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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  Grand Marquis Ultimate - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By TerryAlan - August 12 - 6:40 pm

  Great car for the money. Mercury is dealing and able to get a large car for the price of a midsize. Smooth riding and quiet. Certainly a better ride and more comfortable than either a Pontiac Bonneville or Buick Park Avenue (owned both).

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  Great SUV! - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Drobby888 - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Smooth ride, nice leather, AWD is great.

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  A four door Corvette named marauder - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Bill the horse - August 11 - 2:00 am

  I bought a computer Changer and improverd the Shift point and horse power and Torque 40 horse power. This car is now drives like a 4 door Corvette

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  Wish I hadnt bought it - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By winterstar - August 11 - 2:00 am

  We have owned the Sable for three years and it is constantly in the shop being worked on every month. It has had numerous problems with the Air Conditioner,that have never been fixed. Along with some very scary experiences with the brakes locking up. Not to mention the number of recalls as well. It was the worst car purchase we have ever made.

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  Fun to Drive or Fun to Cruise? - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By XXGMSMGXX89 - August 9 - 10:03 am

  I love my Montego CVT AWD. It handles so great for a car of its size, and has awesome acceleration (obviously, not better than a Maxima or Avalon...). Last night, I was coming home from a party, and I had some fun on the highway. Let me just say, the CVT really has a great ratio spread and the engine, despite having only 203 hp, is pretty snappy above...60 mph. (ok, around 75 I floored it, and the tacho went up to 6700 rpm, and I went from 75 to 90 in around 2 seconds!) BTW I wasnt drunk, or anything. I just was in a great mood, and I wanted to drive fast. I can only hope the new Montego has more (it will,because of the 3.5 liter engine) driving pleasure

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  Great Value - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By DGM - August 8 - 4:16 pm

  Bought this SUV for my teenage daughters. The 4 cyl is a good choice for young drivers. the optional side and canopy airbags are worth the extra money to protect them. A great value for the money and also looks great.

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  A great car to take to work - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jon - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car to take to work (90 miles a day), to tow with, and to lug family and friends in. Also to stop putting so many miles on my baby, my Mustang. As far as performance, Im used to the power of my GT, though the power is nothing like my Mustang, its very powerful for what it is. A full sized sedan. I have only one problem with the car, and thats the interior. Only two cup holders (The car can seat 6 people). Also the front arm wrests should have storage, along with the back arm wrests (If the car had rear arm wrests). Oh, and the car needs a posi so both rear wheels spin. As far as mileage, I get 25-28 hwy, 20-23 city. It burns no oil with 105,000 miles on it.

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  Bought used - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By j-dool - August 8 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle had most of what I wanted and it had very low miles when we bought it. the car is comfortable on long trips and the heated seats are great on the back. I cant believe weve put over 15,000 miles on it already. Weve had no issues what so ever and while going on 4 years old it looks new. The ride isnt the smoothest but its not the worst either. I like the 17" wheels and I think it handles very well for this type of vehicle.

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  Sable - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By Bernd Langer - August 7 - 4:13 pm

  This vehicle has proved to be the quality one would expect from a new car purchase. I have had only one warranty item the car needed to be returned to the dealer for. The interior luxury and space for a taller person is wonderful. For years I have driven a cramped import or small economical car and this is a welcome change. If this car prove to be as reliable long term as my escort and Toyota corona and camry were then it was well worth. it.

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  Barbara - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Barbara - August 6 - 5:13 am

  I traded a different car in for the Mariner because I like the look and do not regret it. I love this car