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:

• 

  WHAT HAPPENED - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By K - February 7 - 11:16 am

  I bought my Mountaineer 10 months ago and I love it. It drives smooth and quite, but recently my car hesitates at stop signs and when shifting gears, so we know what that meant. I was hoping it would fix itself, but no. It started to make a loud vibrated jerking thud when shifting gears. I have 56k miles on it. In a matter of three days it became an inconveince to I wont drive and took it to the dealer I bought it from. The o/d light came on and was blinking. Not sure yet what the problem is but it is transmission related, whether electrical or hydrolic. I love the ride but I dont think I risk buying another Mercury:(

• 

  Nothing but issues - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By thomusssa - February 6 - 5:42 pm

  2008 Milan...must have been 1st run modle or something, everything that could go wrong has. I drive highway miles back and forth to work, consider myself close to average to slightly above avg on how hard I drive a car (and take care of it!). After approx 68k miles, transmission goes out. Took to Ford dealer, they want $6,700 for reman transmission. Unreal, had to go with used transmission due to cost. Have had 2 interior items fail, and need replaced. (console tab and short in power outlet) Now, engine rods knocking?! I see good reviews, but cant understand how so much can happen to 1 car. Ive had a Toyota Corolla with 280k miles, and no major issues. Milan was a mistake for me!

• 

  100,000 Plus Miles and Going - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Dave in Des Moines - February 6 - 4:56 pm

  I purchased the car with 77,000 miles and now have over 180,000 miles on the vehicle. It has been extremely reliable on the most important item; the engine. Just regular maintenance. Have had problems with temperature controls air/heat switching, check engine light always on, and recently the suspension but those problems occurred well past the 120k mile arena. Great car for my teenage son to learn on.

• 

  going strong - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By plybybunnie - February 5 - 6:40 pm

  ave had my cougar georgette for 5 years now, just turned over 200,000 miles, all original parts. very good running, reliable, just now starting to think about replacing the important parts. i LOVE my car and it has served me well. i dont see how anyone could not be satisfied with one. they must drive worse than me. ive taken my car cross-country several times, raced it, taken it camping. for a small car, it can hold and handle whatever ive dished out. thank-you cougar makers! i am one very satisfied customer!

• 

  Cant kill this truck - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Owned since new - February 4 - 7:13 pm

  I bought this brand new off the dealer lot. It has every option you could order. Ive never driven anything better in the snow. Ive only had to replace a front all wheel drive part and it has been hard on dash lights for some reason. It tows a boat twice the size of the truck. Expect about 13 to 14 MPG in the city in the V8 and about 18 MPH on the highway at 70 MPH. Ive seen several in crashes and they hold up like a tank. The AWD model gets 65 percent power from the rear wheels and 35 from the front. When slipping or in the snow the computer adjusts for traction. It rides like a truck but if you can find one in good shape you have a good truck for as long as you want to own it.

• 

  Great FWD SUV - 2011 Mercury Mariner
  By simplyteeb - February 2 - 10:00 am

  4 Cylinder was very surprising and powerful. Very quiet on the highway and the 30+ mpg is a real treat. LOTS of hauling capacity. Overall a great little SUV that is very fun to drive and very easy on gas.

• 

  Best SUV I ever owned - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Steve &Bonnie - February 1 - 4:23 pm

  Very solid, safe well mannered vechicle. A real pleasure to drive on a long trip. We got up to 24 mpg, average 21-22 on long trips. Mileage varies depending on the brand of fuel you buy. Yes it does make a difference, I proved it to myself. I am curious though to see how well the AWD works as we will be going off road [within reason dont expect it to beat the trails I take with my Jeep] in Arizona this fall.

• 

  I thought I would miss the Chrysler 300 - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By SpiceUmUp - January 31 - 9:46 am

  I picked this car up just three days ago and I already am sold on it. It rides very well though I feel the expansion joints more than in the 300. the seat are very comfortable, the controls are where they should be and working them is intuitive. The climate controls are set too low in the dash but the steering wheel mounted controls make that mostly a non-issue. The engine has plenty of power and when you whomp the Go-Pedal, it GOES. It is VERY quiet inside with little road noise & little engine noise until you really nail the accelerator. This is good because the sounds system is great. 6 disc CD with MP3 capability and 8 speaks. The open moon roof has very little wind noise

• 

  Great value for elegant car. - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Sirwilly - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Bought this brand new car after I had a Ford Taurus 98 modell. Liked the Ford and Mercury Dealerships in our City. The promotion rebates in Summer 03 gave me the incentive to get another one from Ford after I checked out VWs (Passat, Jetta) and Volvos. Found them all to be too expensive and considered the Sable to be similar for a better price and even better value!

• 

  I LOVE my GRAND MARQUIS!!!! - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By bbnot2busy - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 2000 Grand Marquis about 6 months ago. What a DREAM it is to drive! I love the soft ride and the quiet engine. The fuel mileage is better than should be expected from a car this size! My mother has a 2002 Toyota Avalon and she does not get the MPG I get with my Merc! Having sold my Pontiac Bonneville to move up to the Grand Marquis I have decided that I will continue to purchase the Grand Marquis from now on! Would not trade it for any car on the road!