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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  Highly Impressed - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Bob - December 14 - 8:33 am

  Have a little over 700 miles and getting almost 22 MPG with A/C on. V-6 extremely quiet, has plenty of power. Interior is so quiet. Night and day diffeernce over 2005 Hyundai Santa FE, which was a piece of junk.

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  Awesome car - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By Karen - December 13 - 1:56 am

  I just had an extremely serious wreck at 65mph where I ended up on the opposite of the freeway upside down. My car did not pancake. The rear glass did not break, the doors did not cave in, I sustained no injury. I wish I could find another one just like it!

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  Nice Combination of Class & Performance - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By souvicity - December 12 - 3:33 pm

  The size is just right for 4 comfortably, 5 if necessary. Features are as plentiful as my previous Lincoln with the ride quality being different than the Continental; tighter ride but less plush. Great acceleration when needed, decent mileage around town. Carries an 8 ladder in the trunk by lowering the back seat. A very convenient feature. Although looks are very subjective, it receives many compliments.

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  WOW! - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By monjo - December 11 - 9:23 am

  What a value! This vehicle is beautiful, and feels like youre riding on air. Way underpriced for the amount of safety and security this vehicle has to offer.

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  Very comfortable - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Carolyn - December 10 - 11:13 pm

  I am very pleased so far with the vehicle. It is made well and drives nice. It is stylish with plenty of interior room. Elegant look inside and out.

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  I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER MERCURY/ FORD - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By xrpmnkwx - December 9 - 2:00 am

  I HAVE A 2001 ZN. I LOVED THE CAR WHEN I FIRST GOT IT. I LOVE THE STYLE AND LOOK OF IT. THEN ALL THE PROBLEMS STARTED. MAJOR MOTOR TAP AT 20,000 MILES THEY REPLACED THE MOTOR AFTER ALL THE HASSEL THEY PUT ME THROUGH. 2 WEEKS LATER TRANSMISION WENT. 2 MONTHS LATER LOST 2ND GEAR AND THE TRANS WAS REBUILT. NOW AT 36,000 IT HESITATES THROUGH ALL THE GEARS. I CANT GO OVER 3000 RPM WITHOUT IT BUCKING AND HESITATING. I ACTUALLY CANT STAND THE CAR ANYMORE. PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM ITS REDICIULOUS!!!!!

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  Fun Car - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By funguyok74 - December 9 - 2:00 am

  I have had not problems with my Cougar. I love the styling and enjoy driving it. Great gas mileage for a V6 and I costantly get admiring glances. Very fast and good sound system too. I know many people report problems, but I have yet to see them. I purchased a 99 with 27,000 miles cheap and I LOVE IT!

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  Was Good, Then A Moneypit - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By londonlad1 - December 6 - 12:06 am

  A horrible aberration. Previous Fords, even oldies have been rock solid. I paid $2300 for this, 1 owner, full history 73k on the clock. Was great for a year, then it started to mug me on a regular basis for repair money. $1200 (steering rack), $300 (water pump) $170 (serpentine belt & tensioner) $600 (2 wheel bearings) $500 (front calipers & pads) $100 (EGR valve and perished vacuum hoses - did that myself) $300 (removal of throttle body & cleaning clogged air intakes, $1200 (aircon evaporator) $1200 (aircon compressor) and $100 (headlamps, did those myself) What was a bargain has cost me a fortune. Next time, Ill buy an old Jag. At least Ill go broke in style.

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  Classy & Comfortable - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Sherry - December 5 - 10:43 am

  I purchased my vehicle 2 weeks ago and I have to say, this is indeed the best car Ive ever bought! Very Classy, sophisticated, and reliable. I could take a long road trip in this vehicle and be comfortable the entire time. Plenty of power, everything is easily accessible, steering wheel mounted controls are a must! The only thing I would request in future vehicles is the outside temperature reading. Other than that, this car is outstanding!

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  Dont buy this car! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Kenichiro Suga - December 4 - 10:00 am

  Id driven this car before so when it came time to buy I didnt waste any time comparing or looking on Edmunds.com I found the hard way that you should always research what you buy, even if you (think you) know what you are getting. Heres what I found: 1) the I4 engine is not powerful enough to run the airconditioning while driving up hill 2) You get no acceleration with this engine. Maybe I have high expectations since I am in Germany and Im rolling down the Autobahn next to BMWs and Audis but when you get the Autobahn you have to keep up!