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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  All in all, a great vehicle - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Julie - March 28 - 2:20 pm

  I bought this vehicle after driving a 1993 Ford Probe for 5 1/2 years. It had several things go wrong within the first few months. I figured it was right off the assembly line so it was normal to have a few bugs worked out. The airbag & engine lights came on, it sputtered and died when I drove through puddles. All that were caused by faulty sensors and a loose serpentine belt. I had an extended warranty so thankfully I didnt have to pay for any of it. After it was fixed, I never had another problem.

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  Too Much Vibration - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By NYC Commuter - March 27 - 2:26 am

  I leased a 4 cyl. 4wd Mariner for commute purposes. The size is perfect, and it has been a champ in snow and rain. Unfortunately, the car has an annoying whine at 1,000 rpm that the dealer says in "normal" and under various condition vibrates excessively. At 55 and 75 mph the vehicle feels like the tires are unbalanced (they were checked by two dealer). If parked on a steep downhill, the vehicle vibrated very strongly in park. The pretty interior finishes and materials are not very durable. In retrospect, I should have gone with the Chevy Equinox.

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  WELL RESTED PORSCHE - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Mr.Merc - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Since I bought the Maurader, Ive driven my Porsche twice! It is certainly a throwback to the sixties.The amazing apect of ownership is the wide range of admirers. My 80 year old aunts love to ride in the "roomy" back seat , and the teens everywhere give "thumbs up" . The exhaust sound is great,the ride is comfortable , and the styling is neat.

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  Mercury Survives 109.5K and still ticks! - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By Mike MM - March 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car on a 5 year loan (and a wing and a prayer) knowing that I drive 28K miles/year. I love this car and, to my surprise, this car still runs great, everything works, and my gas mileage usually is 23 MPG or better. I am debating whether to keep it and run it into the ground, or lose $3,200 because of depreciation versus loan residual. I think Ill keep it!

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  2004 Mercury Marauder - Black - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By wernergu - March 16 - 2:00 am

  Great comfort, can get into the fast lane quick (while coming in from the on ramp), makes for a "safe feeling" ride (especially with all that steel around you). Funny to see people getting out of my way thinking that I am a cop - until they see the Registration Sticker in the back window. Also interesting to see a lot of old timers giving the car the once over - it catches their eyes since they are driving normal Grand Ms or Crown Vics. One word of advice, for those that live up North - buy a remote starter (or better yet, do as I did and negotiate it as part of the deal - I got it for "free"). BEWARE: No snow tires are made for the back wheels.

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  Great Car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Cougarman2000 - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Since I bought this car about a month ago I rarely drive my 2002 honda civic LX Sport. This car turns heads everywhere I go, and the chicks love it. Lots of power in the V6. Just a great car overall. Ive put 8000KM on it already and no problems yet. The car has 48000KM on it now.

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  Decent but not great! - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By chevyman19 - March 9 - 5:16 am

  I bought the car in September of 2006 and I wish I wouldnt have because the fifth day I had to spend $500 to get my intake fixed, and Ive spent over $800 dollars trying to get my a/c fixed and still is not fixed right. When I accelerate hard it blows warm, and another 5 months after that I broke down on the side of the road because my transmission had gone out on it. Overall I would never buy another Sable again because its all Ford parts.

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  Joey Grand Marquis Review - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Joe Schill - March 6 - 10:00 am

  Its a nice car. Quiet, even after 12,000 miles. Ride is smooth.

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  Not bad - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Cape Robert - March 4 - 7:46 pm

  I previously owned a 1997 GS and put on 135K and drove it till it dropped. It was good, solid and economical transportation which is why I bought this one. The 97 had the basic engine gave me 27+ MPG hwy. I followed the owners manual as to when to perform maintenance and cannot complain (of course, I never took it a dealer where their rates were way oput of line). My 1999 with the 24 valve OHV which is very peppy averages about 25+ MPG highway. Both are great salesman cars and I look at them as a disposable products. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another one.

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  More van for less price than others! - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By DadsretiredfromFord - February 26 - 3:20 am

  First I drove the Nissan,Honda,Toyota,Chrysler, and Mazda minis. I Bought the Merc because A) My dad worked for Ford, and B) $14000 off sticker price! The vehicle is very sharp looking, inside and out, and there are tons of features included on the Luxury edition. For the same price I paid I would have got a base Sienna with none of the leather, heated seats, power doors, 6CD, trip computer, power pedals, memory power everything, etc. The engine is noisy, but once underway its quiet. MPG so far is 17/21, not as good as my old Villager. Problems so far: replaced pwr window motor, vibration in 2 tires, alignment off, squeaking brakes. Overall a good deal considering the low price paid!