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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  Not a Mountaineer - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By tootz - February 24 - 6:26 am

  I got this vehicle after driving a Mountaineer for 6 years. The Mariner was a little disappointing-comparitvely speaking. I got a great deal on it however. Gas mileage is OK, comfort is OK, but the drive is noisey at best. And, while I did get the flex fuel model, there is no flex fuel to be found in my area of the country - what is the point?

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  Hate minivans but respect Villager - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Hadi - February 23 - 10:43 am

  Bought my villager estate at 94K miles. Had to replace front CV Joints at 100K. Has 110K with no problems. As such a very reliable small van. Hate minivans but have to grudgingly respect the villager for quality and style. Wouldnt have bought it if it wasnt for the Nissan technology. My only gripe is that its very bad on leg room both front and middle. Captains chairs are heavy to remove and pain to put back. Like the front and rear AC feature...wish it was also the same for heat. Could have been more powerful and definitely could have been much better on gas. Gives me a measly 17 in the city and around 24 on the highway. All in all would recommend this small minivan.

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  so far its been great !! - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By me - February 22 - 2:33 pm

  I had a 97 buick lesabra which was just ok. but after driving the Grand M. i was blowwn away & may still trade in for an older Marauder. much more leg & body room for a large guy. v-8 rwd. alot better then the v-6 fwd. I dont think ford will keep this platform after 08-09. Too bad. On the down side rear seat leg room is small but i like the big trunk.

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  High mileage Grand Marquis - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Steve Du Bose - February 18 - 5:16 pm

  I have owned full frame RWD vehicles all of my life. That said, the medium sized Mercury GM is a delight to drive on a day to day basis. (I have owned larger and smaller full framed cars). I have been know to drive 800 miles in a day and not need bed rest for a week. Fuel economy has been 14mpg city and 24- 25 highway. Modifications include, duel exhaust with flow masters, K&N air intake system, computer recalibration, police shocks, Bigger sway bars, after market suspension bushings and Police pursuit tires. Over all reliability has been very good. Other than normal maintenance, the coolant runner in the front of the intake manifold has been the only issue. Just normal things

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  Head out on the highway! - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By rsu11 - February 17 - 5:26 am

  Drove it from south Florida to North Carolina and averaged 29 mpg around 65 mph! Outstanding! A big comfortable highway cruiser for our occasional road trips. Ive since added dual exhaust, rear air shocks and replaced those awful plastic wheel covers with the cast aluminum laced wheels. Will also have to replace the original intake manifold (with plastic coolant passages) before our next trip. Only design flaws are radio and heater controls not in easy reach, wide floor sill under doors makes exiting the car a little clumsy. Power windows are getting slow, common for Fords.

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  1996 Grand Marquis - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By grandmarquis - February 16 - 12:33 am

  My 1996 Grand Marquis now has 79600 miles on it and it still runs strong. No one would guess its age (especially since new ones look simliar). Good accelaration and pick-up, lots of power. I have had to have all the O2 sensors replaced, and the mass airflow sensor has been replaced twice. It still has its original battery. I have also replaced the spark plugs. I change the oil ever 3000 miles. Fuel economy is good for the engine size but still very expensive to use for city driving (I get about 16 mpg city/23 or 24 highway)

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  Major Transmission Problems - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By l_chicago - February 8 - 8:30 pm

  I bought my 2009 Mariner Premier V6 AWD last April. It was running perfectly--gorgeous looking car. 4 weeks ago the transmission was having "issues" brang it back to the dealership and they told me that the transmission has to basically be rebuilt. An issue that they are becoming aware of in the 2009 Mariner. They fixed the trans. Today I had to take it back in because the warning light for the powertrain fault came on. It took them 3 hours to tell me that the issue is a computer issue related to the transmission. They have to take the trans out to figure out why the "fix" didnt work, if they cant figure it out, they need to replace the trans! A 1 year old car shouldnt have trans problems!

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  We love it - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By rodriguez - February 2 - 2:00 am

  I have to admit the seat warmers are a great asset to the car. I will never go without it again. I love it! Its very roomy. The turning radius is excellent.Imformative onboard computer.Great road side assistance. Fuel economy is poor. Overall we are very happy with our purchase.

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  Mercury Villager Estate - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By RHenry - February 1 - 10:00 am

  My Mercury Estate is underpowered and has a difficult time achieving any fuel economy. My best highway fuel average is 24 mpg. It is also difficult to fuel completely. When the pump shuts off indicating it is full I can still add an additional 3 gallons or more. The ride is comfortable and it handles well. The body is prone to scratches.

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  2005 Mercury Monterey Premier - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By Andrew - January 29 - 10:30 pm

  We have owned this van for almost 4 years. It has been a purchase. It is comfortable on long drives with great features such as DVD, Heated/Cooled Seats, and fold down rear seat.