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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  New Mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By recdry - January 5 - 10:00 am

  We pull a horse trailer and went from a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8. No comparison. The Mountaineer pulled better had a much nicer ride quiet and comfortable. The back up monitor is very helpful when it comes time to attach the trailer. Put the special mud flaps on from Mercury and they blend right in with the design. Looks great

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  Been Good to me - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By mercowner - January 5 - 10:00 am

  Bought it new and nothing has gone wrong with it yet. Im pretty tall and fit fine in it, which is kinda surprising for being a sport-compact. I average 25 mpg with a v6 and an automatic. Thats with a fair mix of city and highway driving. It is an oddball tire size, so they can be expensive, but I went one size up to a common size and they were cheap. It didnt change the ride or speedometer to where Id notice. Overall if I had the initial buying decision to do over again, Id still buy it.

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  Drove BMWs for 17 years. - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By JDL - January 3 - 12:40 am

  The Milan is a well designed car with many features that are exclusive to Ford/Mercury. The car handles well as a BMW528 and for $28000.00 less! Mine is loaded with Nav, bluetooth, Sync, sat radio, AWD, and believe it or not, the car turns heads. Its got power and the car stops on a dime. Handling is aggressive. I did find that the head-room with the sun-roof was tight, but it was fine once I adjusted the seat, and tilted the steering wheel to suit my position. A very minor issue that I have had to deal with before on my BMWs and Mercedes. The car is awesome in the snow. Mercury set out to beat the Japanese manufactures, and they beat or matched the Europeans in the process. A great car!

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  Bad Choice for a Vehicle - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By John - January 2 - 6:30 pm

  This vehicle is not well thought out at all. The Nav/radio does not work well, They (Ford) said is was Satellite capable..WRONG, LIE. Said it will play MP3s, WRONG, LIE. Nav system is awkward to use and not accurate, for a $3700. option in a TECHIE Vehicle they BLEW IT. Ford bought me an AFTERMARKET Satellite radio, VELCROED to the Dash and BAD FM sound. No auto headlamps, no outside temperature. No wonder american car makers are having problems.

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  MERCURY MOUNTAINEER - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By DICK - January 2 - 12:33 am

  THE BEST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED

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  Excellent Car - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By tbonestewart - January 1 - 2:00 am

  Just returned from a trip to West Virginia. The car with the 3.0 L engine performed excellently going up and down hills, with the car fully loaded (4 passengers and ski gear). Higher octane gas helps under these conditions. Performs like a new car with 84,000 miles- who says Detroit cant make good car?

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  Excellent Car - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By skp369 - December 31 - 12:30 am

  Excellent all around car. Great acceleration, braking, and handling. Its like driving your lazy boy and having a sports car with room for the kids.

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  Wonderful SUV for the price - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Wrangler - December 27 - 2:00 am

  To drive this beast is great! it feels so stirdy and reliable on the road, i dont have any worries with the ice storms we have. All of my friends cant believe its a mercury, they or i should say ford has done a very good job this time!

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  Great Car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Mike - December 24 - 3:06 pm

  Bought the car (V6 and auto) almost 7 years ago and driven 61,000 miles. Have owned about 30 cars over the years including real sports cars and this is about the best. No major problems with the car. Spent less than $100 fixing problems over the years. Put on new tires once and new brakes once. Love the looks of the car and it is unbelievable how much we have hauled using the hatchback. Get 35 miles per gallon on highway at 75 mph and about 24 around town.

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  2005 White Mariner - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By R E Prue - December 22 - 6:56 pm

  Lots of pep and great handling. Mileage about 3-4 mpg better than 2002 Explorer that was previous vehicle. Ride is about equal even tho it is smaller.