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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  Last of the old school yank tanks - 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By d_james - February 12 - 11:38 pm

  I rented a Grand Marquis because it was lined up with some Nissan Altimas and looked much more spacious for a family of five with all our luggage. It is huge inside (able to take a sixth passenger!), smooth and comfy and I liked it for this. However much I liked it, I have to admit that it is very thirsty on fuel and is enormous on the outside - not easy to park in a multi-storey cark park. It also corners in a heavy and sloppy fashion, as you would expect looking at it. It is an old design with all of the good and bad points you would expect of this.

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  TERRIFYING TO DRIVE - 2008 Mercury Mountaineer
  By mercuryhater - February 11 - 4:31 pm

  Oh my god how could a car be so bad. Bought used in early 2011 with 34,000 miles around 65,000 miles it was leaking transmission fluid everywhere took it the best transmission mechanic in the area they sucked they charged us 3 grand for a rebuilt transmission.at 75,000 the trans started clunking when down shifting it was bad then the check engine light and a wrench (which means power train malfunction came on took it back it needs a new solenoid pack it was there for over a month not exaggerating a month took it home it did the same thing took it back and the solenoid was defective then replaced a rod in there too.In 2014 we traded for a beautiful Subaru Tribeca.

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  My Mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By LScerbo - February 11 - 10:00 am

  One of the few vehicles that Ive bought which had so many things included in the base price...leather seating, 7 passenger seating, coded keyless entry, etc. I love this car!

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  Mercury Montery - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By van user - February 11 - 10:00 am

  We recently purchased a Mercury Montery. Wow! This vehicle is just a pleasure to drive. I still am learning what all the bells and whistles are for. It gives you a smooth ride with a lot of pep when you require it. I love it. The gas mileage could be a little better. Ford needs to work on that aspect, but the performance of the vehicle is superb. Very comfortable. Another point that would be nice is if all the seats folded flat. The rear seat operates quite easily.

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  Truly european... - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By maestro_mario - February 10 - 8:06 am

  What i mean is like a lot of european cars like Alfa or WV, When it works its awesome. V6 acceleration, handling, ABS-less 4 disc braking, everything is there exept reliability. I didnt had problem with the man. transmission, power steering and radiator. Everything else broke; I even lost a wheel!(broken studs.) Biggest repetitive problems came from the front suspension and bearings. The instrument cluster PCB failed intermittently and the infamous plastic impeller of the water pump. Expensive ignition module broke at 60 miles, engine mounts, and one of the too many O2 sensors lit the "check engine" intermittently. Too bad for Ford, it could have been as good,even better than the Mazda 626

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  Surprise - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By mona - February 10 - 3:56 am

  After 2 months of agonizing over which vehicle to buy I finally decided on the Mountaineer. I gave serious consideration to the Toyota 4Runner but overall the Mountaineer won me over. This vehicle has auto lights and a few other things that only the limited 4Runner is equipped with. The 4Runner is also overpriced IMHO. I also had a really hard time getting comfortable in the 4Runner. I always felt like I was facing downward; it was a weird perspective so I finally gave up on it. I love the way this truck rides. Very powerful for a V6 and not as noisy as the 8. Very pleased overall although I do not like the interior door handle, just too awkward to grasp.

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  A good bang for the buck!!! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By spb18 - February 9 - 2:00 am

  Like the famous song, "Im gonna buy me a Mercury and cruise it up and down the road...", thats exactly what I did.I bought this car used in June of 2002. It has been a great car, and I have experienced none of the problems other reviewers have. I will consent however, if Ford would have put a little more effort/quality into their design, it would no doubt be a more popular seller. I drive my car pretty hard (as most 18 year olds do), and for the price I would say it has ample power. This is a way better car than the Neon I had before it. Note: To anyone looking to buy a Cougar, go with the V6 Automatic, from what I hear they have the least problems.

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  99 Sable Transmission - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By deputydawg - February 9 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the vehicle in the shop 3 times in the past 2 years for transmission problems. Not sure if this is typical of a Sable or Carmax issues. Also, the gas gauge has never worked correctly.

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  Old time Muscle - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Marauder - February 5 - 2:13 am

  Im very impressed with my 2004 Maroon w/ charcoal interior. Rides, sounds and performs very well. Turns heads with appearance and exhaust sound. I like the feeling of safety in its full frame, large body. Rides a bit stiff in order to give great handleing ability.

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  Great car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By mtrox - February 3 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle has served us well. We really love the look and it drives well. The v4 doesnt "pick up" too quickly, and its not comfortable for driving long distances, but thats not what its made for. It rides very smooth, and hasnt given us a minutes trouble.