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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  Very good results - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By Lew - December 14 - 9:33 pm

  I have had no bad results and would recommend this car for any family. It has a lot of power and speed. The body has a few chips in the paint but no dents. It is white in color with beige cloth interior. Power driver seat. I just had the speed sensor replaced in the transmission. This is the only problem I have ever had with this car. It has 67000 miles on it.

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  BEST/COMFORT - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Mahoney - December 13 - 10:00 am

  PREMIER- LOVE THE HEATED SEAT- EXCELLENT LUMBAR SUPPORT - IF YOU HAVE A BAD BACK BUY THIS CAR...YOU WILL FEEL BETTER... RIDE IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE EXPORER, EXCELLENT FINANCING - RCO - AWD - V6 -MEANS YOU CAN GO ANYWHERE!! in comfort

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  Ten years and still going - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By Chris - December 11 - 5:06 pm

  I saw this car in 2005 now mind you it is about to reach the ten year mark, and has 93k miles on it, you couldve told me it just left the factory yesterday and I would have believed you. I had it checked out,a nd yes there were some problems, problems all too common with the Sable, but the dealer was happy to fix them and I for $3500 walked away with an above average used car. I am happy to tell you, the car to this day still turns heads, provides a smooth ride and on I-95 can keep up with those around it. After 150k miles my used car shows no signs of stopping and thanks to Ford I will not have to go through the process of buying a car anytime soon, thank you.

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  1999 Mercury Villager Estate - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Barb - December 10 - 10:53 am

  Purchased used in 2002 with 30K. My first Mercury. Ive always owned Nissans. Ive had a lot of problems with this van. The gas pedal sticks, the sliding door windows rattle and wont stay open, rear wiper doesnt work, rear auto windows dont work, A/C doesnt work. The transmission jerks going from 1st to 2nd gear. Had the valve-body replaced twice. Had the box that controls trasmission twice. The transmission still jerks. The Check Engine light has been on for the past 5 years. Took it to 2 dealerships, no one can figure out why the light stays on. Battery and oil lights have been on for the past 6 mo even though I had both checked. I would never buy another Villager again.

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  2007 Mercury Milan Premier FWD - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By bob in murrysville - December 10 - 2:56 am

  I just purchased the 2007 Mercury Milan Premier FWD model. The auto is well built, inside and out. Great styling and solid handling. Very comfortable with excellent driver visibility. Enjoy the exterior puddle lamps - nice feature. I just drove it over 40 miles of western Pennsylvania country roads and it handled superbly. I parked it next to a new Honda Accord at the employee lot at work and the Milan is every bit as nice (or nicer) than the Accord. I am a civil engineer by occupation and I must say that I am very impressed with the vehicle.

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  Wrong Chassis for an SUV - 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Jerry - December 9 - 7:53 am

  Dependable, very powerful engine, but do not get that secure,always in control feel, one gets with a newer and different chassis Suv. Wrong purchase for me!

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  Nice Car, Could Use Some Improvement - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mr. Marquis - December 8 - 5:03 pm

  If youre like me and enjoy a large, roomy v-8 driven rear wheel drive car then the Mercury Marquis is about the only way to go now that GM has been out of the game since 96. That being said, it fills that niche nicely but a few things need to be addressed. I bought mine at 62,000 miles and it ran fine with no problems until around 75,000 when the plastic intake manifold cracked ($1,000 fix). This is apparently a common problem on the Ford 4.6L V8. Its comfortable, has plenty of room, and rides nice and smooth. Overall, a good value with nice features for the money.

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  1993 Gran Marquis - New Jersey - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Rivertender - December 7 - 11:20 am

  Had an inexplicable 25- 26 mpg on old, old, off brand standard plugs. Replaced with newest, expensive Fomoco platnum, gold plugs: 22 mpg! If I could go in the garbage and get my old plugs back, I would. Just turned 200,000 miles. Still rides well The car has asked me for nothing in terms of repair. Okay, idler arm and a ball joint. I always use Mobil 1. I cant get rid of the car because it still runs so well. I use Michelan Symetry tires (pricey, but oh what a great ride). Got to say that I really like my 93 Gran Marquis.

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  Fun on the road - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Bentley - December 7 - 10:23 am

  We just traded in a Mercury Grand Marquis in April, 2004. I like the Mountainer for the reliability and the safety. I like sitting up higher when driving than you would if driving a car. One feature I feel they could improve on would be the locations of the switches for adjustments of front seats. Why not put them on doors like the Marquis do? Plus there could be more head room in the front seat area. I have noticed taller people close to top interior. Overall I have enjoyed the Mountaineer and it is likely we will keep this one for a few years.

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  One of the Best - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By skp369 - December 7 - 2:00 am

  This is the amoung the best cars that I have ever driven. It is like driving a lazy boy on wheels with excellent performance. It is not as fast as a corvette (owned a 93) but it more than makes up for it with the comfort and the practicality. A whole lot fun in the daily traffic and weather situations that most people find themselves in.