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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  lo e my mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By KS connection - June 7 - 10:00 am

  Excellent would recomend to all I see and that would listen

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  All smiles - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By hp6465us - June 7 - 10:00 am

  I test drove a bunch of cars, including alot of Europians like Mercedes and BMW,and although the models I drove undoubtedly out performed this car, They lacked the inside room and comfort. But for the money, there is no competition for the Marauder. Some other American sedans are slightly better off the line, but once she gets moving, the handling and road feel are beyond anything GM or Chrysler has to offer. And yes, even including that utterly disappointing, uncomfortable, tub of goo Monte Carlo SS.

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  2nd Marquis - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mill - June 7 - 10:00 am

  The Marquis is a large, safe car that has plenty of power and handles nicely. This is my second one and I will probably trade for a third.

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  3rd Mountaineer - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By C A Vars - June 6 - 5:13 pm

  Excellent for grandkids, they love putting up third row seats. Used daily for construction management, frequently used for lugging small construction materials. Works great for golf gear also.

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  Bad Transmission - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By Travis - June 5 - 10:30 pm

  Bought brand new this March. Noticed a little slip or gear miss when the car would shift into 2nd gear. Took to dealer and had a solenoid replaced in October. This took 7 days to repair. Two weeks later all noticed it was slipping now in all six gears. Took car back yesterday and found out that they now need need to replace the transmission because the piece they need to replace is not sold individually.Now they have it and will take another week to get the transmission in and who knows how long that will take. GOD love Ford transmissions. They should stop making those new 6 speed transmission.

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  Solid ride - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By vusford1 - June 5 - 1:56 pm

  I mostly enjoy my new Mountaineer. It has pretty good comfort in all rows, has a smooth ride, and decent handling for a truck- based suv, however I do wish that fit and finish was a little better, as I have had some minor problems. Ford motor company quality control could be better

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  Great Ride! - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Utahguy - June 3 - 12:30 pm

  40K mi; had since new. Have had LOTS of vehicles over the last 40 yrs, and this is truly an outstanding sedan value-wise. BIG interior, HUGE trunk, in nice-sized, "Euro-style" car. NO complaints, other than mileage does suffer some from AWD. Around 17 city/22 hwy @ 80mph.

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  Love my 99 Cougar "big red" - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By se7enbender - June 2 - 12:16 am

  I got my 1999 Mercury Cougar 2 and 1/2 months ago for $500; was my half brothers before but wasnt well taken care of. Had to make numerous repairs to get it running and did some body work on top of that. Now, with almost 94000 miles (had 92k when I got it) runs like new. Would def. recommend to someone who wants a sportier feel

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  value for your money - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By buddy1 - June 1 - 2:00 am

  Didnt plan on buying a MM.Was going to trade in 1999 Grand Marque LS on exact replacement. MM was on showroom floor.The price was so right I drove it off the showroom floor for a test drive.We then drove it the 250 miles back home.You cant beat the value you get for the money in this mercury line. Power,AWESOME handling,ride is a bit stiff in the city streets but on the highway or mountain roads where we live this car was built for them.I feel sorry for city dwellers who will really never get to use the car at its potential.Note: We didnt trade in our other Grand Marque.

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  Doug Millers 2001 Sable Review - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By Doug Miller - June 1 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Sable for over 2 years and I am very pleased with my overall experiance. I have not grown tired of the looks both inside and out. Although, I wonder how I will feel when Ford decides to do a total make over. I have not had any service issues and I have it routinely maintained every 5K miles.