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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  Very Solid Car - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Not even Ford people - May 14 - 4:03 am

  My wife and I have a truck and a car so we normally take the car everywhere we go because it is a better ride and has better gas millage. I have no problem keeping this 02 until 2010.

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  its OK - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By frank rachowicz - May 13 - 10:00 am

  Runs good, no real problems. Just rides like a truck. Should have waited one more year.

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  A "WoW" ed - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By Huey - May 12 - 10:30 am

  Once a Mercury owner, always will stay one I guess. I loved my Mariner since I first got into one. My GF have a CRV and I was never impressed with it, looks too boring. On the other hand, the Mariner just shouted out the word "FUN"! Great size! It is so roomy inside for a compact SUV! Head-room, knee-room is awesome and so is the storage. Hugs the corner nice, easy to steer with a very easy "U-turns". Rides very easy from the country roads to the highway. Carry the bumps lightly without any "clunks" than compared to a "heavier" truck-like SUV. Love the center of gravity feel, a way more stable feel than a Discovery. It does not feel "tipsy" at all on a curve. Great car again!

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  Hate to love it - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By ghignight - May 12 - 6:23 am

  I got my 1999 Mercury Cougar about a year ago. I really just got it because of the gas milage. I have had only normal wear and tear out of it. Tires, battery ect...when I got it it had 115k and a year later it sits at 140k......I have no major complains its fast and really sporty looking. It makes a good car for men for women......would make a great first car

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  Five Years - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By chapel1 - May 10 - 1:20 am

  Still as much fun as when I bought it 4 years ago. Best Advice, get a power tune or a chip, Your transmission will shift smoother and your engine will awaken from its factory EPA settings. Big Black and Fast! And still nice enough to take on vacation or out to dinner. You can achieve 23 mpg fully loaded at highway speeds.

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  My two years with my Mercury - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By J. DeMaio - May 7 - 12:00 pm

  This car is the most comfortable and smooth riding car I have ever owned. It has all the bells and whistles and whats more important, it is a very reliable car in all kinds of weather. The trunk is huge and can hold my husbands walker besides groceries. And yes, it is owned by me, an old lady who dives too fast but it only has 24,754 miles as of today.

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  Love my Cougar - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By bflo_chick - May 7 - 2:00 am

  I wanted a Cougar for the longest time. I bought this car used two years ago. I love the way it looks, handles and drives. The backseat is not passenger friendly, but that is fine with me because I dont like driving everyone around anyways. Ive had a few problems with the car, but nothing that wasnt covered on the warrenty. The one thing I do not like about this car is the tires are very expensive and I just replaced them and spent almost 1k.

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  Terrible Transmission - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Mark - May 5 - 1:03 am

  Mostly a very nice SUV. Many good qualities. As others have said, the transmission is a major concern and problem. Between 3500 and 8500 miles the transmission began shifting harsh between 1/2 gears. It was so harsh it felt like I was being bumped from behind nearly every time I was about to stop. Now after 21000 miles Ford has yet to find a fix, and refuses to acknowledge that this is a serious problem. Another "fix" is promised in the future, but this usually is a computer program download that solves the problem for a month or two. Be warned and stay clear of this model used or new until Ford can actually fix their new 6 speed electronic transmission.

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  One of the last big cars. - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Troy Ericksen - May 3 - 11:56 am

  Ancient design. For a car this large interior space is disappointing, Chryslers cab forward design makes offers far more interior space, roomy in front seat but back seat leg room is disappointing. Car is not very nimble. But suspension is not mushy like some cars in this class, body roll not excessive. Huge trunk. Easy to get in and out. Pretty good acceleration.Car has been very reliable but steering wheel locked up and had to be towed to shop. Okay gas mileage for such a big car. Exterior dimensions of car seem excessive, not as bad as the boats of the 1970s but still a very large car.Boring style. Not much fun to drive.

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  My Mariner - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By Jamey - May 2 - 4:43 am

  Very sharp SUV! Love the interior design and chrome exterior accents! Smooth ride for an SUV, handles great and peppy when you need it. Leaves a little room for improvement on MPG. I get roughly 300 miles per fill up in the city before im looking for another gas station, give or take 20 miles. Havent tested hwy mpg. Overall, very happy with the Mariner so far.