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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  Nice car. Surprising little gem - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Anon - June 12 - 12:40 am

  Diamond in the rough!!! People that would never consider this car dont know what they are missing. The Mercury brand is revitalizing itself and aiming towards a younger crowd with crisp design and affordable luxury. The work-horse Duratech engine has had years of tweaking with the Taurus/Sable, so, of course the car has great performance and will be reliable in the long term. Sport package actually makes car look sporty and not cheesy like other sedans. Love the tail-lights and fold-down rear seat feature. I feel proud driving this fun little car. The perception that imports are always a better product is just that, a perception. Try American, guys.

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  Great buy. sporty and fun to drive! - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rene Blais - June 11 - 5:53 pm

  This is my 1st Mercury and Im glad I test drove it because I love it. Great car excellent gas mileage and more.

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  Buy a Mercury Sable - 2005 Mercury Sable
  By Myrtle - June 11 - 1:00 am

  It has a very quiet and smooth ride and it has very comfortable seats and it has very good crash test scores and it has a huge trunk .

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  middle of the road - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By A Driver - June 10 - 2:36 pm

  Although performance doesn t close to match the looks of the car, its been very dependable. A little over 60k and no problems, however ergonomics leave much to desire (why cant I shift if my passenger is fiddling with the radio?) and the steering is soooooo stiff. Im not sure who this car is made for since I find the dash too high and seat too low and my husband doesnt have enough head room. In general, the seats are really uncomfortable.

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  2002 Mountainer, surprised by quality - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By gabrielu - June 10 - 3:26 am

  Wife loved it at first sight but later wanted a smaller car, so I have driven it for the last five years. We occasionally think about selling it but do not. I have never had a problem with the car other than very minor issues (door open sensor, heated seat) both inexpensive to fix. Otherwise I have just changed oil regularly and done the 60k checkpoint (not much there either). Is my first Ford and I am completely turned around on old perception. We have a Mercedes and a Toyota in the family, The former is a money pit, the latter is good but feels so much cheaper. We are almost at 100k and cannot find a good reason to sell it. I guess I got the lucky one

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  Favorable - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Patrick OBrien - June 9 - 2:00 am

  The only real complaint I have is about the radio. The subwoofer vibrates the parcel shelf and the overall sound quality is not near as good as in my F- 150 pick-up. I am very happy with the vhecile as a whole. I an also the previous owner of a Taurus SHO ans a couple of Miatas.

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  Can you beat this? - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Merc123 - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Can you beat this? Buyers beware. Some have no problems while other have tons. V6 Automatic with 56K miles on it. Part x Replacement Times ----------------------- Altenator x 6 Flywheel x 1 (flexplate in ATX) Brakes Rotors x 1 (Bought aftermarket @ over $500) Brake Pads x 1 (bought aftermarket) Hood Latch Cable x 2 Center console x 1 (still broke) Trunk x1 (fixed self after 2nd time) Radiator hoses replaced x 1 A/C fixed x 1 Weather stripping x 2 (still messed up) Wheel bearing x 1 Defrost vent pops up. Transmission started slipping at 28K and is now slipping nicely at 56K. Alarm still randomly goes off for no reason

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  Great Quanity, Desire more quality. - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Veldboom - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Roominess for peole and luggage is the greatest feature. The seats are not as comfortable as in the 93 Grand Marquis. The engine runs well at 110,000, but several suspension parts needed replacement. Usually I do not need that type of repair. My Camry (with independent suspension) seems smoother on the highway and requires less maintenance.

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  205,000 Miles and still going. - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By GAT - June 5 - 11:06 pm

  Purchased as a used rental car in 99. I need it to go another 80,000 miles til i retire and i think it will. Only recurring problems are brake calipers. Replaced both rear. Comfortable, dependable and good passing power.

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  Awsome - a real treat, fun to demo - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By pooderbill - June 5 - 9:36 pm

  After several years with Saturns (which had great mileage), the demise of Saturn sent me looking for a more luxurious car. The Milan hybrid is by far the nicest car I have ever been in. Performance is amazing - acceleration in the 25-40 range is very surprising. Freeway mileage is about 36 but in town, I can get 42 to 58 if I watch the EV indicator. The dash reminds me when the electric motor is running and I tend to take advantage of that when I can. I love giving a demo in silent electric mode, showing the power flow on the screen and of course all the Sync features. Passengers cant tell when the gas engine kicks in. I have nitrogen in the tires which may kick in an extra 2-3 MPG.