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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  Safe, well built, and well designed - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By cthelightnh - September 1 - 6:56 am

  Mercury Sable is a very refined vehicle. It is well designed and well built. I have had no initial quality issues which is a first for me. For a large sedan, it has great visibility and feels much smaller when driving. It has lots of room in both front and rear seats. Trunk is huge! Controls are logical and easy to use. Stock sound system is pretty good and has a aux input for portable electronics like mp3 players.

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  POLICE SLEEPER - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By ROBERT ROSA - August 30 - 10:00 am

  THE 03 MARAUDER IS A HARD CORE RIDE WITH A VERY RESPONSIVE THROTTLE THE CAR LAUNCHES BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT STICKS TO THE ASPHAULT THANKS TO THE MEAT ON ITS 18 INCH WHEELS. BRAKEING IS GREAT THANKS TO THE FOUR WHEEL DISC WITH DAUL PISTON DISC UP FRONT. 302 HP THERE NOT KIDDING IT BUILDS POWER THREW OUT ITS POWER BAN. OUTSTANDING RIDE THE BIG POWERFUL AMERICAN CRIUSER IS BACK!!!

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  Great Car - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By TxMarilyn - August 30 - 10:00 am

  I have been very satisfied with this car. I get just as good gas mileage as my sisters 6 cylinder, but I have much more power and room. The insurance on this car is so low! I sustained very little damage when I was struck from behind by another car. The fuel shutoff worked just like it was supposed to work.

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  googd one - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By uywatta - August 30 - 10:00 am

  good car had fun... no problems none

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  mine - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By my cougar 00 - August 30 - 10:00 am

  runs good needs a little more trunk space

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  Love the Van - 2002 Mercury Villager
  By David46 - August 30 - 10:00 am

  We have had the van for couple of months, but we are very pleased with it. While we have had to take it to the dealership for some minor "tuning" (back hatch door didnt raise all the way, squeaky passenger side window) we dont feel this is a big deal since it is simply laughable to expect perfection from a machine with thousands of moving parts. The van drives well . . . good pickup . . . carries everything we need . . . looks great even when compared to Hondas allegedly fantastic minivan. This is our fourth mini-van, but first Villager, and we are upset we didnt try it before. They are making a mistake discontinuing it.

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  Cats Eye - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By AdamSebestyen - August 30 - 10:00 am

  I call Her Cats Eye because She is beautiful green. This car is the car of my life. I drove 16000 miles within 4 months in absolute comfort and she will never disappoint me. Simply perfect.

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  No major problems yet. - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Erie, Pa - August 30 - 1:33 am

  Looked for an SUV for a long time. Chose because of price and Explorer reputation. So far have had minor problems with the vehicle not being able to start. After three tows, found out it was bad ground wire. vehicle sometimes seems to lag into gear from park when cold. Also transmission at times acts like something is going wrong. Have 75,000 mile warranty, hope it goes before then. A fine vehicle otherwise, gas mileage around town is 13 and highway is poor at only 18. Questionable whether I would buy another. Also seat foam on drivers seat began to bunch up along left part of seat, I dont weigh a whole lot over 170. Had to have it taken off and fixed. $125.00

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  Slo-poke - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Mark - August 29 - 2:43 am

  Ford has come a long way in producing a quality vehicle, owned this mercury from March 2005 never had any problems with it, put almost 17,000 miles on it until I got rid of it November 2005. This was/is HUGE car, lots and lots of room, great features and content. However, the darned thing just could not get out of its own way. Ford made a drastic mistake with the powerplant, its a shame because otherwise a great vehicle!!!

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  Not so "Comfy" Marquis - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By MetroMan - August 27 - 8:40 pm

  When I purchased my Marquis "Ultimate Edition" brand new, I thought for sure Id be buying a car that would ride like a cloud. Instead, I have a 4,200 pound modern day buckboard. This cars suspension is very unforgiving and downright hard riding. If you must purchase one of these cars, be careful, and dont buy one with the optional "handling package" ($615.00), because the suspension will be set up whereby you will feel every little blemish in the road surface. And also, the $895.00 "Premium Plus Audio Package" is a waste of money, since the rear speakers distort and rattle, but the dealer insists that this is normal. Need I say, this is my very last purchase of a Ford product....ever.