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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  2000 Mercury Grand Marquis LS - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jon - April 8 - 1:27 am

  This is a great car, comfortable, great ride for road trips, reliable as long as you perform regular maintenance as with any car. I get 31 MPG on HWY and 22 to 25 MPG city with the 302 V8,

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  My Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Chassidy - April 6 - 1:50 pm

  I love my little cougar, it gets me where i need to go with no problems

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  2009 Milan is a great value - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Jim - April 4 - 1:23 pm

  I traded in a 2003 Honda Accord EX for my 2009 Milan VOGA. The Milan styling is unique and the VOGA in white suede turns many heads. Many have said they didnt know Mercury made such a nice looking, sporty sedan. Ive had many compliments on the looks and the car is just as fun to drive. I was also looking at a Chevy Malibu, but with the incentives and discounts I got more options for less money with the Milan. I have the 4-cly. and I range between 30.4 and 33.6 mpg. and I dont even have 4000 miles on it yet. Im anxious to see what kind of mileage I get on a trip this weekend. I suspect Ford is going to give the imports some serious competition with this model.

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  Excellent upgrade - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By weiber26 - April 3 - 10:00 am

  I traded up from a 2000 Mountaineer for this vehicle. The ride and apperance of the vehicle has been greatly improved. Overall had a very pleasant experience at the dealer.

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  Affordable Luxury - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Slider - March 31 - 8:30 am

  We test drove a bunch of vehicles including the Chevy Equinox, Isuzu Axiom, Honda CR-V, and the Mitsubishi Endeavor. Being in our late 20’s, my wife and I didn’t ever think that we would be looking, let alone buying a Mercury, but we did. We fell in love with everything from the two-tone leather to the “waterfall” grill. My wife is 4’10” so the larger SUVs were out of the question. The seat had more than enough adjustment to suite her needs. The Mariner is far from a cloned Escape. It is definitely in a league of its own.

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  my mercury sable 4dr ls - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By hohmaniii - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Researched vehicle online (edmunds to be exact), prior to purchase safety was paramount and this vehicle rated with the imports. Tried new cavalier (sardine can)new monte carlo (too stiff)and one other car i cant remember. took the sable out for a test drive tapped the accelerator and experienced my first case of whiplash. Turned around went back to dealership and bought it.Car has been trouble free (changed brake pads 68,000), (tires at 60,000)and windshield wipers. Had one headlamp bulb failure simple repair. I am in the market for another car and the mercury dealer will be my first stop. I may buy somethingelse but it will be a hard sell.

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  A Favorite! - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By LS - March 27 - 5:46 pm

  I bought this 2 years old and I enjoy driving it everyday. wonderful interior space, comfortable seats, kids like to use the 3rd seat. Quiet, powerful, smooth ride. Im sorry that theyve discontinued this model. Im a wagon lover. I like that it has a granny image and is not a status symbol. Makes it more of a surprise to guests.

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  1997 Moutainneer is great - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Anthony Smith - March 22 - 5:56 pm

  I love mine. I think if the fuel mileage was better, it would be the best available SUV. I have 121k miles and Im hoping to have very few problems. I will recommend you purchase one used. The new ones are good but the value drops like a rock in years 1,2 & 3

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  Great for handicap - 2006 Mercury Monterey
  By jdavis - March 22 - 1:06 pm

  We purchased ours in March 07. We were able to get it for 22K. At this price I think it was a steal. I am handicapped and we had it converted (VMI) to haul my power wheel chair. The Mercury has the widest opening Rt. side door 33". My Powerchair and I are 600+ lbs. The 4.2L has plenty of power and rides smooth. The dual air helps to cool it off quickly which is a requirement in Phoenix 110 heat! My wife likes the front and rear sensors and the smooth ride. Performance and handling is good considering this is a MINI-VAN and not a Mustang! Would have liked better mileage, 15-16 city and 20 Highway.

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  A great vehicle - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Charles - March 21 - 12:50 am

  While I have put less than 1000 miles on my new Mariner, I am quite impressed with the hybrid design and am averaging over 35 mpg. So far I love the car and the overall design. Lot of room and flexibility. Ford has done a great job !