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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  Outstanding - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By rpb - May 12 - 2:00 am

  After four months and 6,000 miles - the Merc. Mountie is the best vehicle we have ever owned. Quality is perfect. The ride w/ new suspension blows away the older version by providing maximum stability and comfort. A must buy in the SUV $30,000 - 35,000 market.

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  Great car for the money - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By J. Brenneis - May 12 - 2:00 am

  Fine road car- easy to drive on long trips. Lots of room and protection for the driver and front seat passenger.

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  great car- exceed expectations - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By ajstock - May 7 - 2:00 am

  Owned LS Premium for 20 months. Cannt get wife out of drivers seat. As attractive as competing Japanese models, good pep & handling, VERY ROOMY for mid size (better than Japanese choices); we are frequently complimented on the car by friends.

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  First car - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By tylermex - May 6 - 8:24 pm

  This was my first car that i have shared with my brother. it was very easy to drive and pretty fast. it takes a second to kick into gear but its fast and handles good. my only main complaints are these: it is very shaky on the highway, the altinator dies pretty quickly (with car aftermarket audio), and my engine has made squeeky and clicking sounds everynow and then which were minor fixes. i am happy to leave this car for a new one only because of the 10mpg city and 17 highway, its rediculous

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  Dont even think about it! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Give Up! - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Headache is the first word that comes to mind. I have the car in the shop at least every third month. You always think that this is the last time but... wrong again. Catalytic convertor replaced at 25000, ignition replaced, fuel guage/pump replaced, tyerod bolt snapped off, security system locked up twice and of course wiring is not covered under the Extra Care warranty that I bought to cut expenses. To top it off, the resale value is pathetic!!!

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  A Dream Car in my Garage - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Stephen - May 2 - 10:00 am

  An eye catcher in 35th Anniversary Edition Skin with options and standard features to back it up. A beautiful car with an even more beautiful interior and a sound system that sounds like its worth $1000.00, rides like a sports car and feel like a sports car in handeling. The only downside to the car is that by all means it looks fast, but in this case looks are deceving. This car is unfortunitly underpowered. That aside it has been everything and more than what I expected for a Mercury for the price of $22K. A good solid investment if you had the money to tweek up the engine.

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  New Mariner - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By terih2os - April 30 - 10:50 am

  I am impressed with the manueverability. Only downside I see currently is the noise from the auto fan cutting on. Perhaps I need to learn to control this better. Having difficulty discovering this easily if it is present.

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  I call it my Montego Mercedes by Shawn - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Shawn - April 30 - 1:13 am

  I normally dont buy new cars, but this one had every feature I wanted. I want to say something about a previous review. There are two electrical outlets in the front (not one). One is in the typical place and the other one is somewhat hidden in the front center console, apparently for charging a cell phone. This is my first Mercury and I couldnt be happier.

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  02 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By drewny - April 28 - 5:48 pm

  AVOID THIS VEHICLE... I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH 137,000 MILES ON IT. I PUT IN NEW BATTERY NEW HUBS , NEW WHEEL BEARINGS ,HAD TO REPLACE ENTIRE CRUSE CONTROL SYSTEM AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM, AFTER PUTTING 4 NEW TIRES ON IT , ALTENATOR GOES AND I NEED A 2ND NEW BATTERY. WHILE DRIVE N DOWN ROAD DOOR AJAR LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND INTERIOR LIGHT WOULD FLICKER ON AND OFF DOOR AJAR LIGHT WOULD BEEP OVER AND OVER.. THE FRONT WHEEL BEARING I HAD REPLACED 4 MONTHS EARLIER STARTED TO GO AND THEN ONE WEEK AFTER GETTING TIRES THE TRANSMISSION WENT.. RUN FAR FROM THIS VEHICLE DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY LIKE I DID.. JUNK

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  5th one, best yet - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By nvbanker - April 26 - 6:56 am

  I have owned a 94 Explorer, 97 Mountaineer, 98 Mountaineer, 02 Mountaineer, and now an 04 Mountaineer, AWD Premier. Each has been better than the last, although the 94 is still running, and we sold it with 140,000 miles on it. Same transmission, engine, A/C still worked. 4WD had quit at about 110,000, and I never fixed it. The independent rear suspension offered since 02 is class leading, and only now are some of the other manufactures offering it. It improves handling dramatically, and allows for the 3rd seat to actually be functional and comfortable for an adult. The rear air, coming through the ceiling is extraordinary as well. Love the V-8 power. I still think its the best value.