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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  Last of the freeway cruisers - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bill Love - January 17 - 12:03 am

  We bought this car for comfort and quietness on medium to long trips. Great value here with all the options available for under $29,000.00 including CA sales tax and registration. Mileage on the open road at 75 mph is consistently 25 mpg. Around town figure 16 while in the hills where I live a rather dismal 13. Could not be happier with this purchase and so far not a hint of any problems. Getting the Grand Marquis loaded is the key and takes the vehicle into a luxury class.

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  Love the looks - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By EP1 - January 15 - 1:43 pm

  The style & looks caught my attention right away my previous car was the Buick Lacross. The Milan handles better and rides tighter than the Buick and corners like its on rails but is just as quite on the inside on the highway! The looks are so much nicer than the Accord and Camry!

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  What Is The Mileage Expectancy? - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By Jocelyn - January 15 - 1:46 am

  Ive enjoyed my Cougar. I replaced the transmission at about 60,000 miles but it was my fault it messed up. Im more interested in the mileage expectancy of a 2001 Mercury Cougar? Mine has 96,500 and Im having to drive from Tennessee to Ohio about once a month and wonder how long that will last?

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  What a ride - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By mtre - January 14 - 11:23 pm

  This car was actually our number two choice. We had picked out a JGC to purchase but kept getting the run around from the Jeep dealership. All I can say is Thank Goodness they tried to hose us. We got a much better vehicle, with more options, and better overall quality, for a heck of a lot less money. We are sold on Ford products for life. Thank you Bob Howard Ford of Okc! I will never stray to GM or Chrysler again.

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  Best bet as a Ford by-product - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By montaingirl - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Now this is a suv! Also, if the Aviator & Navigator are a little out of your price range this is the next best thing. I would change one thing -the gear shift should be on the lower console & it should be a digital dash -other then that & I Love this vehicle & will be re- purchasing when It is time . good luck shoppers & maybe by the time 4 a trade in the gas consumption will be much better. Then this would be the number 1 car -as far as I would be concerned.

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  Very pleased with Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By JDHeyne - January 12 - 10:00 am

  This was an eBay car and turned out to be great! I bought it about a year and a half ago, have put 50,000 miles on it (It is now at 110,000) and is still going great.The only major problem was the moonroof was not working(which I knew at the time of purchase) and letting a friend try to fix the moonroof. Driving 75 down the interstate the moonroof lifted from the passenger to the drivers side doing a 180. Nothing wrong with the car, just kinda funny looking back at it. It scared the ... outta me at the time. The reason for this is letting my friend "fix" it. Only other time it was in the shop (less than 1,000 miles ago) was due to an exhaust leak

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  great value - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By BigAl - January 10 - 3:43 pm

  Bought 2004 Sable GS with 24,000 miles for $9999 on 11/19/2004 from local Ford dealer. Rental fleet return. Wanted something quiet and comfortable, not disapointed. Bought extended warranty for $1500, covered to 5/75 miles. This car is an excellent value. Buy one a year old and save BIG on depreciation! You feel SAFE in this car, not a hint of a squeak or rattle. 155 HP is enough for me with 3.0 Vulcan engine.

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  2002 - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By tmb0461 - January 9 - 2:00 am

  Play tons of hockey in the Northeast. Car has been 100% dependalble. One of first Premiers to be delivered. All black, looks great. V8 AWD is the way to go! Have had several snow storms, no problem. At $29,000 delivered many friends with BMW X5 and Mercedes ML320 wonder why they paid $20,000 more.

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  Leeanns 2001 LS Merc - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By leeann - January 9 - 2:00 am

  Car is very dependable, comfortable in town and on the road. Handles beautifully and holds the road exceptionally well (due to the rear wheel drive and wheel base). Rear seat is very comfortable (many rear seats are not).

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  Happy - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Satisfied - January 7 - 7:50 pm

  This car was my first choice in 2005, and when I was finally was able to upgrade in 2006, I choose the Montego. Although I am leasing this one, I am not sure if I would purchase the "Sable". I dont care for the renaming of the car. Dont know why it had to be changed. "Montego" has a swinging sound and sounds classy and elegant. I find that the features that came standard are great. The price was also great at under 30,000.