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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  You have to drive this car! - 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bob - August 26 - 6:53 am

  First, Im a young guy. In past, always bought Toyota, Honda and Volvo. Fate made me stop at by Mercury dealer when I was looking for replacement for car that broke down at 100k miles. Salesman asked what I was looking for and I pointed to the Marquis as a joke. He gave me keys and I said what the heck and drove it. I then bought it. Im well over 6 feet tall and this is first car that I can stretch out my legs. Ride is ridiculously comfortable and I float down the highway. Yes, steering is squishy but this is not a sports car. Talked to a mechanic whos been replacing engines over 20 years and he never worked on a Marquis. So comfortable, reliable, cheap. You must drive this car.

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  A real beaut! - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By rodeo - August 23 - 10:06 pm

  I traded a 2001 Escape for the Mariner Premier and while I loved the Escape the Mariner is far and away a better vehicle. Rides better looks better and much classier than the Escape.

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  Noisy - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Denise - August 19 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased a week ago. So far, a lot of wind noise even @ 45mph, rattling noise on passenger rear side, and it vibrates like crazy @ stoplights. Engine sounds like its idling too high like its ready to race. Also the windshield wipers are extremely loud!! Thumps. I took 3 months deciding if I wanted this suv or not. Wish I would have waited longer.

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  Brake Problems - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By John Edward - August 15 - 2:00 am

  Car is dangerous to drive in the rain or when roads are wet. Brakes pull to right so bad it changes lanes in about 50 feet. The driver really has to pay attention. Mercury does not have a fix for the problem. In the snow a good driver has more control with the traction control turned off, however every time you start the car you have to reach over, open the glove box and turn it off. What a place to put a switch. I will be switching to GM if I can find someone to buy this on a Sun

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  Buy it - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By Hap - August 14 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car! After 11,000 miles, we have not returned to the dealer once, for anything. This car is surprisingly quick and smooth and it runs on regular gas. We got every feature there is for less than the base price of a SUV. Its an incredible value and really very nice to drive. The re-design in 2000 was a necessity; we would not have purchased this car othewise.

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  97 Mounty - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By NYgeorge - August 10 - 2:00 am

  Very happy with this truck so far. 101k and counting, I bought it used and was definately a good deal. The market is flooded with explorers which hurts the Mountys value as well, so you can get quite a deal.

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  I like it! - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By larrybud - August 10 - 2:00 am

  Good car! Solid! I dig it!

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  Everything I expected and MUCH more. - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By RobBrad - August 8 - 10:00 am

  Tremendous automobile . Successfully blends a Mustang SVT Cobra with the full size luxury of a Lincoln Town Car It is fast, fun , comfortable, luxurious, AND gets LOADS more " street comments " than I expected. Plus it is an absolute stealth fighter for anyone who does not have a clue how fast it is , or is just trying to find out.

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  Gas mileage actually stinks! - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By GSDx3 - August 2 - 5:23 am

  We are very happy with the way the van drives. It drives much smoother and quieter than our Ford Explorer did. Only thing that we dont like is that our gas mileage is much worse with the Villager than our Explorer. We are only getting 17 miles per gallon! Also, my show dog Chaos, doesnt like the van at all. He is use to riding in the front seat in my Explorer, and the seat in the Villager is not big enough for him in the front seat beside me. He instantly jumps to the middle seat when we get in the van. Otherwise, I do like the van a lot.

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  2002 mercury cougar v6 35th anv edt - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By angela - July 24 - 3:46 pm

  well i bought this used just 5 months ago its a 2002 sport 35th sp ed of the cougar it only had 32000 miles when i got it in the 5 months i had it i have no 42000 miles on it and it already needed a new transmission!!! thank god i got a warrenty on it which paid for it but wasnt easy 4000.00 it was before that new tires and the car sits very low and feels EVERY bump pot holes not so good it is fun for me to drive goes fast i love it!