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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  satisfied customer - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Ruby Sifferman - August 14 - 8:40 am

  I find my Grand Marquis to be comfortable , safe & a lot of car for the money,

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  I love this car - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Ron - August 13 - 4:56 pm

  The best car I have ever owned, excellent quality, I looked at Caddy,BMW, Buick, this car has much nicer interior and up grades than cars costing 50K

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  Factory Freak - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By assious - August 10 - 10:00 am

  Mine my be a factory freak, but it is very fast and I am very happy with its continued strong performance even through 142000 miles.

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  Love It!! - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Karen - August 10 - 9:16 am

  I previously drove a Toyota Corolla and thought it was a great auto. Since driving the compact Mariner, I love the handling and sitting up higher. A very nice automobile.

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  One of best American cars ever - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Boss - August 9 - 8:06 am

  With few minor modification under the hood, high performance tires & shocks this car will leave others eat the dust. Winter tires for snow & the snow plow follows my tracks. With ECM(Computer) from sister Crown Vic.(Police Interceptor) you wont believe increase in performance. A true monster

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  Nice car but several problems - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Glenn - August 7 - 11:56 am

  Blower motor went out first 2 weeks,cowling seal defective allowed water to get into blower and rust. Rear spring broke into 3 pieces @ 11200 miles. Shop said this is typical, expect the other one to break also. Fuel economy is great on the road, get 30 MPG with cruse @ 62 MPH. Car has nice ride and has lots of room, would buy another.

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  Like Butter! - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Gerald - August 4 - 4:20 pm

  We love this Milan Premier. With heated leather seats, sun roof and plenty of comfort room in the front/rear seats. We drove the Toyota Camry for 1 week prior to purchasing the Milan...the Mercury is superior in quietness and fit, finish and interior trim and instrument dislay to the Toyota. Lots of pride driving an American brand with curb appeal!

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  1998 Mercury Mystique - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By Fred - August 4 - 7:56 am

  Its been a real good car. A lot of bang for your buck. Very few repairs brakes, rotors,alternator, belt, wiper blades, oil & filter change. Just been a darn good car - crosses fingers.

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  Mercury Monterey 2004 - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By w. soliday - July 31 - 10:03 pm

  lots of get up and go. nicely appointed with leather, heated front seats, and both seats with power. automatic doors much nicer than expected.

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  I like it very much! - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Mountaineer - July 30 - 6:16 pm

  We have had our Mountaineer eleven months and have over 13,000 miles on it and we just love it. It handles amazingly great in the snow and anywhere. The turning radius is wonderful. The mileage could be a little better, but guess its just as good as or better than some other SUVs. At this time we would buy it again if we were in the market for it.