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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  I love my Mountaineer - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Totally Satisfied - July 24 - 2:00 am

  I purchased one of the few 2000 models with a V-6. This is the best vehicle I have ever owned. I now have over 90K miles on my vehicle with no problems. I have pulled a trailer a lot and done a lot of city driving on a regular basis and this vehicle has always exceeded my expectations. Way to go Mercury.

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  A Great Value, comfort and Fun to Drive - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By karman - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Lets talk quality, After a full year this car has only seen the inside of the shop for oil change/tire rotation. Its the only new car I have ever bought that needed no trip back to fix build problems. As to price, we feel we got a lot of car, equipment, and value for our money. We are very satisfied, and to put this in context, this car replaced a Lincoln LS, which may have beenour favorite car of all time. Make no mistake, this is NOT an LS, but this is still enough car to keep us satisfied, with a lot of cash left over!

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  Happy Grand Marquis owner - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Joseph E. Gamache - July 24 - 2:00 am

  This is my 3rd Grand Marquis and the 03 is the best! I appreciate the big trunk, rear air suspension, and very good mileage for a car this size. I am 76 yrs old and drive to Florida each January. I am not tired at the end of each days travel. Dependability has been excellent.

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  The Best - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Phoenix - July 22 - 9:00 pm

  This vehicle does its job better than any vehicle I had previously. I am able to haul anything and everything that I need as a musician with no complications. The performance is the best I have ever seen. My godfather is looking to get the same vehicle, just not the same year. The only flaw it has is the back applica on the liftgate. The quality of the material is shabby. It cracks on its own within the center of the applica around the emblem. Other than that, the vehicle is an excellent vehicle to have.

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  Cougar Not so bad - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By thekug - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I have enjoyed my Cougar - it lack some straight line speed, but is fun when moving (take into the foothills and back roads) I have had no probs with mine after 49,000 miles - except the dash is getting a little rattle. But for all that handling and style for 18,500 (and I have the V6) the value has held up well. The I4 is too small, but my six is getting quicker with a few low cost asftermarket parts.

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  Best Full Size Car Ever - 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Tony216 - July 21 - 10:23 am

  This car has a very comfortable ride. V8 has ample power and gas milage is respectable. Interior is spacious and very quite.

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  Love My Montego - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Ndtish - July 21 - 7:20 am

  Bought this car with only 18,000 miles! I just love having factory warranty. I get 29 city and 33 highway, and on one trip that was 4 hours, I got 36 MPG. I even checked it at the pump against what the computer said, and they were both dead on! I live in the great white north, so on the cold mornings, the heated seats are a plus, and I have lots of heat. My last vehicle was a 99 Taurus, and I had to get the heater core flushed every year in order to have heat. My daughter has the same problem with her Taurus of the same year. The moonroof is awsome. I use the vent feature the most and it is open even on the cold mornings on my drive to work. This is an amazing car!

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  Great Vehicle, Minor Flaws - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By BC - July 20 - 7:40 pm

  I have had this car for almost 3 months now, and am very pleased with it. I average 31.3mpg with about 60/40 mix of city/highway driving. I really love driving this vehicle, and its very agile and easy to park. Im 6-3" and it still has plenty of room and is easy to get in and out of. Lumbar adjust is useless and obstructed by center console. TIP--If you notice that your engine does not turn off at stop lights, turn your window defroster off. The tilt wheel has very limited range adjustment upward. The mpg is great and varies only slightly between highway & city. UHAUL makes a drill-free hitch for this vehicle and it is useful for a needed hitch-hauler cargo carrier for trips.

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  So many problems - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Big daddy - July 19 - 8:40 pm

  I love the car. Bought it as a family car. The warranty expired, the car began having electrical problems with its climate controls and the heating seat. Heating seat will no longer work. Climate control will keep switching from leg, to window, to etc, all by itself. I still love the car. Driving stability on the road is awesome, the car corners very well without wobbling like others. Its also very quiet on the road. I can fit the stroller and groceries into the trunk with more than enough space left over.

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  this is a great mazda (mercury) - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By poppy joe - July 18 - 2:03 pm

  this was a really great suv i hauled flowers and pottery for three years and never lost a days work easy to get in and out of small spaces with i would like to keep it