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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  My Mercury Montego - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By 2005 Mercury Montego - April 27 - 11:30 pm

  This car has exceeded my expectations in terms of its performance and comfort. My 64" son can sit in the back without being cramped which says a great deal about the size of the interior. On the highway, the car holds it own and seems to command respect from other drivers. Also, its reassuring to press the accelerator to get an extra surge of power when needed. On top of everything else, the Mercury Montego is exceptionally beautiful. I am very happy with this car.

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  Milan review - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rick Wheeler - April 25 - 2:50 am

  I like the features that come with the car as well as the price tag. Most bang for your buck. Styling is nice, ride is smooth and gas mileage is great.

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  enjoyable ride - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By russell - April 25 - 12:50 am

  The ride is very comfortable. Steering is a dream to handle. All of the controls are placed for a safe drive without taking your eyes off the road.

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  reliable - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Villager - April 24 - 2:00 am

  I have really enjoyed this vehicle. I drive it everyday and it has been reliable and handled well. The heater and air conditioning provide a comfortable atmosphere. But the handling is great. I highly recommend this van, and wonder why they quit making it.

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  Safe 5 star & nice room - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By go blue - April 23 - 6:43 pm

  Currently the vehicle has 100,000 miles. Besides normal brakes, tires and oil changes, the only repair I had to make was a blower fan for $150.00. I looked at the Honda Accord & Toyota Camry - both of those cars have timing belts and 30,000 mile tune ups. I had a 100% chance of spending $600 for the timing belt and $300 for each tune up X 3 since I have 100,000 miles. That is a total of $1,500 in normal maintenance that I avoided with Fords / Mercurys 100,000 mile tune up and a timing chain that lasts the life of the vehicle - serveral hundred thousand miles. Why do you think Consumer Reports does not bring this up? Ford delivers vehicle with the design to minimize maintenance costs!

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  I hate this SUV - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Mercury Mariner - April 22 - 10:26 am

  I had read the Mercury Mariner was the top of the line SUV. I bought the best one they had, thinking I got everything. It cost about four thousand dollars more then the Escape, or the Jeep, and it has less features. A lot of things I thought were standard on the car, that most 1990 cars have on them, they dont even put on this car. They told me it was my fault, I should have asked if the car had them before I bought it. I had a 1995 Grand Prix, and it has more features on it then this one dose, and you cant even order them on the Mariner, because it isnt even an option. They have not perfected this car enough. I went to work the other morning, and the defogger on the back window doesn

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  Great Suv - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Danielle - April 22 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my mountaineer about 3 years and I love it. I am currently looking at buying a newer model. The only problem Ive had in 3 years (aside of the tire recalls) is the check engine light goes on all the time for no reason.

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  The Comparatively Better Hybrid - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By Kurt - April 19 - 2:56 pm

  I have now had the car for a little over four months. I previously had a Buick Lucerne. Although the Lucerne had much more room, I like the handling of the Milan much better. I am experiencing an average of 36.4 mpg. Nice, but not quite what they are advertising. But it is almost 20 mpg more than I got in the Lucerne. And I do mostly city driving. And I am being very cautious with my driving habits - trying to get the best mileage I can.

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  Not my Grandpas Lincoln/Mercury - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By LuvMyMountaineer - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Prior bad experience with another SUV, Lemon that was bought back by the Manufancturer. Skeptical but with hope I bought the Luxury v8 AWD Mountaineer. What a treat! There is nothing like having other kids ask for you to chaperone field trips over their parents BMW and Lexus. With the V8 and AWD, living in Alaska and winter time is simple as point and shoot. It goes everywhere! Hauls everything, and looks good doing it. Easy to see out even for my 5 foot tall wife. Adjustable pedals, heated seats, auto dimming rearview mirror, and seating for 7. Nothing like seperating the kids on a long drive to keep peace in the family.

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  Love/hate relationship - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By tikitime - April 19 - 10:00 am

  This Cougar was a great design- different enough to hold some stylistic ground with the only other daring design of that time the Audi TT. I still love the it and get compliments often. Im also still impressed with its material fit & finish which are far beyond most. It has been a reliable car on many road trips and in the daily commute. Similar problems of engine light, cupholder, defroster grill, etc. Pricey repairs with pwr locks going out at 50k for a cool $600. Brakes lasted til 54k, alt/batt to 58k and tires to 30k. Some engine issues popping up which have me worried but still a darn reliable car thats fun to drive.