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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  Best car Ive ever owned - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By pumpkin5092000 - March 21 - 5:40 pm

  This car was given to me with 60xxx miles on it by my folks who bought it new. I LOVE THIS CAR!!! The only problem we ever had was with the coil springs. It has been incredibly reliable. I just recently gave it to my friends daughter. It has over 300XXX miles on it now and still runs like new. This has been the perfect car. I would definitely recommend this car to anyone!

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  2004 Mercury Mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Hammonds - March 21 - 10:53 am

  A must have in economic SUV that offer style and comfort and power

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  Hunk of Junk !! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By kristan85 - March 20 - 3:08 pm

  Ive had my Cougar about 4 years now and its only just over 89,000 miles. Ive had to have 3 fuel flushes ..the gas was filthy and very dark brown and causing the engine to miss. Ive had to put 2 new batteries in it along with an altenator. I had plugged ECG valves. Last week I spent $700. on a new fuel pump along with a fuel/oil pressure censor. Ive replaced all 4 tires. The dash lights and headlights are always flickering. It wont start if its cold out. My sunroof wont open. Its starting to rust. The battery light is always flickering on and off (even with a new battery and altenator). When its cold out my trunk wont stay open I have to hold it up (hatchback)..do not recommend!!!

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  Milan quite the nice car! - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Paul - March 19 - 7:03 pm

  I will preface this by saying I work in the retail end of the car business and have for about 25 years. I am an avowed hater of Ford Motor Company vehicles, but I recently went to work as a finance manager for a local Lincoln Mercury dealer. I purchased a new 2005 Milan when I went to work here, and I must say was I ever wrong about Ford cars and trucks. This car is far superior to anything else I have looked at in its class, plus you dont have to pay the brain damage you get from import dealers.

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  Michael Momberg - 2005 Mercury Sable
  By Michael Momberg - March 19 - 5:26 am

  This vehicle is what I was searching for. It has all the options I wanted and the price was most affordable. I would recommend Mercury to others. An overall good American car.

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  best in its class - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By uawlap1 - March 18 - 10:00 am

  love it you need to try 1 out your self

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  Decent Car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Dustin - March 16 - 9:20 pm

  The Cougar is a fun, sporty car, so it turns tightly, rides stiffly, and the 5 speed manual shifts smoothly. But I have been unimpressed with the build quality. I changed my grille, put a new driver side mirror on, and ran subwoofer cables, so I have taken apart a lot of the car. Almost everything snaps together! You know what holds the bumper on? Plastic pins. Most everything is plastic, especially the dash. And oh, what a noisy, squeaky dash it is, too. Drives me crazy. All in all, Id say the Cougar is a decent car, but the build quality worries me, and I am going to soon upgrade to something more reliable and better quality.

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  Great Family Van - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By amaroa - March 15 - 12:13 pm

  We drove this vehicle as our primary travel car for 5 yrs excellent with kids. No major issues, car currently has 126K, just had to replace the battery and a/c compressor.

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  Awesome vehicle - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By sandy - March 15 - 9:00 am

  This is by far the best SUV I have owned. Since it is a top safety pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, my insurance rates actually dropped. Fun to drive, to zip around town, or I take it to visit the coast. Great Size. Great gas mileage. very convenient and easy to drop the seats for a cargo area for my dogs. A true "Family" vehicle. Ill buy another, but cant imagine the technology getting any better than the SYNC phone audio system. AWESOME!

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  Love it - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By ann - March 13 - 5:40 am

  Love driving it!!! Its a smooth ride and I love the size of the vehicle. Its a sharp looking car!