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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  Better than 2005 model - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Charles Serra - September 16 - 10:56 am

  I traded a 2005 in on the 2006. The 2006 is a great improvement over the 2005. Even though they look almost the same, the 2006 is a much better SUV than the 2005 in every respect. I am very happy!

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  Milan - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Love My Car - September 15 - 2:23 am

  A beautiful car to look at but even more fun to drive. The car is comfortable with plenty of room for all passengers. Luxury both inside and out. Love the look and lay out of the dashboard. Very quiet and smooth ride. Luxury car for a reasonable price. A pleasure to drive!!!

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  Run-A-Bout - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Mike Focar - September 12 - 6:53 pm

  Great for local driving, has a lot of pep, a great size and handles well. On the highway however, its another story. You feel the limits of its V6. It churns and grinds when you try to get it up to speed quickly. But once up to speed its fine. I am very disappointed in the Malanos lack of mid-range power.

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  I want another one - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Denali89107 - September 11 - 5:33 pm

  Despite the fact that the original dealer went belly-up last year, we still love our Montego. Its by far the most comfortable vehicle weve ever had - or will have. It has been totally problem free except for a recall to replace the rear disk brakes at no cost to us. Were really saddened to see the Mercury brand go away and would love to find another vehicle that has the tremendously comfortable seating of the Montego.

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  Marauding in the Marauder - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Csmejkal - September 9 - 2:00 am

  The handling is great. Taking corners with some speed feels like you are one with the road. She makes you want to push her and see how she handles. The acceleration is just, well, take her for a ride and find out!

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  2006 Milan Premier - Great Car - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Frank - September 5 - 3:43 pm

  The car is a great looking car and handles very well on the road. The V6 has enough power to pass just about everything on the highway. Love the entire - unique but classy. No issues or problems after 19,000 miles. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Awesome! - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By ernestb48104 - September 3 - 6:46 pm

  We traded in an 2007 Odyssey (118K) for the Mariner, sure the MARINER is going to be smaller, but it is a nicely built vehicle and suspect we will be keeping this for a while.

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  From a huge car to a midsize - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Tom48413 - September 3 - 4:50 am

  I traded my 05 Lincoln Town Car for an 09 Milan V6 Premier AWD with the VOGA package. I wasnt sure Id like a mid- size car after such a huge car, but now I know what the reviewers mean when they talk about handling. This car handles beautifully. Ive really tested the AWD this month here in Michigan, as weve gotten a lot of snow and ice, and I havent gotten stuck yet. My Milan rides very nicely and I love the VOGA interior: camel with black trim with camel stitching.

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  Excellent car to own - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By PJM - September 1 - 4:10 am

  I bought my car brand new and now more then 10 years later, I am as pleased with my car as the day I bought. This has been the best car I have ever bought. I highly recommend it.

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  Surprised & Delighted - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By nvbanker - August 29 - 10:00 am

  This is our 4th Mountaineer and it seems the best yet. All of them have been very very good, but this one is perfect so far. Not one defect or repair needed. Seems extraordinarily well put together. Love the performance of the engine too.