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 value - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By Lynn - March 10 - 10:50 am

  Vehicle has given excellent service with good gas mileage. Average 19.4 around town and as high as 25 on the highway. Great to drive both in town and on highway

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  My favorite ride so far... - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Tidbit - March 10 - 2:00 am

  I started out with my mind set on an Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer, and the salesman showed me this, and I am happy that he did. Im up to 128,000 miles and the only substancial repairs Ive had is with the heater flap motor that just went out. The dealership wanted $800 to repair it, but Ive gone with an individual for about half. Ive enjoyed the comfortable drive, being in sales - I practically live in my car, it is also good for the long trips for vacation. Im looking to replace it now, and am having a hard time finding something different with all the bells and whistles.

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  Be glad its gone! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Big John - March 10 - 2:00 am

  I thought Id give Ford one more chance, but I should have bought Japanese car. Rough engine performance, tires vibrate, no low-end torque, squeaks, hood needed to be painted, and now CD player giving me trouble. Looks are deceiving and you get what you pay for. A lot of car for money, but want to trade out now and get a quality vehicle with some performance. Way down on horsepower compared to other V6 sport coupes.

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  This Cats a Dog, but I Love it Anyway - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By B. Grimms - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Some owners seem anxious to complain about their Cougar; maybe Ive just had good luck. Other than the Duratec leaving something to be desired, I couldnt be much happier. After test driving a Celica, Eclipse, and other coupes, I decided on this domestic V6. Ive been impressed by its handling, comfort, and interior design. The pick-up is tepid, however, and I felt compelled to replace the obviously fake scoop. I chose the Zn, but customized most of the special features anyway. Im not sure Id go with yellow again, but its easy to spot in a parking lot. Until I have my midlife crisis, kids or both, Im planning on enjoying this car for awhile.

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  Got good use of the car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By SharShar008 - March 4 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my 99 Cougar in 00 and have driven 60k without any major problems others speak of. (without proper maintenance!) The car handles beautifully. The quality put into designing the vehicle was a bit overlooked. I have had problems with the paint chipping and rust underneath the windshield wiper fluid dispensers. When I first purchased the car it was new. The interior liner and speaker cover had to be repaired twice because they "fell off" Unfortunalty the trade in value is next to zilch. The car is very nice to look at and fun to drive.

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  2001 Mercury Grand Marquis - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Frank1938 - March 4 - 10:00 am

  After 18 months have had no problems at all. I have had screws to come out of door handles & various small glitches with interior hadware Overall a very good car

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  Dependable, practical and comfortable!! - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By Sable LS - March 3 - 10:53 pm

  I am handicapped and elderly and find this car to be responsible and always ready without worry.

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  Complaint - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By john - March 2 - 1:06 am

  Only complaint is the style,especially the back.Should be more stylish like a Camry, and accord. Not as smooth riding as my 2003 and 1998 Gran Prei. Especially on bumps. This is an honest review. Other than that I like the car roomy.Great trunk. I still havent got my 18 mi. to gallon locally?

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  On its final legs for trade-in ;-( - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Robert - February 29 - 10:49 am

  I owned the Mariner new in 2006. I had only one problem while it was still under warranty and it was the lift gate door window lock. Around the 148K mark, I had ongoing repairs list. I had the ignition coils on two cylinders go and plus the computer go bad which caused the short. This was two years ago and cost me about 2K. Along the way till now I had exhaust leak, power steering pump replacement, two ball joints and three battery replacements. This weekend, the #1 cylinder was miss-firing and took it to the mechanic for repairs. He found a low pressure reading on the cylinder head and replaced the spark-plugs. He also cleaned the valve heads and it regained compression in the cylinder. Two days later, I get the code for a bad ignition coil on number 4 and a bad computer again. It is now time to say good bye to the beloved Mercury Mariner. I had a great running truck for the last 10 years and it lasted pretty long with the general preventive maintenance schedule. FYI Never got stuck in the snow in Philadelphia.

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  I love my 2004 Sable Wagon - 2005 Mercury Sable
  By Gina - February 28 - 2:23 pm

  I shopped for a while before selecting this car for the second time, and Im glad I did. You heard me right, this car has significant improvements over my previous 97 Taurus Wagon which I also loved to drive. Ive driven my 2004 Sable for 14,000 miles so far and havent had a single problem with it, so yes Im quite happy. For me, considering what you get, the price of this car made it a no-brainer. I probably would be interested in a Jaguar or a Volvo Wagon too, but only if I didnt have to pay all that extra money. I also think that the Sable is a great looking car, inside and out.