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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  good runner - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By aelam - February 21 - 10:00 am

  A good car to take a long trip in, easy on your back and your seat too.

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  Dissatification of Dealer Warranty work - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By DebKlensch - February 21 - 10:00 am

  The automatic transmission failed after 25,500. The dealership has refused to repair the transmission the car was abused. The car was damaged by putting the car in neutral and dropping it into gear and spinning the tires causing bald spots. I am a 48 year old woman who has never driven hazardously. Ive always kept my cars for approximately 5 years and trade them in when the milage gets to around 100K and have never experienced any major repairs warrentied or otherwise. This is the third Ford/Mercury I have owned. I intend to contact the Regional Manager.

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  Mercury Grand Marquis -- not perfect - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Charles32707 - February 21 - 10:00 am

  the accessories are very unreliable. My car has been back to the dealer about 12 times in the 3 years Ive owned. Bad speed control; bad keyless entry pad; bad AC (twice); windshield wipers have been worked on at least 6 times (replaced 5 times) and they still stutter across the windshield. Almost no storage room in passenger compartment. When drinks are in the drink holders, you cant access the AC controls. Rides rough for such a large car. Inadequate leg room in the back.

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  Love My Milan - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By Pam - February 20 - 3:00 pm

  I have had my Milan for a little over 3 months now and love it. It handles great in wet weather and I was surprised at how it handled in snow. It worked much better in snow than the Subaru I had before this and I thought that was good. The 6 cylinder definitely gives it more power in the snow. I love the sunroof and the stereo is unbelievable! Never thought I would really like or want heated leather seats but now couldnt live without them. The spoiler adds a sporty look to it and I highly recommend you get it. The SYNC system is awsome and takes some patience until you figure out exactly how to use it. It is a bit frustrating at first until you use it alot. Love this car! Buy it!

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  Milan MPG 22 Combined. Real Good Car1 - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Jim Famula - February 20 - 2:00 pm

  Milan 4 Cylinder MPG is outstanding! Solid feel is way above expectations. This car feels much more expensive.

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  Cougar - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Bobothechimp - February 18 - 10:00 am

  I have had to take my car into the shop several times for different problems. I have had the stereo replaced 3 times and it still does not function properly. I still love the car just wish it would have been built better.

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  2004 Limited Edition - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By NormParker - February 18 - 10:00 am

  Previous cars were also Grand Marquis. This car has much more "pep" than the 93 and 98. However, the ride is not nearly as comfortable as the previous two. I even took the car back with less than 100 miles on it to have the dealer check to see if they had mistakenly put a ride and handling package on this car. The said it was the standard suspension. I like the looks of the car and the performance of the engine, but if I were to do it all over, I might just go ahead and buy the Lincoln Town Car just for a more acceptable comfortable ride.

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  Nice features - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By Janette - February 16 - 10:00 am

  This car has a lot of great built in design features. I really like the center console that doubles as a seat or can be used as a drink/tape/other holder. The instruments are all easy to access. The car runs very quiet and has a smooth ride.

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  The best car for the money "excellent" - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Raymond A. Garrido - February 16 - 10:00 am

  I really wasnt thinking to buy a new a car, but I have to admit that when i test drove the Cougar v6 with the c2 package I fell in love with it!! With the help of the Salesman Mr. Carlo everything went smoothly, needless to say that Mr. Alvarez the finance Mgr. put every effort on it, I got a good interest rate & a cash rebate, the car handles like a European car, the performance only compared with a good Sport Car it has plenty of power, I when I knew about a tune-ups every 100,000 miles I said the American Automotive Industry finally got it.! Its very confortable for two people (in the front) forget 4 on a trip.

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  1997 Mercury Mountaineer - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Rink Rat - February 14 - 7:10 pm

  I have had the car for 7 years bought it in 2001 with 65K miles on it. Overall I have enjoyed the car, However over the last few years (130K + miles) have had lots of issues. Have had to replace ball joints, tie rods, idle arms on multiple occassions (I dont even go off road). Engine has too much weight over the front end, also had to replace 02 sensors yearly. Car is getting around 13 mpg and with gas prices edging closer & closer to $5.00 have come to the realization that its time to get rid of it. Car always started (did replace battery & alternator) and would consider the car as dependable just very costly to drive. Heater fan, AC compressor also need to be replaced.