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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  2nd mountaineer - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By mike - May 15 - 5:00 am

  Traded a 97 mountaineer in for this one, as much due to the incentives offered as anything else. Have had a couple of issues with the transmission that have been handled under warrantee (slipping and noise), took 4 visits to get the work completed. Flaw in the paint on the roof, a purple color, that is under the clear coat. Dealer offered NO solution, short of disassembly of the entire ceiling interior and removal of the sunroof so the roof could be repainted. Body shop manager said personally she would NOT do this. Purple paint is still there.

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  Sable is just fine - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By carmen - May 9 - 10:00 am

  Nice car - not great on gas in the city, but very good on the hi-way.

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  Over All Evaluation - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Paul5577 - May 9 - 3:53 am

  This is the third Grand Marquis that Ive owned. The reason... I cant find another auto that comes close to delivering the bang for my buck. The engine is strong and the Premium ride is that of a Town Car, of which I possess as well. Solid built, comfortable ride, dependable and not to mention big enough to sit across from another person without rubbing shoulders. Paul

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  First FoMoCo product in many years - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By winter2 - May 8 - 2:15 am

  Purchase our 2010 Milan Premier as an executive car after my Jeep Liberty diesel lost a rod. Still fighting with Chrysler. Overall, the Milan is surprisingly comfortable and quiet on the road. Fuel economy is good getting in the upper 20s commuting and in the low 30s on long trips. Engine power is adequate but lacks the torque of my Jeep (miss that). Engine noise is very subdued while cruising. Have had issues with Sync as the voice commands refused to work. Three visits to the dealer plus a visit from a Ford engineer finally got it fixed (broken wire). Fit and finish good be a bit better as some body panels are not aligned as well as they could be.

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  Check it out. - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Chandler - April 29 - 6:56 am

  Very reliable - routine maintenance done by dealer. When I bought this new, all of the features in the LS package (leather, ABS, Moonroof free), along with rebate and .9 financing - no other sedan seemed to compare. After 2.5 years, I am still very satisfied.

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  LSE03 Is So-So - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Ray66 - April 26 - 2:00 am

  Leased this LSE right before Mercury discontinued the option. Prior leased car was a Crown Vic LS. The Crown Vic got better gas mileage, was quieter and rode much smoother. The LSE supposedly has a slightly more powerfull engine but I see little difference. The LSE has more bells and whistles and a more usable interior but I miss the Crown Vic

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  Built on Friday the 13th!!! - 1997 Mercury Cougar
  By Coogrr - April 21 - 10:00 am

  This is my 4th Coogrr, and it must have been built on a Friday. We have had it in for many repairs, from dash light showing through on windshield at night (Ford Guys thought duct tape was a good fix, wrong!) Sunroof deflector broke early on, A/C problems resulted in car interior being ripped apart at 22K miles, and A/C still not right at 65K. New tranny at 64K, and this car is babied. Fun to drive, all these repairs are a headache. Ford service has been so bad, we will never buy another Ford again. Nuff said. Too bad~~I loved these cars, this one has been a handful.

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  Great Car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By lz3d0b - April 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Cougar new in early 2000 and other than oil changes and very minor problems, it has performed flawlessly. It handles great (compare it to a Grand Am and you will see what I mean) and has adequate power. This was a vehicle that cost around 20K and it should not be compared to more expensive sports cars. I found that if I needed extra power, I could switch overdrive off and it made a huge difference. Just a fabulous blend of power and great gas mileage. It is highly refined and the V6 is silky smooth. Wonderful exterior lines and there arent a lot of them on the road.

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  Most car for the money - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By Beeman - April 21 - 10:00 am

  I have put 135000 miles on this car and have spent less than $300.00 on repairs. I bought it because you can buy a used Sable for less money than any other car its size. Very good value if you need a roomy family car. The only thing I dont like is the lack of power on the base 3.0 engine. Go for the 24 valve version if you can.

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  Grand Marquis - 1999 - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Joy Kennedy-Hughes - April 16 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car to drive, comfortable, and stylish.