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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  Not all happy - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Is it me or? - September 24 - 2:03 pm

  Let me start on the positive. The Mariner is pretty inside and out,as compared to the Escape and Tribute. I have two major issues with this vehicle. First, there is an undeniable steering wheel vibration at highway speeds (70+). After 4 failed service appts., I demanded I drive another (no different). The dealer blames it on Continental Tires, but after replacing all with Michelins, same problem. They openly revealed that Ford/Mercury is aware of the issue and is "working on it." Another model issue is the brakes. Very loud in cold weather and snow and they are "developing" a replacement pad that wont be ready until March 05 (Im on the "list"). Lastly, horrible gas mileage!

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  ONE BAD CAT - 1996 Mercury Cougar
  By Lion Tamer - September 20 - 10:00 am

  Awsome, awsome, awsome, awsome, awsome, i love this car, awsome, i wish they had never made that new Japanese looking peice of junk, i love my car.

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  Mercury Finally Matches Competitors - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By plvns - September 19 - 2:16 pm

  A huge value. While this car wont stand out as in any one category, the overall value is tops. A real competitor to Camry, Accord, and Mazda 6. The 17 inch tires and the suspension/steering setup is a nice compromise between Asian car "go cart" suspension feel and heavier German counterparts. Nice dash design, and the exterior styling is sweet. Great in the city and on long trips.

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  Good used car - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By David L. - September 8 - 10:00 am

  The reviews are all correct when they say this is a boring car BUT, it is a reliable, comfortable car -- dare I say luxurious? I have enjoyed this car, even though it is not a stand out in the crowd, it has served me well.

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  Riese comments - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Russell Riese - September 8 - 10:00 am

  Engine=transmission noise is excessive Hard to steer gasoline mileage is very good Body work is well done Overall quality is very good Road noise is very high Front passenger seat is too low A great running engine

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  Good Car Good Value Good Size. - 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By George Mitsos - September 5 - 10:13 pm

  I purchased the Mercury Grand M. LS I paid a good price I got a Full size car and I am very happy ! Believe it or not a traded it a Honda accord. My Lower back was killing me the car had a lot of noise. I do not like Japanese cars! I am 45 years old and I enjoy the soft ride of my new car The size is perfect for my family and I can put all my luggage for my long trip. This car is either you love it or hate it. There si nothing in between powerful and solid made.!

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  Will never buy another - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By TONY - September 3 - 4:23 pm

  I have owned MGM since 1992 (that was the best I owned) Purchased the 08 brand new, I took the car in for oil change and to check out a noise at 2100 miles, 9 days later I had new engine installed! The Ford rep actually instructed the service manager to take the engine apart and repair it. Only after much shouting and going back and forth did the service manager convince Ford to give me a complete new factory engine. This will be the last MGM I will ever own.

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  2 ton of fun and 30 mpg @ 60! - 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By drjjjj - August 16 - 8:08 am

  Truck frame, truck engine, truck tranny with car body, excellent visibility, reliability and cheap to maintain! Add isolated chamber quiet, wide, safe and easy to find a nice used one and this car could be the sleeper used car find for the wise! Buy 2003 or newer, run only 5-20 synthetic, replace the LCM lighting control module (see ebay-weak relay) and you have a cheap, reliable upscale ride for $5k+/- that should hold its value and get you 21 mpg avg for most and late 20s at 70! Easy to find a low miler that been driven by an adult too Look under the car and youll be impressed-very robust frame, suspension, etc! Lots of car for the money and a choice used car !

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  Good vehicle - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By samson126 - August 13 - 3:06 am

  Took advantage of year end pricing and financing and not disappointed. Nice family car. If you are looking to save some money by getting the base model of a brand, this model shouldnt disappoint. Took awhile to get used to 4 cylinder after driving 6 cylinder, but after 5 months the car is dependable and gets me from point A to B without any worries. It looks like a more expensive model and so far is very dependable.

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  Great Car! - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By Deeter - August 10 - 2:50 am

  I drive over 100 miles a day (round trip to work. It is comfortable and bullet proof. Stock sound system is rock solid. Heating/AC works great. Ride is comfortable and steering is tight (yet smooth). Its not fancy but it gets the job done VERY WELL! Never EVER had any problems and I am well over 100,000 miles. If you find a low mileage one, BUY IT!