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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  Meh - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By Buddi - February 19 - 4:23 pm

  My parents got this car for my sister when she was 17 as a first car. The first day she drove it, when she drove faster than 45 the car started to buck, the transmission was slipping. Weve put more money into this car then we paid for it. Now Im 17 (shes almost 21 now) and its mine now. Not too fun to drive, its very jerky when changing gears and its really uncomfortable. My dad and I drove about an hour in it and we got out numb. After fixing it up a bit, shes running pretty good, but we still call it the Mercury "Mistake" because it is pretty much fail. The trunk for some reason floods when I open it up after it rains

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  great car - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By broncobilly1111@aol. - February 18 - 3:46 am

  great car

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  Kids call it my GEEZER - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By WAM - February 17 - 3:50 pm

  Love my Ultimate got T-boned in a 2005 walked away unharmed cant say same for guy who ran red light. Safety and a good large American car built with good steel kept me in good shape. Went next day to same dealer and he put me in a 2006 for my insurance check. Recommend business with Rich Morton of Annapolis any day. Car is comfortable for a big guy like me at 260lbs and my wife at 115lbs and at my age in sales I dont need to impress anyone with wasteful spending.

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  2001 Mercury Cougar 2.5L V-6 - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By CelicaTuner - February 17 - 9:03 am

  I bought this car used with 71,000 miles in summer of 07. Looks really sleek. Has a fun look to it. Gas mileage is decent. I average around 24mpg city/highway. The transmission rotted through at around 80000 miles costing me $1,300. The sunroof failed to operate at around 82,000 miles. This car is a looker. Many compliments recieved. I wash and wax every weekend if possible.

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  Legal Car Theft - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Patrick McCarthy - February 16 - 10:10 am

  An American icon. V8 with outstanding mileage and comfort. Quiet and good handling. On the way home from the dealer, it was getting over 26 mpg! Should get 30+ mpg with a K/N+Flowmaster+Mobil One. American V8 performance! I feel like my Father in the 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s always big Mercs. MSRP $26190 + dealer added deep tint glass. GS w/Drivers Conf.Grp. We stole our Norsea Blue one for under $17900! Compared to other cars. So much for so little! Highest 5 star safty! Thousands less than noisy tiny small 4cyl cars at 26 mpg? Gorgeous, classy, safe. Drive one, steal one, we did, its legal! Thanks Dad, Im proud this Mercury reminds me of you. Miss you!......Your Son

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  Buy it! - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Pj - February 16 - 10:00 am

  The strong point is the ride. I tried a number of high end SUVs and bought this one because of its superior ride. Very stylish for a SUV with comfortable front seats.

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  Transmission out in just 2 years! - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Cindy - February 16 - 3:03 am

  The transmission went out on my 2007 Montego! The car is serviced every 3000 miles and babied! I was totally shocked by this unexpected issue!

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  2007 Milan I4 Auto - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By scwalburn - February 16 - 1:30 am

  What a pleasant surprise. Roomy, even for me at 65". Feels like a much bigger car. Quiet and responsive, smooth shifting and all for $18,000. Way to go Ford!

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  Good Buy - 2009 Mercury Sable
  By Sable_Premier2009 - February 13 - 3:50 pm

  I am very satisfied with my new Sable so far. To be honest I had never heard of the Sable and was not in the market to purchase one. I had my eye on a Chrysler Pacifica. After test driving the Pacifica I stumbled across the Sable and decided to take it for a drive. I was impressed with the features and the smooth ride. The trunk space is great. Price was the deciding factor for me and the fact that it came with so many great features like the Sync and Sirius radio was a perk. Im happy so far.

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  Could be better - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Audrey girl - February 13 - 2:00 am

  My car is a 1999. It was a year old when I purchased it. This car has been in the repair shop 9 times in the past 12 months. Everything from catalytic converter, fuel line problems,emission system problems and I had to replace the transmission at 52,000 miles. Its in the shop as I type this. This time for an engine oil leak. As far as looks, the car is great. The interior has a blind spot on the passenger side. I would not recommend this car. As soon as my car is repaired, Im trading it in.