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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  ...crazy bout my Mercury - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Chugalug - January 2 - 10:00 am

  I just purchased our Mariner for my wife on 10/04/2004. We chose the Mariner because of the refinement and class that it has. This is more upscale than the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute. There are also far fewer Mariners out there for now. The quality exceeds our expectations. Handleing and performance are exceptional as well. The fit and finish are excellent too. I am a tall big guy and I fit in the Mariner with ease and am very comfortable. There is also plenty of back seat leg and head room. Great lighting from headlights and fog/driving lights. The ride is smooth and responsive.

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  "Runaway Dream Mercury" - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mercury Man - January 1 - 7:40 pm

  This Mercury is a Lincoln with a ten- thousand dollar discount! It is crisp in performance,tight in all the right places, the paint is flawless, the fuel economy aint bad either! Wow....what a looker, and engine performance seems to have a hefty rocket under the hood. There is some road noise at highway speed, but Lincoln is a bit noisey too! You can not go wrong with this product, as this is like an expensive wine, at premium beer prices, so go see your favorite dealer A.S.A.P!

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  False Promises - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By II - December 30 - 5:36 pm

  Build quality is dismal. In 28K miles, I have new tires, new rear brakes, new traction control chip, new windshield wiper cowl and the power doors have been adjusted 3 times already. Gas mileage is poor. 14 city & 17 hwy. Dealer promised 18/23 which never, ever happened. Interior materials are poor quality and cheap. Only reason I bought it (left over model with huge discount of $15K off list). Thats where the bargain ended.

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  Best value for the money - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Aimee - December 30 - 2:36 pm

  I Bought this car not even knowing what a Milan was. This truly is a great car. After driving a Honda Accord as a rental for a week, the Milan is far superior over the Accord. I love everything about this car. Would advise test driving one if you are in the market for a new car. I got every option and all of it works well as it is intended to.

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  Problem Kitty - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By tony_from_ny - December 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new. Loaded, and with discounts and incentives it only cost $18,500, well below sticker. It has been a disappointment. 9 visits under warranty for a lot of little, nagging problems. Some I fixed myself after giving up on the dealer who was clueless. Now that the little stuff has been taken care of, its not bad. Fairly comfortable on a trip, although the sport suspension (an option) is a little rough on bad roads. The 170HP rating is optimistic. Probably closer to 155 in reality.

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  Mercury Sable LS is a High Quality Sedan - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By d. gearey - December 29 - 3:56 pm

  We purchased a lease return Sable LS with 50K miles. It looks and drives like a brand new car. Leather interior is beautiful, sunroof and climate control systems work perfectly. Installed new Goodyear triple Tread Tires, drives like a dream, very quiet with precise steering and ABS brakes. I cannot understand why american auto magazine reviewers give excellent U.S. made cars like my Sable such a bad rap. We rented a highly touted japanese car while on vacation and we found it to be slow, underpowered and tinny, with excessive road noise. We were glad to get rid of it at the end of the trip. Our Sable is a much better built car, quieter,with a more substantial structure,and much better power.

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  Love this car, but still just a Ford - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By nsoli - December 26 - 9:16 pm

  This is a car with really big value. I have the Luxury which has nice leather, wood and some brushed metal accents (plastic). Overall, very snazzy car, HID headlights, premium cd, etc. I cant even emphasize enough how roomy this car is inside. Was very happy. Downside - they used the old Taurus transmissions in a new car! What a scam! Only 200 hp, very low low-end torque. Build quality showed thru at the end of my lease. Rear drivers side door became water-logged from car wash, rear sway bars and bushings are shot. Power steering pump is shot, dealer insists theres nothing wrong, all Fords make that loud whining sound when turning a corner. And thats why Im buying a BMW next!

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  Love the car...too many repairs! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By P schwedler - December 26 - 6:30 am

  This is my type of car. I love the unique look, the V6 power, the roomy hatchback. This is the 1st new car Ive purchased, and Ive taken great care of it. Ive failed the Mass. emmissions test due to a broken sensor. The fuel pump was recalled. The alternator cracked and my car died in rush hour traffic. This all happened in the last few months on a 3 year old car. Glad I got the extended warrenty! The steering is very heavy, but I can deal with that. My friends Jeep Cherokee has a tighter turning radius than my cougar. I love the car, but hate the hassle.

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  Solid Car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By brigham1525 - December 26 - 4:43 am

  Ive owned this car since around 2002, and its been a solid car. The leather seats are nice, has a good brand name, and though not as good as some foreign cars, better than most American cars from the late 90s to early 2000s. The only problems Ive endured with it so far is some suspension/wheel problems, which was an easy fix, and in the winter, when I tried to warm my car up, then leave it, it would stall a little bit. But besides that, its a good car, though not tremendous, still gets the job done with a fine brand name.

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  Go buy one - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By JAC - December 25 - 6:16 pm

  Me and my wife just bought a Mariner and we love it. This is our first SUV. It has great visibility, and is roomy. Has good pick up with the V6, and rides nice. It looks good inside and out. If your looking to get a small/mid size SUV check out the Mariner.