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 Love My Cougar! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Lizzy - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! I was a little disappointed with the engine, I figured a car that sporty looking would have an equally sporty engine. Ive heard that the Cougar has acceleration problems. I guarantee you that everyone who says that drives an automatic. I have the I4 engine and I have never had problem accelerating. Get the manual! But this car is unique, and you dont see too many of them out there, making me just that much prouder of my car!

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  Nice car but ride could be improved - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Edward Briggs - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Air Conditioner worked great. 8 way power seat and back lumbar kept me from getting fatigued on I-95 Plenty of power from 4.6 liter V-8 allowed us to merge safely. Plenty of trunk space for our luggage. Smooth ride on Interstate but a little herky jerky on secondary roads. Plenty of cabin room for us to stretch out 4 speed auto tranny shifted great. I like the outside buttons on the drivers door, in case you lock your keys inside. Spare tire is steel full size rim, and you can use it when you rotate wheels. Remote control from key ring is convienient to lock and unlock trunk lid and doors. Headlights give ample candle power at night driving.

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  Ultra Luxury = Mercury Monterey - 2006 Mercury Monterey
  By Chris - February 27 - 10:43 pm

  My 2006 Mercury Monterey it absolutely awesome it has a smooth shifting powerful 4.2L V6 with 263 pounds feet of torque it really moves this van and it get about 23 MPG which is great for such a heavy van and it has great safety rating all 5 stars and one 4 star and this is wonderful but that doesnt surprise me Mercury has always done great in the crash tests and everything is all power on this van you just press a button and the doors open and it has a luxurious interior a stylish exterior with some sporty features and i just love this van its great i highly recommend this Mercury to anyone who wants a highly refined reliable minivan with so many luxury features

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  Great vehicle!!!! Great value! - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Ryan - February 25 - 7:20 am

  I just picked up a premier silver birch mountaineer, great value, cheaper payments, not one problem yet!, this is my 4th mountaineer, not one problem with any of them, great dealer remote starter systems

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  Ride, Reliability, Comfort and Looks! - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By Mark - February 24 - 4:20 am

  I have had this Milan for about a month and it is the nicest car I have ever had and I have owned Acuras, Nissans, Volkswagens, Fords, Chevys and Pontiacs. I have the I4 Premier with Charcoal Leather and all the bells and whistles except the Nav system and it definitely turns heads.

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  Not a bad van - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By shaglaptop - February 22 - 10:00 am

  Not a bad liitle van. Must say that I do not care for American vehicles and only bought this van because I needed one, this was the only van available in my price range. Havent looked back since. Couple of trips across the US, plus the half-dozen to grandmas house. Wish there was a little bit more cargo space, but moving the rear seat up one-notch does the trick.

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  Better than a van - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By Jackie Lindsay - February 22 - 10:00 am

  I have 2 boys just turning teenagers. This car will hold up to 7 people. It drives great and the gas milage for a car this size is great. The middle and back seat can be layed down. My husband loves it. He always wanted a small truck. I always wanted a luxury car and my kids wanted a van. Weve got everything all in one reasonably priced family car. The front of the Mercury is much more grand than the front of the Ford wagon. It also has anti-theft and cordless entry. I dont think the Ford does. We have had no mechanical problems at all. The car is also very easy to see out of from all angles. Backing is a breeze.

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  98 Grand Marquis - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By george49024 - February 19 - 6:34 pm

  I bought the car for $2000 with 86,000 miles on it. Great car. At about 118k the plastic intake got a crack in it causing the engine to quickly over heat and warp the heads. This is a problem with these motors. You can look it up on the net. The same motors are found in the Crown Vics and the 8cy mustangs. I replaced the motor with another one with about 118k on it which I replaced with a after market intake manifold made out of aluminum instead of plastic. It ran until about 136k it was totaled in a 5 car highway accident during a ice storm. I took kidding about it being a "grandpa" car but I loved the car. Would buy again but replace the intake manifold. Best 2 grand ever spent.

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  Milan I4 Automatic - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By milanI4auto - February 16 - 4:23 pm

  Love this car. I selected the Milan over Fusion (Milan has a better looking interior and exterior), G6 and Accord (Milan has better seating position of short drivers like my wife) before making purchasing decision. Drove this car almost 1000 mile to SC after owning it for a month. Ride was smooth and quiet. Must have the most trunk space of mid-sized sedans. Fuel economy is good, but not great for a 4 cylinder. Does have a 17.5 gallon tank that provides an incredible driving range. What amazes me is that you see so few on the road given our experience.

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  Interstate Traveler - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Road Warrior - February 16 - 4:16 pm

  Ive had this Mercury about 30 days, we just got back from a trip. It was a very nice highway traveler. It got decent mileage (24 MPG). It has a lot of safety features for the money!!!