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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  A great car. Shes always there for you. - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Lindsey J - February 25 - 4:03 pm

  Wonderful car. I have had her for five years and have not had a single engine repair. Im now at 89,000 miles and its runing smooth. There seems to be a little trouble with the tire design becuase I have gone through more than my fair share of sets.

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  130,000 miles and still going strong - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Stephanie - February 24 - 2:50 am

  I purchased my Mountaineer three years ago. It now has 130,000 miles on it! I have not had any problems at all. I love the options this vehicle has at the affordable price. After driving a Chevy previously, I was a little apprehensive about buying a Ford. I found it to be just as reliable, if not more than my Chevy. Sadly, I am trading it in due to the gas mileage. I wish I did not have to commute 30 miles one way to work, or I would keep this precious gem. I would advise anyone to buy a Mountaineer!

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  99 Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Angela - February 23 - 11:53 am

  It handles ever so sweet. You are craddled in the seat. The only thing I would change on the vehicle is the rear view mirror. It obstructs your view when coming down or going up a ramp and you are looking ahead. I dont know how they could do it differently - maybe if it was off center and more towards the passenger side? But it is still a sweet ride.

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  WOW!! - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By JR1949 - February 20 - 10:00 am

  I went from an 85 Crown Vickie to this 2003 Grand Marquis LS Convenience. What a difference! The 03 handles like a car 1000 pounds lighter. The non-air suspension offered in this model offers just enough "road-feel" to make it fun to drive. Considering its size, frontal area & mass, the fuel economy isnt bad!(22 MPG avg-mixed city/hiway, ~26 pure hiway) My heart sunk when I realized I had left the windows open one evening during a moderate rain, yet the leather wiped off perfectly. So far, its about the BEST car overall, Ive ever owned; I consider it a mini- Lincoln! Ford-this ones a keeper!

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  Pretty good so far - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Martin - February 15 - 3:20 pm

  This is my first Grand Marquis and I have owned it for 14 months. I primary use it for work and recreational driving on the weekends. I have put on 31,000 miles and its been pretty reliable so far. I get about 21-22mpg doing both city and highway driving. I think it handles pretty well for such a big car. The traction control came in handy in the snow.

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  Excellent Mini Van - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By Drew in MA - February 13 - 7:30 pm

  I have had this van for only 2 years, and bought it with 50K on it. Other than having to do brakes, the van has been great! Goes well in the snow with the Eagle LS radials, and the mileage is decent as well! I would buy another low mileage one f these in a New York minute! I am sure the Monterey is a great van, but the Villager Estate has the moon roof, and awesome mini-van option!

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  Bubbling and Peeling Paint - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Great Dayne - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I have purchased Ford products for 44 yrs! From mustangs to Lincoln town cars! I own a 2001 Mercury grand marquis ls and a 2004 Mercury grand marquis gs! The problem is the bubbling and peeling paint on both my Mercurys! The 2001 is peeling in the seams around the back window and roof and have started to rust! The 2004 has the major paint problem! I have the same problem as the 2001 but, much, much worse! The roof paint is literally bubbling off the metal as it is around the back window! The weird thing is that I met a woman at the gas station (that has a 2003 marquis). Her gd marquis is peeling in the same places as mine! Rust is all over this car!

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  Well worth the wait - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By shoreRN - February 12 - 4:23 pm

  We have had the car for 2 weeks, and love it. The nav system and Sync work great. Ride is smooth and very car like, plenty of power when you need it, and great economy we are averaging 33 mpg so far. The park assist is great, wish it offered an led proximity display, and a back up camera. Plenty of room in the back seat for bigger guys, and cargo room is descent.

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  Great Value...Safe and Reliable - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Mercster - February 7 - 6:56 pm

  Very safe and reliable car for us. Drives smooth and quiet you can talk in normal tone on the highway. The doors close with a heavy clunk. Trunk space is great...we fit all our camping gear and still have room left over. The car now has 60k and still running strong (bought at 20k). Replaced front brakes at 40k and new battery but that is it. Love to take it on long trips. We drove cross- country in it in less than 3-days (NY to AZ) no problems driving virtually non-stop. We do the maintenance as required...change oil and just replaced cooling and transmission fluid. This is our third Sable/Taurus and the other 2 have served us well as well (over 100k each).

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  My villager - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Pochi - February 6 - 10:00 am

  Villager I own is one of the best cars I ever purchsed. I am so disappointed when I heared this model would be dropped after 2002.