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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  Awesome Car! - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By Adam - June 6 - 3:16 pm

  Unbeatable interior and exterior styling, mechanical quality and great gas mileage! The creature comforts are endless. SYNC is awesome, and the leather interior is very comfortable. The rims and grille provide fantastic exterior style. The sound system is unparalled. All this, with great gas mileage, 24 in the city, 32 on the freeway no problem. Forget about the Camry, Maxima and cCvic, the Mercury Milan is where it is at. Do yourself a favor and purchase this car!

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  96 Mercury Cougar - 1996 Mercury Cougar
  By 96greencougar - June 6 - 10:00 am

  i have owned mine for two years, the V6 is to small of an engine for this car so if you have the chance buy the V8. remeber that even though the V6 is a 3.8 this is a big car so the more power the better. Just like any sports car lack of fuel economy is part of the deal. For a coupe this car has alot of room in the backseat. Over all i am very happy with my cougar

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  Never again - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By illstickwithmopar - June 6 - 10:00 am

  True this vehicle may be a blast to drive but the design quality of this car leaves tons to be desired. First off the fuel injectors are of poor quality having had one go out about a month after I had bought the car. The body molding especially on the front bumper was put together by 3yr olds, not to mention all the recalls that were involved. I would expect better quality and reliability from a new model.

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  2010 Milan Premier 6cyl FWD - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Tuko - June 2 - 4:06 pm

  Took delivery of our Milan Premier with 6cyl and FWD. Traded in 2007 Lincoln MKZ. Wanted another Lincoln but base price had increased over $10,000 in 3 yrs. Milan is basically same car but way cheaper and with lots of bells/whistles. Good quality. So far, gets 31 mpg Hwy and 24 city. Voice Sync system is pretty neat but steep learning curve and can be distracting. Got Sirius for 2 years. Lot of car for the price.

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  Lovin It - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Ox - May 31 - 10:33 am

  I have 200400 miles. V-8 still pulls strong. Still fun to drive. I have 2- wheel drive but have been able to drive through what I want. Replaced tranny at 105000 miles. I use a K&N air filter and installed a Tornado air mixer thing; I get close to 19/20 mpg. I change oil 3 mo/3000 miles. I pass emissions test annually in GA. On third set of tires, they wear evenly. Ride is comfortable, especially on long trips. It does good for taxi service. Tis is my third Mercury, they have all worked well-I do make sure I do regular maintenance.

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  Great Car - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Art - May 31 - 1:53 am

  Fun to drive. Excellent performance. Love the exhaust sound. Gets lots of compliments from variety of ages. Great backroad driver as well as long trips. Probably the best car I have ever owned as far as a pleasure to drive and sheer fun.

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  Great Value - 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By dave - May 30 - 10:10 am

  This car hasnt changed in years and thats why it is good. Theyve got all the problems worked out. You can usually pick up a new for 25K at the end of the year. You can pick up a 3 year old used one for $10k that will go another 100K miles. Highway mileage is 27. And those are non-tiring miles. Its extremely safe. You can tow. I built a roof rack and can haul lumber like a pickup. A used one would make a great family car for someone with not much to spend. The only drawbacks would be comments from your friends. But you can laugh all the way to the bank.

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  The Sports Ultimate Coupe - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By sunshinechili - May 30 - 2:00 am

  My husband and I were at our lease-end of a 2000 Jeep Cherokee. We decided not to keep it, we were in the process of looking for a new car. We had our minds already set. Went Christmas shopping in a mall In Omaha. Seen the Sport Ultimate. The next day we test drove one and ended up purchasing one. I just love everything about it, the get-up and go. The color, the feature and the price was just right.

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  I love my car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Devin Brooke - May 30 - 12:56 am

  I got my car last summer!! And i love it. I havent had any problems with it at all!! We had the air conditioner worked on but other than that its been great

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  Excellent midsize SUV - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Noel - May 26 - 3:13 am

  I traded a Dodge Dakota and a PT Cruiser in for the Mercury and am completely satisfied. It handles like a sports sedan, gets reasonable mileage, and is very comfortable. It is one of the few SUVs that include crossbars on the roof rack