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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  Great styling - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By Ben - October 19 - 5:56 am

  Very stylish vehicle.Quiet on the road,fels like a luxury car, 28 miles per gallon around town. Comfortable seats with lots of leg room. Speakers could be better, like the temperature readout and the controls. Great car for the money.

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  Above avrage - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Sherwood I. Franson - October 19 - 5:53 am

  A good Car for the Price. Should have changed the looks more often Full Frame

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  Looks Good but Buyer Beware!! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Cougar Lover & Loser - October 14 - 4:13 am

  I have had my Cougar for going on 4 years now. It had 69k when I bought it & I just took it over the 87k mark last week. Let me start off by saying that I love the looks of this car, especially with all the bells & whistles (like leather seats, moonroof, and traction control) BUT the looks alone are not worth the hassle the Cougar brings. I have replaced the alternator ($700/ea) three times! IN LESS THAN 18,OOO MILES! Today, I noticed the same old flickering lights & I headed off to trade her in for a Rav4!

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  Pretty Standard? - 1999 Mercury Mountaineer
  By bill denver - October 14 - 2:00 am

  Good value if you pay only blue book! The certified programs are a racket since you will inevidibly be back in the dealership for something little every other month. Things here and there add up when you are spending $100 deductible every visit. Ive already had three recalls on mine...mostly minor. Had rear wiper motor, turn signal switch, exhaust sensor, fan blower motor replaced in first year. Overall, the v8 has great pick up for an SUV and it has lots of power. The styling is nicer than same platform explorer. Still rugged! LOUD,LOUD,LOUD! Interior noise is deafening.Handles roughly, very rigid!But it is an suv, not a mercedes.

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  Nice Looking Vehicle - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Premier - October 13 - 1:20 am

  Great vehicle except the retractable running boards, need grease fitting to lube joints. Super vehicle in the ice/snow. Had to have the transmission adjusted at 10k miles. Suggest Ford look at the transmission in these vehicles, does not shift smoothly at low speeds.

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  3rd One - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By theshoedog - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Im on my third GM, and have loved them all. If you want a larger size car, dollar for dollar, these cant be beat!! My biggest complaint is the cupholders. I love the ride, and quiet of the car. Dealer service is great!!

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  2008 Sable Premier FWD - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By JC - October 8 - 12:33 am

  I was looking for a large car that could offer some comfort on road trips as well as decent highway mileage. I found it in the Mercury Sable. It also offered a large trunk with fold down seats giving the flexibility to carry sports equipment. So far there have been no problems and the car gives me everything I needed. Im looking forward to driving it for several years. The options and standard equipment offer a lot of features and value for the price.

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  Best Ive owned - 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Nichiar - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought it as an excutive car with 10k on it. I have put 16k on it since then. Considering that its awd, it has worked well both on steep mountain rocky trails in northern Arizona and in sane in the desert.I do a lot of hunting and get off road frequently. It could do a little better on gas (getting 14 to 18). Other than that, I have not had any problems with it.

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  simple solutions - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By hazardsys - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I had the same problem as Merck with my sable. When I got to 65mph the front would start to vibrate. Luckily I used to work at a Ford dealership in parts and had some knowledge. The vibration is cause by the wheels not being balanced. I took the car back to the dealership and told them that the wheels needed to be balanced. Since I did this just a few days after buying the car they covered the charges even though wheel balancing isnt covered by warranty. I am happy to say it solved the vibration problem and the car now drives beautifully. I used to live by chevys. I am giving Ford a chance to win me over and so far they are doing very well.

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  Great Car - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By SamboTwo - September 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car from my daughter that used it as a company car. It is near perfect. We replaced our Infinity J-30 (that my wife totaled) with this car and I like it as well as the Infinity. Due to our experience with this car, we bought another one... a 2001. They seem almost identical with maybe the ride being a little better with the 2000. We still own both at this time. The ride is great and a very quite (every bit as quite as the Infinity) inside. Ive had NO major mechanical problems with this car. The seating is perfect... the driver is located in the right position for the steering wheel, brakes and pedals. Rear seating is very good.