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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  Fantastic car. - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Chris - May 30 - 12:23 pm

  Ive had this car for a month now and I completely love it. I had a Ford before. It was the most reliable car I ever owned, so I stayed with the company and I have great hopes for the Milan. It certainly has excellent ratings from Consumer Reports. I think the Milan represents great value for the money.

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  Lots of room... - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Misti Doty - May 29 - 2:33 pm

  This car has loads of room and fits car seats well but the 6 speed automatic doesnt perform as expected. Also fuel economy is not on par for a 210 hp small V6 that moves the vehicle along brisk enough I guess...

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  I dont know what I was thinking - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By nikki - May 29 - 11:23 am

  The car drives great when it drives, tires expensive, After 85,000 miles I had to replace the transmission. Built like a Honda or Toyota, I dont think so.

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  Keeping my fingers crossed - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Riff - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Up side: low key, helpful dealer; right size; plenty or convenience features; feels tight Down side: Badging crooked Door didnt fit Wheel bearing goes @ 1k mile

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  excellent suv - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By STEVE - May 28 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Mountaineer for 2,500 miles now and I am as happy with it as I was when I left the lot. I have had no problems except the CD player acting up. the drive, the handling, the looks inside/out, the quality and firmness of ride is outstanding. Rides as well as the Land Rover for 2x the price of the Mountaineer and I like the styling better. Its fun to drive, stable and the front end stands out as a dressy explorer. I have gotten lots of compliments on it as you dont see many on the road. One reason why I like the Mountaineer.

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  BEST AMERICAN car you can buy! - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By John - May 27 - 5:30 pm

  Bought this car in Jan, Wanted a Crown Vic. but couldnt find any.. No-one was selling them.. Settled for this.. basically the same car.. More Luxury than I Needed. but thats just another plus to this car.. Got it with 39,000 miles on it. had it for almost 10 months. and now have 54,000 on it.. Ive own Foreign Hondas, volkswagons, Mitshubshis. Nothing compares to this car.. its just built to LAST. i can tell. I beat on this car. and it takes anything i can give it.. And the Gas mileage isnt bad either for a 3800 pound car.. 21.5 mpg on average! If youre thinking about one. BUY IT! dont hesitate. there arent many of them left! enjoy them while you still can..

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  great car - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Rick Sowder - May 27 - 2:16 am

  I bought the car just to have an extra car around for family transportation emergencys with over 100k miles, it has become our extended familys favorite vehicle,great car,great value.

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  The Good and not so good - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Pat - May 25 - 7:00 pm

  The Comfort, looks and performance are Great. The Problems are few but Should be weeded out by the Mercury engineers: 1) I purchased this SUV new and have the towing package but have never used it yet the 2 rear springs are broken. Never overloaded it either. Cant figure out why/how this happened. 2) Rear tailgate has a plastic body part with Mercury emblem on it. It cracked even though there was no accident. Heard of other owners having same problem. Why did/does this happen? 3) Power windows freeze up in winter will not work until they are thawed out. Overall I like this SUV. Its a pleasure to drive. Hopeful that some Mercury People will see my remarks here and find solutions

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  Not Exactly Pleased - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Hayley - May 25 - 3:10 pm

  Loved interior & exterior at purchase. Too bad it didnt last. The window control panel on the drivers side door pops out each time you close the door. I feel like the car is straining when I accelerate. Then when the car had about 25,000 miles on it, it began to hesitate when I tried to accelerate. It got to the point where the car would not respond when I pushed the gas pedal, it would hesitate and then eventually would go, but when it did it would shoot my RPMs up high. This was dangerous, especially in an intersection. The car was under warranty at the time, and they ended up replacing the coil packs (?). This corrected the problem. Im not impressed with this car & would not recommend.

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  I Love It! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Lauren - May 25 - 5:23 am

  I have had my car for a year and a half and I absolutely love it! I havent had any problems at all. I love the design and everything about it. Nice big trunk, a lot bigger than a lot of people think. Gas mileage isnt the best, but it is a V6, so what do you expect? We have previously had Hondas and Toyotas and this car is so much better than any Honda or Toyota we have had. The seats are incredibly comfortable and we actually take this car on long trips rather than our CRV. It handles really well and the cruise is right on. Very smooth ride and you cant even feel it shift. I would recommend this car to anyone!