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:

• 

  Excellent in V6 manual - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By Fibbo - September 28 - 1:33 pm

  Fun to drive, great handling and acceleration for its price. Only cons are, gas mileage isnt great and fifth gear revs pretty high in highway driving (adds to fuel economy problem). Also the front cup holders are poorly designed. Wheel bearing problem around 100,000km was the only big repair.

• 

  Check the roof before you buy it!! - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Sue - September 28 - 11:13 am

  Nice size car for the money, however, we had a serious problem with the welding on the roof area. We could see weld marks all throughout the roof edging (inspect carefully your roof before buying!!!) Was told by the dealer this happened on several other of their cars!! Now is leaking transmission fluid-- What a piece of junk!

• 

  Should have bought the extended warranty - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By lkbdczy - September 28 - 10:00 am

  Although most like this van both my wife and I are very dissapointed. since the warranty expired, we have replaced - Struts, Strut plates, 1 fuel injector, rear A/C, ball joints, breaks and Throttle plate. all Ford had to say was that we were on our own. WE will not buy from FORD again.

• 

  Best car ive ever owned... - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By PAUL - September 27 - 11:43 pm

  Bought in 3/00 w/29k miles, ran like new to 140k, involved in accident, sorry to see it go, i changed oil every 2000 miles! And besides that, i added gas....

• 

  sick car - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By CougarFiend - September 27 - 8:06 am

  i just bought my cougar and its sickkkkk,,, i got it for $1800 at a auction and i paid $700 for repairs!! ive been driving for about 3 months and its purrfectt, love it

• 

  great running and looking car - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rick - September 25 - 7:26 pm

  Wasnt looking to trade, but got a deal. Vivid Red with all the options.. very comfortable and well made car. Plenty of room. With some reviews that I have seen, seems no matter what Detroit does, it isnt good enough.. If this had a toyota or honda badge, media would have loved it.. Way to go Ford/Mercury.. keep it up!! Defintely a keeper..mileage so far mid 20s..

• 

  Love My Cougar - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Deb - September 25 - 6:53 pm

  I loved my 2000 Cougar from the minute I slipped into the bucket seat. Its high performance and handling made this V-6 five speed a blast to drive. Its been five years and 100K miles and I hate to think about having to trade it in.

• 

  154,000 & going strong - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By beancounter - September 25 - 12:33 am

  Very satisfied. Car runs (and looks) like the day I bought it with 16,000 miles. Engine is the std 6, so pinging comes std with that if you try to run reg gas. Performance is much better on 90+ octane, plus you eliminate the damage caused by the pinging and greatly extend eng life. The better fuel economy offsets the higher gas price. I bought the car w/ every intention of going 200,000 to 250,000 miles and I have no doubt it will do it. Very comfortable to drive. Seats are firm and supportive. And I can squeeze out 29 - 30 mpg on the hiway if I try hard. (The most I could get on 89 oct was 28.) I replaced the starter last summer. The rest has been routine maint and a few minor things.

• 

  Hidden Gem - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By awhsum1 - September 24 - 10:23 am

  I have been very impressed with my Sable. I have had it for 5 months, with approximately 7,500 miles. Very comfortable interior, great ride, and very responsive for a sedan. My Sable is the base model with reverse sensors and leather. The leather seat are very comfortable, even on long trips. Mercury has a hit with the new Sable. At 62, plenty of headroom and legroom,in the front and back, spacious trunk. I had compared the Taurus with the Sable, since they are the same, but the Sable had a smoother ride and better suspension for only a couple hundred more. If you are in the market for a sedan, test drive the Sable, you will be pleasantly surprised! Avg MPG 22 city 27 hwy

• 

  Transmission Issues - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By marinerowner - September 23 - 5:06 pm

  I bought this car and within 2 days it was back at the dealership. Brand new transmission. Still having issues. Lady in my yoga class having same exact issues with same exact car! This is not just one-off problem, seems to be a major concern with all the same make & model. Service techs at dealership act like this is my problem -- told me hesitation/delay on new cars is "normal". I have a 5-7 second delay with this car after pressing the gas -- car is lurching, zooming, hesitating, stalling. Almost had a few accidents. Not worth the $$$/aggravation. If it was NOT for this issue, this car would be a "winner".