so quiet. Night and day diffeernce over 2005 Hyundai Santa FE, which was a piece of junk.

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  Nice Combination of Class & Performance - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By souvicity - December 12 - 3:33 pm

  The size is just right for 4 comfortably, 5 if necessary. Features are as plentiful as my previous Lincoln with the ride quality being different than the Continental; tighter ride but less plush. Great acceleration when needed, decent mileage around town. Carries an 8 ladder in the trunk by lowering the back seat. A very convenient feature. Although looks are very subjective, it receives many compliments.

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  WOW! - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By monjo - December 11 - 9:23 am

  What a value! This vehicle is beautiful, and feels like youre riding on air. Way underpriced for the amount of safety and security this vehicle has to offer.

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  Very comfortable - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Carolyn - December 10 - 11:13 pm

  I am very pleased so far with the vehicle. It is made well and drives nice. It is stylish with plenty of interior room. Elegant look inside and out.

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  Fun Car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By funguyok74 - December 9 - 2:00 am

  I have had not problems with my Cougar. I love the styling and enjoy driving it. Great gas mileage for a V6 and I costantly get admiring glances. Very fast and good sound system too. I know many people report problems, but I have yet to see them. I purchased a 99 with 27,000 miles cheap and I LOVE IT!

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  Classy & Comfortable - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Sherry - December 5 - 10:43 am

  I purchased my vehicle 2 weeks ago and I have to say, this is indeed the best car Ive ever bought! Very Classy, sophisticated, and reliable. I could take a long road trip in this vehicle and be comfortable the entire time. Plenty of power, everything is easily accessible, steering wheel mounted controls are a must! The only thing I would request in future vehicles is the outside temperature reading. Other than that, this car is outstanding!

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  Great Car - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Wes - December 3 - 7:40 am

  This car is a great looking fun car to drive. I went from a supercharged Mustang GT, and unfortunately had to get rid of due to purchasing a house. I am very happy with this car, sound system is awesome, looks different than anything on the road, and is very comfortable to drive.