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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  From Suburban to Mariner - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By jbrooksws - May 21 - 9:46 am

  We have always had suburbans and decided to go small for insurance and economy. Wanted to go with hybrid, but replacement battery is $8000 and initial car price too high. Really good car. 4 cylinder is OK but look at the gas mileage. Seats are too short for thigh, but heated leather is good. Wish Ford would make 6 way power for all. Averaging 24 mpg in city 28 on highway. No maintenance issues so far and we have 8000 miles on car. We have been to beach and mountains no issue. Have not noticed that car is particularly noisy or that fans are noisy. Have had two or three "clunks" when shifting. Decided I need to come to complete stop before shifting. We would buy again.

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  Darn good, but not perfect - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By GPa - May 20 - 10:10 am

  After three months and the completion of a 2200 mile road trip I am now comfortable with my feelings on this vehicle. Love the mileage, as high as 60 in short (5-10mi) urban trips per computer. I have validated computer calculations on the road trip, so Yahoo! Nice interior and lots of compliments on the exterior styling. Unfortunately there are some missed cues in this car. Headrests- designers...what were you thinking? My wife and I both have to recline the seatback excessively to find a comfortable position for our neck. No Homelink-no memory seats. These are standard items in this price category.

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  Never buying american car again - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Donald Steiner - May 18 - 8:53 pm

  I had a 3 year lease on 98 mountaineer. Absolutely loved the way it drove.I would frequently drive between Canton,Ohio and San Jose. I was very sad to part with it. Looked at acura mdx,jeep grand cherokee and lexus rx300. Nothing blew me away more than the redesigned mountaineer. My company gave me a corporate discount towards any ford motor vehicle. This made the mountaineer an even more ideal choice. I now feel ashamed that i leased it. At 10000 miles the cheap vinyl on the seats started to wear out as if it had 50,000 miles. At 15,000 miles i started having computer glitches. the dealer attempted to fix it 8 times before the lease was up. It never did get the problem fixed. I am now an audi bigot.

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  good economy car - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By Fibbo - May 18 - 10:00 am

  I personally like it, I have the 5 speed manual 2.5L V6 and it gets where its going.

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  190k miles and still going strong... - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Clovis - May 18 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle new in 1996. It currently has 191,000 miles and my wife drives it to work. I am in sales and put a lot of miles on it initially. The only mechanical problem we have had is a cracked manifold at about 160,000 miles which would be expected. We have only performed standard and preventative maintenance. I wouldnt trade this type of car experience for anything.

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  Not a Ford man but I like my Cougar. - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Just Curious - May 18 - 1:23 am

  Bought with Sport Package option which means the 16" tires, V-6, sport cloth interior, fog lights, spoiler, rear wiper and 4-wheel disc brakes. This car also came with ABS, auto, and traction control. We have had it for 5000 miles and have yet to put a dime into it. The road noise was a bit much but I switch from the Firehawk tires to Dunlop SP Sport A2s and it is extremely quiet now. The windows tend to creak but this is because they dont have a window frame.

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  Excellent- The Best - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Dave - May 17 - 11:56 am

  This is a great car for room, comfort, subtle, and just like driving my many 50s & 60s muscle cars. (GTO,Corvettes,390 Mustang, 401 Ford, etc.) Just a great car for a mid-life attack.

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  Never Again - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By Murse - May 17 - 7:43 am

  honestly this has got to be the worst car i have ever seen. i bought it with only 18,000 miles on it and within a week the shifter broke. making it so i couldnt shift. that was a 200 dollar fix. 3 weeks later the tranny dropped. i was like i give up. after replacing the tranny for $1800 a tire fell off while driving down the road. the lugs were so weak that when i accidentally went over a curb the wheel just rolled off. never again will i buy a mercury or ford. i have had the worst luck. go toyota all the way.

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  GREAT GRAND MARQUIS - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By LS 4dr sedan - May 17 - 6:40 am

  At present, I have a 2002 Mercury grand marquis with 168,000 miles on it. Im getting a 2008 Mercury marquis. The marquis is safe, priced right, comfortable to ride in, handles the road very well. A few years back, I hit an ice slick and collided with a delivery truck--the solid constriction of the grand marquis-saved my life!

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  Educated Buyer - Met all expectations - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By wmagon - May 15 - 11:36 pm

  After researching all of the real SUVs on the market, i.e. ones that can seat 7, fit in your garage, look stylish, be fun to drive, and still pull something reasonable, this and the Explorer are your only vehicles that will meet your needs. I worked for the US automotive industry a few years back, left, bought a Camry, but have since returned to my roots. After a lot of investigation, I was quite impressed with the Mountaineer specifications. Now that I own it, I am confident it was the right decision. My wife feels the same way. Gas mileage, well, youll have to get over that. Do your homework there as well and youll find that its not so bad. Good luck.