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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  Decent Family Car - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By owensry - November 3 - 10:26 pm

  overall this sable is a great family vehicle, and not too horrible on gas mileage, i have the 24 V Duratech engine with 200 HP great pep to the engine, very nice leather seats, and paint color combination.

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  Transmission Probs--Beware - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Mrs. C - November 3 - 6:56 am

  After having owned my 06 Mountaineer with all the extras for a year--this is what has happened. Been in the shop three times now for the transmission slips--they keep changing the computer settings (so they say). Had to have master cylinder replaced at 10,000 miles (Ford cannot answer why it went bad). Now the motor has gone on the running boards. Yes, they are all warrantied problems--but a pain in the butt to get to the service center all the time.

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  The best car I ever had! - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Cornelia Strohmeier - November 1 - 12:03 pm

  I am so glad that I chose the right car. I looked at several cars and did not like them. When I saw Silver Montego I fell in love with it and bought it right away. Still happy with it. Its 10 in rating.

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  Very high build quality and good mileage - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Bob - October 31 - 10:26 am

  This Mariner is a very handy size vehicle that has provided better than expected fuel economy (24 mpg on the highway). The all wheel drive works very well in northern Vermont winters. The build quality of the Mariner is exceptional. In almost 2 years of ownership we have not yet had a problem.

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  Exactly what I need - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bill - October 30 - 4:33 pm

  True, this car ist cutting edge. The 06 is my 2nd one, the other was a 98.The stiffer chassis and rack and pinion steering on the newer models create a more satisfying driving experience. The car is floaty and large, but I am on the road six days a week, and cover about 4,000 miles a month. This car is my office and home away from home. I bought is certified pre-owned for almost nothing, as depreciation is poor on these cars. Never would I have bought one new, but is it a huge bargain used. I had a Chrysler 300C. It was pretty and powerful... and a piece of junk. For a functional tank that wont let you down, you cant do better than these dinosaurs.

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  Used 2008 Sable Premier AWD - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By billyd425 - October 30 - 1:58 pm

  This car had 49K when I bought it last August. Put about 15K on it so far. Drives & handles well. Wish the drivers seat floor didnt have the mound on the left side and the floor was a bit wider. Console is in an awkward position to retrieve change or plug a device into the USB Port. EVERYone who had rode in this car has nothing but compliments about it. Getting about 400 miles to a tankful (19 Gallons) with most of my driving being city while trying to get to the highway. Plenty of room in the back seat. Quiet at 80mph on the highway.

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  So Much car for such a small price - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By ACE - October 30 - 8:00 am

  About 2 weeks ago i bought a Mercury Montego Luxury AWD i am very happy with my car it has many features that a Lexus ES 330 didnt even have and at about $7,000 dollars cheaper i like the way the car handles and rides its very smooth and quiet and acceleration is good but should be a little bit more powerful due to the cars size i am also glad the Montego has command seating which gives you a much better view of the road and the big side mirrors make it easy for getting in and out of tights spaces and so does the Parking Asst. and i like the black leather interior and the nice Silver Birch Paint Color and in my opinion this car should put Mercury back on track because it ia a wonderful car.

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  Fantastic Car - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By kjnewman - October 30 - 2:40 am

  I wanted to move up to an import luxury car and spent time looking at Lexus, Acura and Audi first. My last stop was the Lincoln-Mercury dealer. I drove the MKZ and then the salesman suggested I try the new Sable. I was reluctant but figured since I was there anyway I might as well try it. What a car! $20,000-40,000 less than the imports with all the bells and whistles. I was so shocked I had to go back 3 times to make sure. This car is a steal! The Sync system is terrific and the car is so damn comfortable I can hardly believe it. Ford has a winner here that appears to have been overlooked by the media and auto pundits.

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  Best used vehicle I have owned. - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By vtray - October 28 - 3:07 am

  I am 73 and have owned a lot of vehicles, both new and used. I bought this car in Florida with 69K miles on it. We have a condo in Fl and live in VT. I drove it (packed to the ceiling) to Vermont (1635 Miles) and never had a problem. When I bought it, I had a wheel alignment and two new tires. Other than that, nothing was done. Although it is a GS model it has a lot of add ons such as the V6 Durotec engine with dual exhaust, leather all around, power seats, security system, chrome wheels etc. The Durotec is fantastic. It is quick (200HP) and yet delivers 28 MPG on the highway. Have had the car for about 9 months and no problems yet.

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  The Hot Moms Minivan - 1999 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Nicole - October 25 - 12:36 pm

  I see it as a womans truck. It holds the kids, the gear and tows the boat. For camping we set up the tent as a storage closet and sleep in the truck. I love the rear controls, they come in handy to teach the kids how to work the radio and for the nights sleeping in the back, the temp and radio are at my fingertips. Looks nice, handles awesome, and is very fun to drive. It is a TANK in the rain. I have the V8, so it uses gas, but it is an SUV. Its a classy Explorer with lots of little added features that make it more luxurious.