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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  Finally--an competitive American sedan - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rick - October 4 - 2:33 pm

  We have had the Milan for 5 months so the new has worn off a little and we are now seeing past the glitter of a new car. I have looked for flaws in the paint, fit or anything else. There are none. The car has no flaws. I have no complaints. The fuel mileage around town is usually in the 24-25 mpg range and the highway mileage is usually 29+.

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  Great car - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Charley - October 3 - 4:53 am

  Have only owned the car for two months.Put 1000 miles on car and then took off for Flordia and drove it hard and still got 30 miles per gallon. It was a great ride and really like the trunk room. The I4 has plenty of power. Love the two tone leather seats and they are heated.Over all I am quite pleased with the car.

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  Its a looker!!! - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By Shirley - October 1 - 2:40 pm

  In May I purchased my first Mariner and I have to say I love driving it! I read the Editors Review on this vehicle before buying and Im happy that I was able to overlook the rather negative review. Its interesting to me that so many people continue to check out my vehicle especially when some of them are driving BMW and Lexus. Not bad for a vehicle with a "nine-year-old platform". The Mariner is very easy to handle and has all the features that I was looking for. My 12 yr old daughter and her friends love riding in it at night for the ambient lighting. My only negative would be the silver coating around the radio controls, gear shift and door handles. It may be hard to keep looking nice.

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  finally found one - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By sclwkr222 - October 1 - 10:00 am

  flawless in practically every detail. try as i might, its extremely difficult for me to get over 17 mpg even with a cotton foot. love the power of a muscle car and the comfort of a luxury.

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  NOT TO SHABBY - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By jnn88 - October 1 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for two years, minimal problems. Just had to deal with recall of the fuel pump. Love the car, it is fun to drive and it looks nice. The only bad things about the car is the cup holder sucks and the trunk is tricky. Good car to "hook up".

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  Awesome SUV! Sync is great! - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By owensry - September 27 - 12:00 pm

  I love the 2009 Mariner. The Sync system is great, along with the leather heated seats, and the black on black colors. The handling is great, has lots of power on the new 240HP V6 engine, along with great fuel economy. I recommend everyone to go for the V6 engine instead of the I4. Has more horsepower and isnt much less of a fuel difference.

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  crud - 1999 Mercury Mountaineer
  By sorbain - September 26 - 11:03 pm

  bought our 99 mountaineer about 3yrs ago had nothing but problems since within 6 months the number five injector started fouling repaired dont no how many times and it still fouled.every time time it goes for inspection it needs at least 400 dollars of repair.now just replaced upper ball joint and sway bar now the tire keeps wobbling. i hate this car want it gone thank god its the wifes.

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  They keep building them - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By R.Y. - September 25 - 4:16 pm

  As another person mentioned, this car is a sleeper. The 210hp 4.6L V8 with SOHC provides very good performance while giving surprisely good gas mileage. I get 30 mpg Imperial (Canada) driving at over 60mph or 100kmph. This engine is designed for fuel efficiency while being powerful enough at .75 hp per cubic inch. The car is designed for comfort, which is why I like the arm rests instead of a storage bin. If you want a storage bin, buy an after market product for the transmission hump. Yes, the power windows are slow and you wish they would go faster when you are in a hurry, but thats not a deal breaker. You can still buy a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis.

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  WOW - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Darwin - September 24 - 2:53 am

  This hybrid is awesome. I bought it for my wife. Ii find that I am trying to find ways to get the keys from her hands. This Mariner is just fun to drive and well appointed. Everything about it just wow. Definitely pleased. Plus the tax incentive will definitely help offset the cost. Must go drive and try out. If you can afford to spend a little more, its worth it!

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  You guys are scaring me... - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Jimmy Bagwell - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Overall, my Cougar has been great. I bought it new in 99 and have experienced some of the problems others report, but I think these minor problems are to be expected of first- model-year cars. Otherwise, performance has been excellent and mechanical reliability outstanding. It looks great and is fun to drive. Since mine now has 38K miles, whats concerning me are the significant number of reviews concerning major problems (transmission, starter, etc.) beginning around 40k to 60k miles. Im taking a hard look at the new Mazda RX-8...now may be the time to trade in.