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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  2007 Mecury Mariner Hybrid - 2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Jim - October 19 - 2:13 pm

  We love our car, comfort, turning radius, excellent visibility. Fuel mileage runs 26 in town and 33 mpg on the highway. The front wheel drive is great and when it is needed 4x4 is seamless. We needed a car that will climb an 8% grade coming from our driveway. This has served us way better than all wheel drive. The body is nice and tight the doors close with no effort. Our car is front wheel drive with auto 4X4 when needed not AWD.

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  My 2nd Baby - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Cougar1999 - October 18 - 1:06 pm

  I just got the car and so far have only two complaints about it. 1... The sagging doors. Pins cannot be replaced I have to actually buy complete hinges for it. 2... The sun/moonroof clips broke and its impossible to find parts for this car. My Cougar currently has 200,650 miles on it with a five-speed V6 and runs strong. The computer claims 27.3mpg so Im going to actually perform my own calculations to see if its correct or not. Car is a good car and I intend on putting many many more miles on it. Maybe Ill make 300k who knows!!

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  Like the vehicle - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Richard Keller - October 16 - 10:00 am

  Takes the bumps a little hard. I compare the ride to a Donali which I have driven but do not own. I guess price does make a difference.

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  2005 Mercury Montego Review - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By James T. - October 12 - 9:40 pm

  I enjoy my 2005 Montego. The vehicle is very roomy and storage space is more than adequate. Gas mileage is good, the ride is firm yet comfortable and responsive, and construction quality is above average. Two problems encountered to date have been one failure to start immediately which self-corrected and has not been experienced since it occurred and acceleration from a "dead" stop is, in my opinion, below average. Also, the recall concerning the straps holding the gas tank was disturbing but was handled quickly and professionally. Overall, I rate the vehicle above- average and would consider buying another.

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  Black Cat - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Arion - October 9 - 10:00 am

  The cougar is a nice looking car. It handles and rides well, but is underpowered, and overmatched by little japanese 4-cylinders. Of all Sport coupes, this is probably the nicest and more of a nice sporty car to cruise in.

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  First Annual Review - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Bobm128 - October 9 - 10:00 am

  I liked my Cougar V6, when I first bought it. My Cougar now however, is developing rattles, has had pieces of weather-proofing trim come off, the rear brakes are groaning, 3 transmission bolts came loose, & the CD player starts skipping after ~3 hours of continuous play. I do drive my Cougar with verve, but I dont abuse my car. I maintain it properly, the way a pre-midlife crisis car should be. Its my impression however, that my car was not built as well as I thought and that its starting to fall apart. After reading Consumer Reports review of the Cougar this year where Cougar owners rated is as much worse than average for reliability, I am dreading the worst.

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  2002 Mercury Sable - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By joe765 - October 5 - 3:43 pm

  Nice family car. Rides comfortably. This car is nice size. 2003 Taurus is too big. We had one. Uses a lot of gasoline for a 3.0 liter.

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  Really Nice Car - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jbushnell515 - October 4 - 10:40 am

  I bought this car with 73,500 miles on it and I would have to say, it runs really good. I did some preventative maintence on it when I first got it and after that, the car runs like a dream. I get about 23 mpg average just running around town. I would have to say that that is extremely well for a V8 engine.

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  Drip, Drip, Drip...but oh well I love it - 2007 Mercury Mariner
  By aingel - October 4 - 3:06 am

  This was my first time buying an SUV. Good gas mileage, fun to drive. I bought the black with the black/cream interior. Although it looks sharp, I imagine it will be tough to keep clean even without kids. Roomy, and easy to manuever.

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  So far So good - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Aaron Lowry - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I have had this van for only a year. Bought it with only 36K and now has 46K. Has not been in the shop and dont plan on it. IMy wife drives it daily for basic around town errands and hauling kids. She loves it for what we use it for. It would be a little cramped for adults in the back for long trips, but great for small families and hauling small ones around. Just took the familiy on a trip and covered about 1,000 miles, the van was a solid performer. I would have to say that I would rather own a Sienna or an Odyseey, but these are both well overpriced. Overall, this van is the best bang for your buck as far as price, ride quality and reliability.