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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  great veh. except beware - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By boogieman - July 29 - 2:00 am

  everything is perfect except the starter motor. at 60,000 i have had to replace the starter motor twice.

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  Safe, Secure & Comfortable - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By DMStickling - July 28 - 5:23 am

  I had a 1985 Grand Marquis LS and it was great until a 16 year old drunk driver smashed into the drivers side at over 50 mph. The car was totaled, my life was saved. I now own a 2002 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate, purchased new, and I couldnt be more satisfied with an auto. Gas mileage in town is 21 and on the hwy its 26, great for a huge engine like the Grand Marquis sports. I feel so safe and comfortable in this car. I just wish the newer models had the same comfortable headrests that my 2002 has in place. I have 90,000 miles on the odometer and the car still drives like it did when it was brand new...still looks great too! A tremendous car for the money!!

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  Great ride! - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By efonte - July 27 - 7:23 pm

  I havent had it long, but I love the vehicle. Im averaging about 30.5 mpg on mixed driving. Acceleration, has plenty of power and the ride is very smooth.

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  Love my car - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By artg1954 - July 27 - 4:31 pm

  I just bought this car its a 2004 and only had 53400 for miles. The car looks and drives like new and should it was a one owner bought in Florida and came here to new England in 2010. I have worked with cars all my life and this is one of the best to own.

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  Comfort and value - 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Ben - July 26 - 8:13 pm

  When I bought the Grand Marquis I knew what I was getting: an old fashioned, large, comfortable cruiser. I like the simplicity and traditional design. Edmunds review is too harsh. Not everyone wants a $50k BMW or Mercedes. Try it out for yourself and see what I mean.

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  Mercury Disabled (Sable) - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Julie - July 25 - 10:30 pm

  Now I know why this car has the nickname Mercury disabled I bought the car 4 months ago and it has been in the shop more than in my garage. The transmission went out 36 hours after I got it home (with 52k miles on it). Since that repair it has had a stuck pcv valve, an replace air intake cylinoid and now both front struts are bad. This good deal - even w/ an extended warranty - has cost me another $1200 in repairs. I would never, ever buy it again.

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  Put some work into it and its way better - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By BS - July 25 - 2:20 am

  I bought this car with stock (V6) features a bit under a year ago with 30,000 miles on it and it was ok i guess, performance wise. It could beat a V6 mustang anyway (yea woo-hoo). Since then Ive spent maybe $1500 on performance parts off ebay and installing them myself and its made a world of difference. The Dual Exhaust with a couple of flowmasters and the cold air intake (about $500 for both) really add a lot of power, and a decent suspension that went for about $450 made this thing handle turns easily at 45+ mph (although it doesnt balance well). A few other small mods and this cars performance can keep up with its fast looks. Keeps up with a friends souped-up RSX easily!

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  Please Dont Buy - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By kdub198 - July 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new not knowing that Ford likes to make inferior brake rotors that tend to warp quickly. I had many problems with the car as soon as the warranty ran out. How convenient. I had to replace the break twice in 65K miles due to warped rotors (which cant be turned). The wheel cylinder sprung a leak the power steering pump leaked dry, plus all the recalls. Amazingly, I always had great service from all of the dealerships that I had to visit. The V6 is a must, but nowadays smaller engines do just as well and dont suck down the gas. Leather is nice if you dont live in Vegas. Its probably a good thing that ford discontinued the mystique.

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  Full size luxury, handling, performance. - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Don - July 22 - 5:23 pm

  Grand Marquis LSE, more rare than originally thought. Ever see a grandpa car with buckets, floor shift, dual exhaust, front & rear stabilizer bars, six shocks, 3:27 selectable positraction or standard rear wheel drive, power assit rack & pinion steering, 4 wheel ABS with power assist disc brakes, 25mpg that looks good, fun to drive, 5 star crash safety ratings, leather, power, cheap full coverage insurance and will seat five adults and room for luggage galore in the trunk. This vehicle was bought new, now has over 50,000 miles on it and Ive had great reliability from it. No regrets, only wish Mercury would bring them back again.

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  Great Work Car! - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By T-Man - July 20 - 8:10 pm

  I traded in a Lincoln Mark LT for my Mercury Mariner to get better gas mileage to and from work. For a small SUV, I am impressed with the room and amenities provided. Stepping down to the Mercury, I still opted for leather, moon roof, and six disk CD.