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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  Safe, economical and comfortable - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bob - September 3 - 9:56 am

  Gets 27 mpg on hiway! My 3rd Mercury. Had front to side accident with F150 truck with 98 model vehicle. Drove my car off of the Hiway after accident but truck was totaled.

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  quality is possible - 1997 Mercury Cougar
  By falco - September 1 - 2:43 am

  great car only problem was intake manifold recall average mpg highway is 35 burns no oil have 17500 miles still going strong. have not even changed a bulb wow! secret use mystery oil!

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  A great vehicle - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By iceout - August 29 - 1:20 pm

  This is truly a great SUV. It handles great is reliable and fun to drive but most important it is very versatile from carrying up to 7 passengers to haling a lot of stuff (84 cu.ft.) and I have done both. The high ground clearance makes back road travel a breeze without worry of going over a rock in the road doing damage.

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  Only for Mercury Fans - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By Boca Heat - August 26 - 6:06 am

  great on a road trip, never misses a beat. room to spare, good ride, good front seat comfort. Poor quality interior. Cheap plastic, poor fit and finish..looks and feels cheap, even the leather seats are not very good quality. very bad dash controls, figure it out if you can. this van will run hard and never fail its owner.

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  Great MiniVan - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By Bernard Murphy - August 26 - 5:56 am

  My decision to purchase the Mercury Monterey was based on the need first of all for a van. Secondly, I needed a vehicle that could take a power lift to put my electric scooter in back (I am handicaped). The Mercury Monterey was one of only a few vehicles that could handle the type of lift I needed. It is easy to enter, comfortable to drive, and filled with luxuries. The engine is quite zippy and takes freeway speeds easily. If someone wanted a dragster, they would not be in a van. All in all a great vehicle.

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  Started off good - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Drake2000 - August 23 - 10:00 am

  When we first bought the Sable (used July 09) we really loved it overall, big comfortable, good engine, power. But over the last year we have had in the shop 4 times for non-mechanical/non- engine failures, such as the truck hydraulics broke and it almost fell on my wifes head. Left steering linkage went bad and you could barely turn the car left while driving. The heated seat (drivers side) went out. Now currently some kind of air flow actuator motor (what directs the air flow from a/c) went bad. Not to mention the door trim molding (black rubber seal) has came loose twice and the 3 preset button of the radio is severly sticking. These are all annoying pesky things going wrong-not happy all

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  Stealthy Marketing????? - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Thom - August 19 - 9:30 pm

  I went to check out the Escape - never heard of the Mariner -and found this one on the lot (a return, or a reject?). After a couple of thousand miles I still really enjoy the experience of the drive. My boys love it (they hated the Odyssey we traded in) and it has become my commute vehicle and the one we thrash around in on weekends. A bit small luggage carrying-wise so we picked up a Yakima luggage carrier. I would love to hear if anyone has really driven it on soft sand. I am a little suspect of that claim.

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  new car - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Dina - August 18 - 7:33 am

  this is our first full size car in 17 years. we had three minivans in the interim. nice driving car. sure holds a lot in the trunk.

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  A good Upgrade - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Larry Muse - August 18 - 2:00 am

  We owned a 1998 Explorer for 5 years and we were very pleased with it. When it came time for a trade, we thought about a Mountaineer. The third row seat was one of the reasons we wanted to trade, and being standard was a plus for me. The in-dash CD changer is nice, frees up a ton of space in the console. I also like the independant rear suspension. The ride of the new Mountaineer is much smoother than the Explorer that it replaced. I love AWD.

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  Good Old AMERICAN Car - 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By coyled58 - August 17 - 3:03 pm

  I bought a new 2011 Hyundai Sonata on an impulse. I regretted after a very short time and started looking for something bigger with a more comfortable ride at a reasonable price. I found it in a used 2010 Grand Marquis. Yes, its a dated car with virtually no "technology" (except the AM/FM radio with CD) but the car is an absolute pleasure to drive. 27 MPG highway last trip. Seats are very comfortable. Im 63" and my legs do not come close to the dash and there is a lot of headroom (even while wearing a hat). The car will not do "wheelies" but at my age, who cares? The point for me is total comfort and peace of mind: Grand Marquis has both. If you can find one, buy it!