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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  I never thought I would buy a Mercury - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rick - May 18 - 6:40 am

  I was looking for a Fusion when the 0% for 72 months was running and stumbled upon a Milan. I think its better looking and so far its been a very pleasurable experience. All city driving so far and each tank full has been better mileage, the last one went 374 miles on 16.1 gallons. It will be interesting to get a tank thru it on the highway to see how close I can get to the 29 mpg. Quiet, very roomy and comfortable even for a 66" driver. The controls on the steering wheel make the radio, cruise and a/c controls a breeze, altho the temp control is on the lower right and I rest my thumb in that area when I drive--sometimes the temp gets bumped up to 80 degrees!

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  reliable - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By STEVE - May 17 - 8:20 pm

  I bought this with 47,000 miles on it...change the oil every 3K and it runs like new. Highway gas mileage averages 18mpg which is about same or better than newer premium SUVs. It also takes regular gas. My Mercury service manager said I could expect another 100,000 miles without a sweat on the 5.0 liter V8 engine.

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  Unexpectedly Amazing! - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By mwj12487 - May 17 - 10:34 am

  To begin, let me explain that I purchased this vehicle in haste, in August of 2011. My Sable had 102k on the clock, and had some exterior signs of a earlier collision, but the interior was clean, and the motor sounded well. I jumped in. After only about a week I realized how peppy the 3.0 V6 is. I was very much accustomed to the thriftiness of 4 cylinder cars, but when I began regularly driving the Sable I was not only impressed but satisfied. The ride is comfortable for all shapes and sizes of drivers. The reliability is better than that of a newer Audi I have previously owned. The gadgets are sparce and simple, but they are reliable as well and easy to use. Now at 139K- no problems.

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  2006 Mountaineer Needs human engineering - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By George Houchens - May 17 - 7:00 am

  Great vehicle except for interior. Dash and doors need redesign with attention to human engineering and style. Door handles are very inconvenient (too low and far forward), Seat belt needs to be longer for easy hookup (I am a big guy), and heater controls need to be located higher above radio so I can use them without taking eyes off the road. Center console shifter is ugly! Square seats look blocky, and interior metal trim looks cheap. Rear fold down seats leave too many holes for things to fall into when hauling cargo. Vehicle interior is NOT an improvement over 2003 Mountaineer. My wife agrees. Otherwise, car has great ride, very quiet, handles well. Outside styling great.

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  A real surprise - 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By ripdaddy - May 15 - 12:37 pm

  I was looking for a Crown Vic to pull my small bass boat with when this 2007 GM got in the way. 6 years old, 44000 miles, body on frame to handle a trailer hitch, $9500.00? Oh, yeah. I was expecting a somewhat clumsy driving experience. Boy, was I wrong! The suspension is tight and well controlled. The steering is precise and so smooth, too. I love driving it! I dont drive with a heavy foot so my worst mpg average for a tank of gas has been 24.6 with about a 40/60 city to highway ratio. A 300 mile highway trip yielded 28.1 mpg. The car is so nice I dont want to put the hitch on it. I feel like I got a new car for 9500 bucks. There are several like it out there, too.

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  This little thing goes - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By mercqwerty - May 12 - 7:00 pm

  This is one great little SUV. Roomy inside, comfortable and really fun to drive. The AWD goes great in the snow. This Mercury is reliable as sin.

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  Motor and Rear Axle problems - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By scooter - May 11 - 11:56 am

  Had to replace front rotors and brakes when we first bought it. Makes a roaring noise because real axle is bad. At 110,000 miles lost all oil and motor went out, oil warning light never came on so I had no idea I had lost all the oil. We replace the motor and now have tranny problems. Also it has a water leak somewhere and have water stains on the seats that wont come out.

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  Best vehicle I have ever owned - 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By drdean - May 11 - 4:30 am

  266,000 miles throughout America and still going. It is such a great driving, comfortable, great milage car that we bought a second one. Got 31 mpg average on Interstate driving. With american built parts anyone can service it. A new Mazda that tried to demolish it last year by driving into it was totaled. The Marquis? Dinged on the right side, drivable. Highly recommend this car if you have kids or if you dont want to be injured in an accident. This car needs a tune up every 300,000 miles with its titanium engine, platinum plugs and gold wires. Dont think, just buy one!

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  Nicest SUV - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By sable2001 - May 11 - 2:00 am

  This is by far the nicest vehicle Ive owned. Its large enough to haul around all the things (display stands, wood beams, etc) and yet when Im not hauling something, it drives smoothly over bumps and quietly as well like a luxury vehicle (which it is).

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  Great Family Sedan - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By sable2001 - May 11 - 2:00 am

  We have had this car for over 3 years now and it has not had one single problem. It drives great and has a classy look to it inside and out. I recently purchased a Mountaineer and considered trading this car in instead of our older one, but my wife would not part with it!