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 loved it while i had it - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Great First Car - February 8 - 1:30 pm

  I recently just purchesed a new car so no longer have this car but while i had it i had a great time. I received the car as a grad gift 2 years ago and from the date i got it til the day i traded it i loved this car! I did have the leak issue that everyone else did but it was a blast to drive & with the after-market exhaust I added it really turned heads!

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  2001 Grand Marquis - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By captjohnr - February 8 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned 2 other Grand Marquis(1985,1990) and this one is the best. It rides better, runs better and gets better mileage than the others. I hope Mercury keeps building their rear wheel drive line of luxury cars forever!

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  Lemonade? - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Jen - February 7 - 12:00 pm

  One year in, and this car needed the fuel pump replaced while still under warranty. CD player 6 cd in dash also ATE cds and got stuck even after repairs to it. Needed to do the brakes sooner than would be expected. I was told that this was due to the front wheel drive or something.. Not only the brake pads, but also the rotors usually need to be replaced every time on this type of brake system. They dont tell you that when you buy it. Next came the dead battery.. at about 25,000 miles. Just as it fell outside of warranty in terms of years, not miles, it needed the alternator replaced. This was at 32,000 miles. This is when I dumped the car, ate the negative equity, leased a Mazda

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  Good car - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By celticdoc - February 4 - 7:33 pm

  The only problem that I had with this car is that the brakes wore out every 25,000 miles. The breaks also had a loud squeaking after several thousand miles. Other than that, the car ran great.

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  Excelent Family Car! - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By ®obert - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Although its poor fuel economy this SUV is great for big families. Its not huge like an expedition but has lots of room for everyone and its real easy to park in tight spots. I would say that this medium sized SUV would be best out of any other competition except for the luxurious aviator. The interior materials are of a real nice quality and seats are confortable. Rides smooth in highways and has nice suspension for the bumpy rides. The powerful V8 engine is awesome and makes the car real fun to drive! This SUV also has lots of neat gadgets that would mostly be found on luxurious SUVs.

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  Nice all around SUV - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By mgoose806 - February 4 - 10:00 am

  rides nice. 6 cylinder pulls trailer with no problem. third seat has plenty of room. great value.

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  I LOVED BOTH OF MINE - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By HOT BLONDE - February 4 - 10:00 am

  This is my 2nd Cougar. I totaled out my first one and walked away with just a few bumps and scrapes. Then I bought another one just the same but a different color. Then a month later some stupid guy in a truck hit me from behind going 55 mph. Totaled that one out too and walked I away just a little shook up. I still have the second car...I had get if fixed. This car is very safe...Im still ALIVE. I loved both of my cougars but now mine in for sale. The only probably I have had with my car is two days ago my alternator went at 88,000 miles.

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  My new van - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By lswhow - February 4 - 10:00 am

  I am very impressed Mercury Monterey Van. I have been driving vans for years and have had 5 different makes. This one tops them all for comfort ride and design. Gas milage is about 17 in the city a little less than the other vans but the extras make up for it. The comfort is that of a sedan. I highly recomend this van for a family luxury van. We even have had people stop us and ask to look at the van. The style is attractive to young and old alike.

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  Lots of car for the money! - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jay Taylor - February 4 - 10:00 am

  This is the 1st Mercury Ive bought in 33 years. The last one was a 1964 Park Lane and that was a powerful car. I am very pleased thus far after trading in my 1995 Park Ave. Though the ride on the Park Ave was a bit smoother,this Mercury is much more responsive and a lot more fun to drive. Gas milage overall about 22.5 MPG-Not bad for a 235 horse power V8-Its the LSE model-- very close to the Maurader-very sporty!

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  Lindas Review - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Linda Cadle - February 2 - 1:50 pm

  It has been a great vehicle in the snow weve had in Michigan this year. My husband and I fight over this car. The handling is smooth and easy and effortless as we make our way through the moounds. It has a quick to respond excelleration. We love the interior. One thing we would like is more standard securtity features such as locks that automatically lock as you take off. We didnt get that in our package, but it should be standart on such a great vehicle. Also, automatice headlight feature.