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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  GREAT VAULE AND LOTS OF POWER AND ROOM - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By MERC MAN - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I BOUGHT THIS CAR AS I WAS LOOKING AT A NEW MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. IT WAS ONE OF THOSE CARS THAT YOU HEAR ABOUT, YOU KNOW THE LITTLE OLD LADY WHO DROVE IT TO CHURCH EACH SUNDAY THAN KEPT IN IN THE GARAGE. IT WAS NOT FAR FROM THE TRUTH, IT ONLY HAD 36M MILES AND WAS IN PERFECT SHAPE. I PUT ALOT OF MILES EACH YEAR AND IT MADE SENSE TO ME TO PRUCHASE THIS CAR VS. A NEW ONE DUE TO THE HIT YOU TAKE ON DEPRECIATION. AFTER THE FIRST 30 DAYS I AM VERY SATISFIED.

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  what a junk - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By melina - September 21 - 10:00 am

  ive had my cougar for a while now and till this day it gives me problems. the second day i bought i took it through a car wash and the side mirror broke. and ive had problems with the engine too. i dont think that car is worth $23,000 thats how much i paid for it cuz it was a special edition but man its not worth it at all that why my ex drives it now cuz just like the car hes not worth it.

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  Bargain 2001 Mountaineer - 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Alf - September 20 - 2:00 am

  We needed something to tow our boat and navigate Michigan winters. The 2001 Mountaineer was a bargain due to the intro. of the all new 2002 model. This truck was sold new in Oct. of 2000, so it had about 18 months of service. We were able to get a 5 year 75,000 mile warranty (from date of original delivery) so we have 3-4 more years of coverage due to the fact it was a 2001 vehicle still covered by the orignal factory warranty.

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  Just ratings - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By SJC - September 20 - 2:00 am

  A great car!

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  Looks Like A Winner - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Bob - September 18 - 8:06 am

  Just picked up my new Milan last week and am well pleased so far. Good build quality and fun to drive. Last car was a Honda Accord, so my expectations were high. Ford did not disappoint. Much quieter interior than Honda and well- mannered on the road. If they keep building cars like this, Americans will buy.

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  My Mariner, A Classic on its Own!!!!!!!! - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Ev - September 16 - 5:56 am

  Mercury Mariner is like the Ford Escape but with jewelry on it! The driving & steering are phenomenal. My Mariner hugs the roads & I could hardly feel it sway when making turns. The interior is very classy! One hardly has to press on the accelerator on my V6 without feeling its power. The seats are very comfortable & I like the fact that the back seats are higher than the front, making visibility for my back passengers easier. The moonroof is quite large. I do not like driving through heavy rain but I never felt so secure driving my Mariner through a rainstorm that I am confident she could securely drive through any weather conditions! My Lt. Tundra Mariner has everyone turning!

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  2002 Mercury Moutaineer - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By winevisit - September 16 - 2:00 am

  Excellent SUV that is fun to drive. Great ride and handling. The only complaints that I have are lack of leg room for 2nd row passengers and lousy gas mileage. Very reliable, virtually zero problems.

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  Overpriced - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By JM - September 13 - 8:03 pm

  Good, safe, quality car way overpriced due to dealers ordering with every possible ridiculous option. For example-"ambient lighting" which I thought cheap/cheesy-something I might have liked when I was 16 rather than an adult. Nav. system is $2000-buy garmin instead or plug laptop into included outlet and use mapquest on the 3+ yrs of wireless you could buy w/ $2k you save. Nav. system includes dvd player that of course only works if you are in park because you cant be trusted that only passengers and not the driver will watch. 10Gig hard drive to hold all your music but only transfer is one CD at a time (no ipod/MP3 xfer), about 10 min/CD. No backup when hard drive fails! Bargain hard!

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  Exceeded High Expectations! - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By AfshinK - September 13 - 1:46 am

  I have had it for 3 weeks now and it has exceeded my high expectations in every way! I have gotten 36 MPG on two tankfuls of gas so far in mixed city/highway driving. Plenty of power from the engine and a very smooth, quiet ride. Its very cool to drive in all-electric mode knowing youre actually doing something to help the environment.

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  truemixed1 - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By truemixed1 - September 12 - 10:10 pm

  I got my car just the other day and I love it already its better than the truck that I had before and way better on gas.