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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  So far, So good... - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By SC - May 15 - 4:06 am

  While Ive only owned this car for about one month, Ive already hit my first 1000 and love it. Its not a V- 6, but the ride power doesnt feel much different than my previous suv, which was 6 cylinder. So far, this purchase has been well worth it. Ive gotten several compliments on the look of this vehicle and my friends who have ridden in it compliment on the smoothness of the ride.

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  2004 - Great value ! - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By Brian - May 14 - 12:26 pm

  Bought in July 2004, now have 15 K on Odometer. Runs great. Drove 1600 miles on recent vacation from Ohio through PA mountains to ocean and back. Avg 21 MPG. Was 24mpg on flat lands of Ohio with a/c on and 5 people on gear on board. Cant beat the value and the power !!!!!

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  Would look MUCH better w/chrome rims - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Shockin Sean - May 14 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this truck for 2 days. The moonroof is malfunctioning b/c of what my dealer attributes to, "Maybe this wasnt made for a DVD player." What? Huh? Ford charged a lot of $$ to install the DVD and hes now saying the DVDs causing my moonroof to not retract properly?! They sent a tech over to fix it. Of course, it worked right afterwards. Then it refused to open again in 3 hours. They said to bring it to the service center and theyd be able to fix the "problem" quickly. Yeah, right! Besides that problem, I hear an annoying rattling emanating from the DVD panel (situated on the interior middle roof). Its not TOO loud but certainly bothersome.

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  Great Car - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Fred - May 13 - 3:46 am

  This is a wonderful luxury vehicle! The stlying and performance is wonderful. The ride is so extremely smooth its like riding on a cloud. I would reccommend this vehicle to anyone who is looking for a luxury vehicle with class, style, reliability, and great performance.

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  Best car Ive ever owned - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By rfauske - May 11 - 10:00 am

  Ive never needed any service but annual oil changes. Runs great, looks great and Im very happy with it.

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  If only the AC was trouble free - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Al D. - May 10 - 4:20 pm

  My 2008 MGM is my fourth one in fourteen years, except for a 05 Lincon LS (what was I thinking?) the have been my only choice. What can I say, I like the car for all the same reasons aforementioned, but mostly for comfort and reliability. The only exception to this is that I have encountered a AC problem in three of the four Ive owned. A 94, 98, 04, 08, and only the 94 was trouble free. But then again it is the only problem. If Merc. could get this right its a Peach.

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  Lovin My New Ride !!!! - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By tigger66 - May 8 - 10:47 pm

  I purchased my 08 Mariner after my "00 Tacoma was recalled due to a safety issue. I love the blue dash panel,the 6 disc CD changer and the MP3 port.The climate controls and the sound system controls are nicely located and easy to use. The console shift makes it look sporty which I love.The center console is roomy and has a removable tray that can be used elsewhere in the vehicle. The seats are very comfortable which was a concern of mine. My only issue is the silver painted plastic which is used on the console and on the door panels...They scuff and look old and cheap.I did buy my vehicle pre-owned so I didnt expect perfection however for a three year old vehicle,this shouldnt be an issue.

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  OK vehicle over all - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By bobby - May 8 - 4:20 am

  This has been a pretty darn reliable vehicle. It has over 100,000 miles on it and it still runs real good. I wish i would have gotten a Ford Expedition 4x4 because this vehicle is too small for us, and it does pretty bad in the snow. It does real good on gas 14cty 19-21hw. There has been absolutly nothing mechanically wrong with it.

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  poor gas and break pedals - 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By ted - May 7 - 11:06 pm

  the 2009 mercury grand marquis, changes were made not to my liking. the gas pedal is TOO vertical, ( needs to be more on an angle) this is causing greal nerve pain in the entire leg. The break pedal is too high, can no longer move foot from the gas to the break easly. More pain in the shin portion of the leg. These obvious changes were not present from model years 1992 thru 2007. I had no problem with these models.

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  Great value, great car - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By chris caggiano - May 7 - 11:00 pm

  After owning two Nissan Maximas in a row, their size and price had balooned beyond my needs. I never thought about Mercury until I did my homework and test drove the Milan. Handling is competent and accurate, ride is very comfortable but not sloppy and cabin noise is nill. The 6 cyl engine mates well with the 6 speed automatic. To my ear it produces a better note than the CVTs in Nissans, etc. Fit and finish are outstanding. For some reason this car looks best in dark colors. So far,after ten months, no repairs or problems.