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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  Great Family Car - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By MercOwner - April 5 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned this car since 2001, bought it with 32k miles. It is a very reliable vehicle. It has the best ride, unless you like sportier/firmer ride quality, and is large enough for the whole family, even on vacations. It is a Park Lane Edition, equipped with all options except for a CD player. One can really work the deals during the negotiation of these car purchases!

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  1998 Grand Marquis - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jeff - April 4 - 7:23 pm

  Bought this car for my wife with 87k. It is very nice to drive. Smooth and quiet. The best combined MPG to date is 21.72 . Since then I changed out the single exhaust to duals using Walker Quiet Flow mufflers and a Walker H- pipe. Doing this cut almost .6 sec off the quarter mile time. Dont know on the MPGs yet. I cant run the fuel out.LOL.

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  Pretty Good SUV - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By arockcastle - April 2 - 7:49 pm

  I got this SUV because it met my needs perfectly. It got good fuel economy, had four-wheel-drive, and was still big enough for me to fit me and my stuff. Despite this, the car isnt always that comfortable. The ride is bumpy, and there is a lot of engine, wind, and road noise. The exterior styling looks pretty boring, and the interior materials feel cheap. So far, Im getting about 30 MPG in the winter and 35 MPG in the summer (mostly highway driving). Overall Im happy with this car, but I cant say I would recommend it. There are many cheaper cars that are more comfortable and get almost as good of fuel economy, like the Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, or even a new 2012 Ford Focus.

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  2002 Grand Marquis - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By libsdad - March 28 - 2:00 am

  Purchased 12-2002 as a program car. No major defects, except battery died and was replaced under mfg. warranty. Nice ride for trips, averaging 21.4 mpg. with 60/40 mix of hiway/city driving.Have yet to go on long trip, but look forward to it.

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  2003 Marauder - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By barry - March 24 - 2:23 am

  I love the handleing and performance of this vehicle and also has a incredible ride

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  Probably the best Cougar - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By JR - March 23 - 7:06 pm

  I own a 2002 cougar XR with 34,000 miles on it. Let me say i had a 1999 cougar and i thought it was sweet, this car by far beats it. The nicer interior and sweet headlights make me want to drive it constantly!

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  Rate this vehicle - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Lisa - March 22 - 8:26 pm

  I love the style of the vehicle however the fuel economy is not what I expected. Currently the Mariner is only averaging 15.5 miles per gallon and on the sticker it stated 19-24 mile per gallon. I currently have 7,000 miles on the vehicle. Other than the mileage I am pleased.

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  semi satisfied - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By tano - March 22 - 10:00 am

  Great looking car. Listed as a big car but interior seems anything but. Front seat all the way back still leaves one feeling too close to steering wheel. Practically no leg room for rear pass- ingers. Huge trunk but a real back breaker to load and unload.

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  Shapest Looking mid-sized SUV hands down - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By californiahub - March 22 - 10:00 am

  I was looking for a mid-size SUV with a fold-flat third seat. My brother-in- law had one for 18 mos and raved about it, and mentioned he had no problems with his - a good endorsement from a serious car buff. COMPETITORS/WHAT ELSE I LOOK AT: The GMC Envoy XL was too long and looked to goofy from the back, the MDX was just too expensive (another $200/month) ,and the Pilot was slightly too big, a little more expensive($100/mo), the front styling butt-ugly (a porpoise nose), the vision was poor and the feel from the driver seat seems like I was driving a huge cave around, and the 3rd seat is an absolute joke.

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  Better than the Edmunds Review! - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By ksuwildcat001 - March 22 - 12:00 am

  I have to disagree with the Edmunds review. I bought a fully loaded 2001 C2 Cougar and I couldnt be happier with it. The interior is extremely comfortable and very well laid out with each to use controls. No problems so far and I already have 10,000 miles on my Cat. Very comfortable car to drive long distances, handles great, and stops on a dime. I highly recommend the Cougar to anyone looking for a sporty car.