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 Car at Great Price - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Love my Sable - April 25 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 1999 Sable in 2000. I have only had to do routine maitenance on it and have had NO problems with the car whatsoever. It is a smooth and comfortable ride and the most dependable car I have ever owned. The only negative thing I can even say about it is that it is a bit of a gas hog. Other than that, I love my Sable:)

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  Another Ford Transmission Problem - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Steve--Midlothian VA - April 25 - 1:10 am

  I am the 2nd owner of my 99 Sable (owned it for almost 4 years). It has only 70k miles on it, but it already needs major transmission work. It slips, or neutrals out momentarily, when starting from a stop. Ford, this is a safety issue, not just a value issue! No car should require a transmission rebuild at 70k. Additionally, the ABS light comes on intermittently, the brake pedal groans a bit, then sinks slightly to the floor. The dealer says his diagnostic computer cant communicate with my cars computer, so he doesnt know whats wrong or how to fix it. Makes me feel like I own a FIAT ("Fix It Again, Tony"). Now I understand why so many people switch to Hondas and Toyotas.

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  Worst auto I have ever owned - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By John Doe America - April 23 - 1:36 pm

  A/C, rear axle bearings and seals, broken coil springs in the rear end( remember the sable recall?) rear hub assemblings, left and right rear window regulars, right rear view mirror, both front rotors replaced(that is a classic ford) rear hatch problems, that was recalled, differential noise......now I think I have bad front axel bearings. An unbelievable list of mechanical failures. All of this happened between 75000 and 88000 miles. I will not be a return customer of Ford. My next SUV will be a 4Runner, Pilot or a Sequoia.

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  Upscale Quiet & Adequately Powered Mini - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By R. Herman - April 23 - 1:36 pm

  We have taken ours on 6 hr trips & it is very quiet, very comfortable, & adequately powered for traveling & passing at 80MPH on the turnpike. Every amenity is available except a few of the gimmick options that each manufacturer exclusively carries. We love this vehicle! It is a new platform for Ford/Mercury so we had a few recalls, which were promptly fixed. Really dont know how anyone would say Dodge/Chrysler is better & looking at specs on Japanese brands size, power, mpg, etc. are all w/in same ranges w/only slight differences. We highly recommend this vehicle for a family. FYI: Mercury comes w/more options for the $ than Ford.

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  Love it - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By dar2855 - April 23 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car for the money. I put 24,000 miles on in 11 months and no problems. The 4 cylinder has good performance and 33 miles per gallon. Wish they had the AWD when I bought mine.

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  The only car I will BUY! - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Grandma85 - April 22 - 8:16 pm

  This is my four grand marquis, I have loved abouloutley all of them. I had a 1993, 1998, 2005, and know a 2008. THis will be my last grand marquis, as I am 85 years old. I love these cars, one of the only cars on the market with a bench seat. I cannot drive cars with bucket seats and a floor shifter. Its way too cramped and uncomfortable. The comfort in this car, doesnt compare to any others. It has all the features i need, love the heated seats. This car also gets great gas mileage. On a long distance trip to ohio, i got 27.8 MPG. Which is amazing for a V-8 full size car. I am sad they are discontinueing these cars.

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  Love my car - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By bubst - April 22 - 2:00 am

  We looked at the Envoy XL but decided to go with the Mountineer due to safety and easy access to 3rd row. We are very happy with our choice. We bought the V8 and it has better acceleration than the Maxima we traded in. Storage area behind 3rd row is sufficient and easy to access. This is our first American car and so far the quality has been good.

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  Great Van - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By big guy65 - April 17 - 10:00 am

  Love this van. The only problem with it was the rear main seal started leaking oil at about 75,000 miles. Had it repaired and still going with no leaks of any kind at 160,000 miles.

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  Grand Indeed :) - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Marshall Dillon - April 17 - 10:00 am

  A big, stylish, power-everything cruiser, conservative but not primitive, this baby was just what the doctor ordered. It looks sedate but it hauls buns. The leather seats are total comfort. Controls logical and quite plentiful and they all have a nice quality and sure feel to them. Tons of features. Rides and handles like a dream. Ive always wanted a car like this. 2 years old and a total cream puff, its price off the lot was less than a new Japanese anything, even less than a Ford Focus. V8 and rear wheel drive is where its at. This isnt just a Grandpa car.

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  my mercury marquis - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By JB Wright - April 11 - 6:06 pm

  this vehicle is everthing I expected it to be, my father in law has had 2 and I always felt like I would appreciate the car so when a one owner, always garage kept came available, I bought the car. It has been every thing I thought it would be, extremly comfortable with plenty of room and power. I will definetly buy another one. I have always owned Park Avenues and Buick Electras but I am sold on the Grand Marquis.