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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  Mariners Many Assets - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By burgbits - July 3 - 3:50 am

  I purchased this vehicle for my wife. She felt much more comfortable test driving it than our 10 year old explorer. The vehicle handles great and the 4 wheel independent suspension makes the ride extemely stable. Our Mariner is fun to drive and extremely quiet. Also impressive is the Mach 6 sound system & 2 tone leather seating.

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  You get what you pay for - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Louis - July 2 - 6:00 am

  Great all around visibility. Smooth ride at all speeds. Mileage is mid-range but true to advertised mpg. Controls are easy to reach while maintaining attention to the road. Previously owned 2002 Explorer and this has a smoother ride.

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  Great car under rated - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Edwin - July 2 - 3:07 am

  Very different get used to old school power

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  The Best Vehicle I Have Ever Owned - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By Steve - July 1 - 4:46 pm

  I bought this minivan 11 years ago and just love it. I have driven it across country several times with no problems including one trip towing a uhaul trailer through a snow storm. This is the best vehicle i have ever owned. I have only had minimal (and expected) maintenance issues. I am still getting 16 to 18 mpg. Still plenty of power from the engine but my a/c has recently stopped working and r-12 freon is rare and expensive. Ive kept it reasonably clean and well maintained and I expect to see another 80000 miles.

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  More than you expect - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Garibaldi - July 1 - 9:33 am

  I picked the Montego after exhaustive research and trying a number of different new vehicles. We needed a second car after buying the 2007 Acura TL. The Montego, a fully equipped AWD/CVT model with all the bells and whistles, has been superb, and from the standpoint of inital quality upon ownership, completely trouble free, more trouble free than the well regarded Acura TL, which was in the shop more than half the time the first 6 weeks to replace the a/c compressor which failed because someone had neglected to install some required seals during its build. The seating position is outstanding, view in every direction excellent, ride sure footed and stable, and fit and finish first rate.

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  2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By twkeki - June 29 - 11:33 pm

  Ford should have made this car 5 years ago! The 2010 Milan Hybrid is more quiet than Jaguar and is Germanic in road feel and handling. For first 800 miles, we are averaging 37.5 mpg in San Francisco, which is amazing. We find good power on freeways. This car can run in EV mode up to around 45 miles per hour, which is great in slow, heavy urban traffic. Seriously this is a fine 4-door sedan. Mr. Obama should use stimulus funds to put a couple million on the road. So I just hope it does not fall apart like my last Ford.

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  Good SUV for more room, but bad MPGs - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Manuel J Mathew Jr - June 29 - 7:23 am

  We bought this vehicle primarily for our budding family. It has been to FL twice from VA, and has performed in the mountainous dirt roads of AR as well. It is a good SUV all around, and hasnt let us down as yet. This is not an SUV to buy if you are interested in great gas mileage however. We had some problems with the clear coat, but were rectified by the dealer, that is all.

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  My Car - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By melijean - June 28 - 10:00 am

  I think that my car is great. I mean it looks cute, drives great, and it is very roomy for all my friends.

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  marauder - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By kaoko8 - June 28 - 10:00 am

  just got last week, looked at many other brands and models, just fell in love with this. always have had nice cars, but this is a head-turner.i live in a small town, so i will not be able to get away with much. this is an auto that makes you look forward to the morning drive to work!

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  Love my Cougar - 1996 Mercury Cougar
  By BacardiRobb - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Coming from the snow belt I too wish that my cougar came with the traction control, however 100 pounds of sand and studded snow tires I can go anywhere. Since I bought the cougar used in 2000 with 30,000 miles, not too many folks want rear wheel drive in NW PA, so it was a dirt cheap purchase. The only expense I have had to date are plugs, breaks and tires. Awesome car.