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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  What a lemon - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By cougarhater - November 13 - 7:06 pm

  Bought this car my freshman year of college after my brother totaled my beloved 1991 Lexus ES250. Needed a car to go to and from work and make the 400 mile trek home once a month. This car has great looks, and a banging stereo. The problem is, I have put almost the $6500 I paid for it in repairs to this car. Beware the sunroof, parts alone to fix are $1600 :-0 Also performance wise, there seems to be a gap in the middle gears, its great off the line but struggles to get up to freeway speeds on an onramp. The A/C unit doesnt cool very well, and seriously hampers the engines power at freeway speeds. Beware repair costs for this unreliable vehicle.

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  Used to have a chevy blazer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By skipp98984 - November 13 - 10:00 am

  Driving this SUV is much better then the old chevy blazer, very roomy inside cabin, better gas milage then expected, even going from a V6 to the nice 4.6 V8. Great pickup, cant wait for the snow! Smooth ride, would like to take it off road, but the paint is still way too nice! Great build, check out the undercarrage.

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  Like other reviewers, loved this car...at first... - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By ms__brown - November 12 - 1:25 am

  I bought my Coug in 2004 with 50,000 miles on it. Ive had minimal mechanical "failures" but many mechanical problems. The headlights dim a lot and if I have the wipers, headlights and stereo on at the same time, it dies. Sunroof never worked. The car wont start for an hour after its been running in more than 90 degree heat, but the thing ALWAYS starts in the winter, even if its 70 below (bought in ND and never used a block heater). It now has 116,000 miles (I dont drive a lot) and it needs a new suspension, shocks, struts, etc. I recently replaced the front tie rod so I wouldnt die. Shaky after 65 mph. Not kid friendly. No hooks for child seat in the back, so trading.

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  Great SUV - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By JG - November 11 - 5:23 pm

  I wanted to wait until I got to drive this in the snow to give it a full review - and now I have here in New England. I have been very happily surprised in nearly every aspect of this car, from its handling and braking, to its fuel economy, to its overall comfort - in all of them it has excelled. The Navigation and Sync systems are outstanding and fun to explore, with easy-to-use podcasts and music and hands-free phone all projected through speakers, as well as real time traffic re-routing. And it does just fine even in deep snow.

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  my new Mercury "Milan" - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Hans - November 10 - 4:40 am

  Love the Vehicle, Drives well, handles well, good Construction, quiet comfortable Ride. Only Thing strange to me, is the Location if the Brake / Clutch Pedal. Pedals should be further apart. I owned many Std Shift Vehicles, but the Location of the Pedals takes some serious " Having to get used to it". Only gripe about this otherwise great Vehicle. Congrats Mercury...Dealership is great. No Problems with Delivery. If the Reliability is as good as my last four Mercury Vehicles....It should be very good.....Just change the Location of those Pedals to make a TRUE Winner.

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  wonderful car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By bronwyn - November 9 - 2:00 am

  It seems like the Cougar is really hit or miss in terms of quality, but I really adore my car. It has never given me any problems (the radio did have to be fixed within the first 6 months, but the radio panel was loose and now the problems fixed.) Im not sure how another user is driving his car, but mine gets 35-40 MPG. The trunk is huge, but you cant comfortably sit in the backseat. I am planning on trading mine in for a newer model I love mine so much. (3 years ownership, never a problem.)

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  thing to change - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By chief - November 6 - 1:30 pm

  car is fine, dealership outstanding,lot of room, not enough horsepower for cvt transmisson, light very good, out side antenna no good. car frame weak. noisy ride, center transmisson should be put back on steering column

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  Mariner - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By ElleElle - November 6 - 12:10 pm

  First SUV Ive owned -- love it!! Minor annoyances include bad placement of heated seat control, gas guzzler, and poor rear view/back-up view.

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  A good buy! - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Selfer - November 4 - 2:00 am

  We like this car a lot. It is our 3rd Mercury and 6th Ford product. It rides smoothly and has some nice extra touches. I find, with all Mercurys and too many cars these days, that the standard passenger seating is uncomfortable. I do not like to ride with my legs stretched out and the floors are too shallow to do otherwise. Bend your knees and they are up under your chin, it seems. Also, we drove the car out of the dealership and it shimmied. Seems it came from the factory with a bad caliper. Is there no Quality Control anymore? But Mercury fixed it and the Sable rides well now.

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  Grand Marquis - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By ttully - November 4 - 12:56 am

  Ive been very happy with my Grand Marquis. In fact, its the first time ever that I purchased the same car twice in a row. Ive been driving a Grand Marquis since 1997 now! The ride is excellent. Smooth and great for long trips. Engine is pretty good for a big car. I have the 8 cylinder so of course that helps. Mechanically, nothing has went wrong so far.