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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  Car That Grandpa Almost Never Drove - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By John from So. Fla. - November 24 - 10:00 am

  Purchased the 96 LS as an estate sale from a relative in Las Vegas. This vehicle had sat for one year under a carport near McAllen, Tx....Was in pristine condition w/only 24.8K mi. Paid $200 less than Wholesale. However at 32K mi. had to replace lower control arms (Ball joints rusted on from long term standing).Excellent vehicle /comfortable /Hwy cruiser. 24-25mpg@65, 22-23@70, 18- 19 local....Now live in So. Fla..All the old guys drive Grand Marquis... Great car ! !

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  Mercury Montego Premium - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By John Wiktor - November 21 - 3:56 am

  The Montego rides comfortably and quiet with a well designed interior and large trunk capacity. Much quieter ride than my previous Lincoln LS. Good visibility with its higher seat confiduration with ample room in the back. Very pleased with the vehicle.

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  Near Luxury at Corolla Prices - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By benkaf - November 19 - 8:15 am

  I bought a 2008 Mercury Milan Premier 4 cylinder with Automatic with 23K last year. I put 27K on it in one year, the most Ive ever driven. Ive previously owned Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Saab, Volvo and never thought Id buy a Ford product. But I can honestly say that I am pleasantly surprised. I have had no problems other than a squeaky a/c fan (which went away). The car is well designed inside and out and pleasant to drive, if not refined. Its also economical. I have been able to get about 27/33 MPG out of my Milan.

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  Transmission/egr headaches - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By famster - November 16 - 10:36 pm

  My 04 monterey transmission went too, no warning! Cost $2000. 84,000 miles. Also having problems with engine light. Looks like egr valve. Cost about $350. Love the car, but the excessive repairs are bleeding me dry! With the transmission complaints abundant, why wont Ford do anything? From a large family of Ford owners, I may not purchase another due to lack of support of their owners and their own lack of accountability. How sad.

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  1993 mercury grand marq - 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By al maiorino - November 15 - 10:00 am

  this car is totally repair free even when you abuse it. car will run forever very comfortable

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  NEW CAR IMPRESSIONS - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By RAY - November 12 - 2:00 am

  DOWSHIFTS ARE FAR TOO AGRESSIVE, AS COMPARED TO A 93 CHEVROLET LTZ

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  Solidly built with roomy interior - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By S.K.LAHIRI - November 10 - 12:23 am

  I have recently purchased 2005 (Dec, 05) Mountaineer at Dubai (M/East) with possible all options like leather interior, rev. parking sensor, alloy wheel, 6 CD changer, 8" DVD etc. except moonroof. It gives me 14- 15L/100KM av which includes highway and city driving. Although it has a sluggish response for acceleration, overall safe and roomy feeling with all around clear view makes it a pleasure for driving. While shifting is slightly noticeable while AC is on, otherwise it is totally silky smooth. Its AC is powerful and responsive. I only regret that it does not have Xenon headlamps and nor as an option. Same goes for a retractable antenna. It is a commendable car

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  Excellent Sales Rep car - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By dwightex - November 6 - 9:33 pm

  Car will hold 4 or 5 persons with luggage. Car handles well on the freeway, very stable, very smooth, very reliable, very safe. I have origional rear brakes at 86000 miles. I get 20 mpg over the life of the car. Virtually NO PROBLEMS over the last 4 years, bulletproof reliable. A keeper And all for $20,000 total

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  2002 Mercury Mountaineer, 4.6L V8, 5-A, AWD. - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By car_enthusiast - November 3 - 8:28 am

  Wow, after reading so many terrible reviews about this suv, I must say I am a very fortunate owner then. (3rd owner to precise). My 4.6 has well over 120,000 miles on it and I never had any transmission problems. (Yes, never). The tranny shifts fast and has good gear ratios which enable this suv to have really quick acceleration. And all of the people that say this car has a terrible fuel economy probably drive too aggresively. We took this car out for a very long highway trip and we averaged over 20mpg during the trip and our car had 4-5 people inside, full trunk of heavy bags, and our avg. speed was over 70mph. Mixed Mpg with mostly city driving ranges from low to high teens.

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  COMFORTABLE AND FUN TO DRIVE - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By tedsmom - October 27 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my Estate Villager for a little over a year, and it has been very dependable, comfortable, fun to drive, and good looking too. My kids love the rear a/c and rear floor heater. They also like to use the rear plug-in for their portable cd players. I love the comfortable leather seats, the digital dash, and the radio controls on the steering wheel. I have no complaints with my Villager Estate.