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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  Concerned about MPG - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By Ted Kollar - January 1 - 8:53 pm

  Overall we love the car. I have always bought American and usually Ford. The biggest selling point was the advertised mileage. Sadly, as of yet, we have been unable to experience over 28 MPG. (This car has only been over 40 MPH for about 200 of the 1300 miles logged. Dealership says its the cold weather. I will check back in when the weather warms up. As I said, in general, we love the car.

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  Smooth car - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Bill Pechilis - January 1 - 5:26 pm

  I traded a Honda Pilot and so far am very pleased. Averaging 24 mpg, like sitting higher, quality seems great. The room is massive without being goofy big on the outside. I love te soft leather and the body shape. As long as it holds up, its the nicest car Ive ever owned in 35 years of driving. Nice job Mercury

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  Mercury Mountaineer: Great SUV - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Kevin Mountain - December 30 - 10:00 am

  Great SUV. Smooth handling, superior performance, little noise in cabin, only complaint is poor fuel economy relative to other SUVs. Feels solid on the road and very comfortable.

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  Silver Bullet - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By alansf - December 30 - 10:00 am

  I love the way the car looks and in the first couple of years it was trouble free except for the recalls.

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  My cougar has wiring problems - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By slushiesg35 - December 30 - 10:00 am

  I have had my cougar for 6 months, It was a one owner lease return that had been cared for like no other... I have had nothing but trouble with it, It dies when i get on it, I just smoked my 3rd alternator, I have a had alot of wiring problems... My dash lights have gone out and wont come back on... I have taken very good care of my car and I dont trust it to get me around the block.... I paid 11,500 dollars 4 my car and in 6 months it has lost 2000 dollars of value... TO ANYONE OUT THERE THATS THINKING ABOUT GETTING ONE, DONT.... I HATE MY CAR... AND U WILL TOO IF U MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PURCHASING ONE....

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  Good Car-for the Money! - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By Ogauge - December 30 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car in all respects for over 48,000 miles.

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  The ultimate mini-van - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By ayman_z - December 30 - 10:00 am

  The Monterey feels and drives like a sedan with all the room that you expect from a mini-van

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  Liked the car - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By ep1 - December 27 - 3:15 pm

  The design of the car is what sold me as well as the reliablilty of previous model years As well as the excelant crash test scores.

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  Thrid Sable Wagon - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Matt - December 24 - 7:13 pm

  Its now a trend. I have had 3 Mercury Sables in a row for a family car. Reliable, low maintenance and incredibly safe (I had a fender bender with a car full of kids). The style is a little stodgy, but its not a minivan. The 3.0 L engines are very reliable and the Duratec is the best of the bunch. Dont poo-poo the versatility of the Sable wagon vs. a SUV or van. It can handle enough people for comfort and excuse you from stuffing the whole Tee ball team in the same insane vehicle. Buy one, youll like it.

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  Some People are Dumb - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By thiscarules - December 24 - 2:00 am

  People have to understand that almost all sport cars dont have back seats! I have noticed that my dash/radio lights do dim and i worry about the alternator, but it still going. I bought this car as a pre-owned in Oct. 2000, i only have had to replace the fuel pump once in july 2002, in sudden accelerations it would sputer. It has original looks so your not a clone on the road, it has plenty of power but i do want to add some stuff like an intake and exhaust for a bit more HP and fuel economy.