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 the car - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By dshorter - April 17 - 2:00 am

  The marquis is reliable, comfortable and easy to handle. Enough power to get out of the way, yet good gas mileage.

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  WOW - Best 2006 Vehicle - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Cole - April 15 - 7:40 pm

  This is said to be the same as the Ford Fusion, but if you go and see the vehicles first hand, you will see why this car is best - and they are the same price. This car is heavy, so it feels stable on the road. It rides extremely smooth and it is so quiet, youll think youre plugging your ears. The front grill and the tail lights make this car stand out from the others, as well as the attractive standard rims. With cloth or leather seats & details, the interior of this car is amazing. The cloth is very soft and comfortable and the leather has attractive stitching. The trunk is large and seats fall down py a push of a button. This is by far the best 2006 vehicle you can buy for the price.

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  Great Car - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Crystal - April 14 - 6:56 pm

  Great car to drive. Comfortable, hugs the road, quiet and fun. Got the Moon roof worth the extra. Getting 27 back and forth (12 miles) to work and 31+ on interstate driving.

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  my wifes car - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By Clay - April 14 - 12:26 am

  My wife had a 94 Sable and loved it, so we purchased a new 04 equipped with all the toys... and she really does love this one, too! PRICE is what first attracted us to this car - reasonable sticker prices, huge rebates and dealer incentives = a lot of car for a lot less than most.

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  Mystique or Mistake - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By Paulyblues - April 9 - 10:00 am

  This car and year had a lot of recalls. I have used this car for many trips and have driven it all over the place with no problems. I warm it up in the winter and make sure the oil is always changed regularly. While it is not powerful (4 cyl), it has always been reliable and has a pretty smooth ride.

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  mercury villager - 2001 Mercury Villager
  By pedro - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Overall a great vehicle.

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  retired - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By huffman - April 9 - 10:00 am

  to much road noise! nice ride

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  Best car so far - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Joe - April 9 - 4:53 am

  My last 3 cars were made by Toyota and all have been very reliable. Now as we are getting older, I wanted my creature comforts and better, fuller seats. Cant say enough about the car because it is awesome. Even better than an older Caddy that we once owned. On our first trip, I tried to keep the RPM just under 2000, speed 65MPH which achieved 29.6 mpg..

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  I like it - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By lclyles - April 9 - 3:40 am

  I was skeptical about a 4 cyl. engine in a mid size car, but it really surprised me. The interior room and looks of the Milan along with the standard equipment sold me. With the exception of the Focus and the Sonata, the other cars were several thousand more than the Milan, when comparably equiped. Avg. gas mileage is 21 in town.

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  Youve gotta drive a Mercury - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By glynn hebert - April 6 - 10:20 pm

  I chose Milan Premier V6 in Silver Birch Metallic with the Stone Interior. The contrast stitching adds a unique, distinctive touch. Like all of the standard features that would cost much more on Toyota or Honda. Its comfortable, sport and fun to drive. I especially the the 3.0L Duratec V6 engine. Mercury has a winner. Drive the rest, then drive the best.