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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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned! - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By RevRev - May 25 - 5:46 am

  After nearly one year, I dont hesitate claiming that the Milan is the best car Ive ever owned. My wife, who loves her minivan, prefers to take my Milan whenever she gets a chance because of how fun it is to drive. Ive driven a lot of cars, and the Milan looks, feels, and most importantly drives like a lot more expensive car. Kudos to the engineers at Ford/Mazda for developing a winner here!

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  A long look a Quality - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By cuesew - May 24 - 10:00 am

  In 1995 I bought a brand new Towncar.... It had everything... Move over Towncar there is a new kid in town... I just bought a Grand marquise 1999 LS ... All I can say is wow... It has more feature than the towncar had and I bought the car with 11000 miles on it... It still smells new...... I have been searching for this car and now I have it.. Very happy

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  Cant beat it. - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Marc - May 24 - 9:26 am

  Cant beat the Mercury Montego. AWD, spacious interior, comfortable, all the bells and whistles, loaded "to the gills" for around $30K. Its the poor mans Audi A8 but Audi doesnt offer 6 years with zero interest loans.

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  great lookin car for a costly price! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By volcomchik04 - May 23 - 4:04 am

  Bought this car back in 2003 from a family member it was runnin great for a while, but since about 2005 i have had to have multiple alignment jobs done,multiple new tires,a new radiator,radiator hoses,new power steerin hoses,new batteries, a new transmission, new motor mount, multiple alternators, new mass airflow sensor, new spark plugs, just recently had to have the o2 sensors replaced and the egr valve fixed, and my catalitic converter needs to be replaced (fyi just for the catalitic converter alone its gonna be $300)...all in all its a good lookin car and has lasted me a long time but im definately ready to get rid of it!!...It has cost me a lot of money!!

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  Milan - Urban Nightmare! - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Steve - May 16 - 4:36 pm

  Bought the Milan which supposedly replaces the Sable, three of which I drove for 10 years. Absolutely no comparison. The Milan ride, while smooth on highways, is awful on city streets. You feel every bump and the car shakes on potholes, as if there are no shock absorbers. Urban gas mileage is about 13 mpg, much lower than the Sable. During summer which a/c on and idling, mpg was 10. Then theres the wide wheel base which means wide turning circle, a detriment for parking in tight spots or making U turns on city streets. Youre paying more for less quality which seems minimally cheap compared to the Sable LS.

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  really grand - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By shirl - May 15 - 3:33 pm

  This car has been a dream. 3 round trips from AZ to CO by myself were in total comfort. Mechanically there have been no problems. Regular maint. is all that has been necessary.

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  great car - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By grfranchino - May 15 - 10:00 am

  Great Handlin g

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  Terrible SUV - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By michelle - May 14 - 2:50 pm

  I bought an 06 Premier V8 new. What a waste of 30K. It is beautiful but has been nothing but trouble. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS and has had to be serviced once a quarter since I bought it. Ford has tried several different "computer calibrations" to fix it to no avail. Also motor on 3rd row seat went out even though we leave it down 99% of the time. Also, only gets 14 mpg, 17 HWY AT BEST. Seats are uncomfortable over 100 mile trips. Door handles are ridiculous & doors must be slammed to shut. I cant believe I traded in my Lexus on this clunker. Do yourself a favor and do not buy this car.

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  Fun & Secure - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Jeanne Compagnone - May 13 - 10:33 am

  I really feel secure in the SUV. Its a fun car to drive and extremely easy to handle. Makes great turns, seems to hug the road. Added heated seats and rear-sensor monitor.

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  Look elsewhere - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By Pillager - May 12 - 2:00 am

  I know minivans are by their nature boring vehicles. The Villager is especially so. I have also had a nagging squeak from the steering column that the dealer was never able to completely fix.