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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  LEMON - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Bryan Willams - June 19 - 2:00 am

  Fuel guage gone already not covered under warranty. Strange jerk in transmission when shifting into 3rd. Anti-lock guage has been replaced twice already? Door hinges come loose every couple of months. Front strut replaced. This is a 35K DOLLAR CAR AND ITS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. I WOULD EXPECT ALOT MORE. What a lemon!

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  Bring back the oldies - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Scott Tallman - June 19 - 2:00 am

  Super car, but dont try and back it up at nite. the backup lights are not very bright, have been blacked out by Ford. The ride isnt quite as comfortable as the regular Marquis because of the low slung tires the Marauder has. This is my 4th Grand Marquis, so I thought Id try the new Marauder. Its a joy to drive as long as the road isnt bumpy and its not at nite. Scott Tallman

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  2002 Big M - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By libsdad - June 19 - 2:00 am

  Excellent highway cruiser/with good fuel economy. Drove to FLA last summer (12 hour run) and did not feel beat when we arrived. Not a young persons car, but ideal for 50 and older crowd.

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  Under rated 7-passenger SUV - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Jerome Rich - June 18 - 10:43 pm

  A trouble-free SUV that does everything well. My only complaint are the cheap leather seats.

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  GrrrrrrWOWllll!!!! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By JeffsfirstCougar - June 17 - 10:00 am

  I had been drooling over a Prelude SH until I drove one and kept asking myself if I wanted to spend all that money on something so plain and basic as the SH is.... Once I spotted a Cougar, I researched it and fell head over heels for it. The third day we owned it, a teenage girl ran a stop sign and had this car not been able to react during a swerve and skid she would have totaled this car... I never felt like the car was out of control... Wonderful car!!! C2 models a definite plus...

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  Montego....Great! - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Jim - June 17 - 6:56 am

  This is a fantastic vehicle. Combination of AWD and CVT is a great package. Acceleration is smooth, strong, and swift. I have a 60 mile daily expressway commute - Montego is a great highway cruiser as well as an excellent stop-and-go city vehicle. Very comfortable. HUGE trunk. Extremely roomy interior with very classy styling. 18" spoked wheels, HID headlamps, LED tail lights, waterfall grille, and nicely placed chrome are all very attractive features that add luxurious and stylish touches to the car. The "Command Seating" is a GREAT design - the higher seating position gives a great view of the road. Smooth and enjoyable driving experience. Give this one a test drive. Enjoy!

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  Grand Marquis - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By mistategrad - June 17 - 2:00 am

  We have not been very happy with the interior quality of the vehicle. Both front doors have panels that have come loose. The car has a huge trunk and rides very well. It also has plenty of power. We average about 20 mpg.

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  Avoid at all cost! Not worth the money - 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
  By MaryMo - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I will never ever by another Mercury and Im seriuosly considering abandoning Ford Products at together! The Vehicle had serious suspension/frontend design flaws! Had to have it fixed multiple times for a serious frontend shimmy. On top of that the Mountaineer, which cost 35000$ + a 1500$ warrenty, Has been in the shop 13 times in 2 years! Furthermore, the service I have recieved is horrible and the company is unwilling to do ANYTHING to make it right. Do Not Buy a Mercury Mountaineer.

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  Dont buy one - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By unsatisfied - June 17 - 2:00 am

  The Mercury Cougar is number 5 on the "lemon list" put out by the government. I have had mine in (that has less than 30000 miles on it and is still under warranty) 4 times in the last three months! The have replaced the "brain" to the transmission, fuel pump, etc. 2002 is the last year they are making them because they have so many problems.

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  Best Van...or maybe vehicle Ive owned! - 2002 Mercury Villager
  By David - June 16 - 2:00 am

  I dont know what the editors were rating when they rated this vehicle but obviously they were sports car enthusiasts or something, lol. Its no Porsche or Corvette, its a van. This is the second Villager Ive owned, the first one being a 1997. I have had great luck with both of them. Absolutely the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. I do not know why they stopped production so early on. I have owned my current 2002 model for almost 6 years now and have put about 80K miles on it(it had 25K when I bought it) Outside of normal maintenance I have done nothing to this van except I had to replace a CV Joint. thats it in 6 years. Reliable, roomy, comfortable...what else do you want!