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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  Second time around - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By Ronnyboy - August 9 - 9:46 pm

  This is my second MIGHTY MERCURY!!!!! I love these cars. Perfect size for everyday use. Great ride, handling, and power. First one was a 4- banger, this one is a 6, much better engine. Unfortunately, there is a SEVERE transmission problem with these things. Mine and a relative AND a friends all went around the same mileage. Still worth the $1000 to fix it tho:)

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  In need of a trunk lid - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By chastek3 - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Sabel LS is a pleasant, easy to live with family car. The V6 is strong, the transmission smooth and the styling is handsome.

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  Luv my 06 Mariner - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By A King - August 2 - 4:50 am

  Ive had my Mariner for 3 1/2 yrs and like it so far. This is my 1st SUV and now I cant go back to a car. Love the decor, style, sunroof and stereo system. Cant support more than 4 passengers comfortably but thats ok with me. Has loud road noise and brake problems (weird sounds), took to dealer and was told everything was fine. Backseat headrest are bad, blocks view. Needs improvement in lowering back seats. Oh, please include more on steering controls for convenience and handling. These are things I can live with but think should be addressed. Looking forward to my next Mariner fully loaded!!

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  I like the key pad door locks - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By KitGerhart - July 26 - 12:26 am

  Im a "snow bird" and leave this car in Florida year round and drive another car back and forth from Indiana. The Grand Marquis has been reliable so far, and is comfortable. The steering feels kind of numb, but the handling is ok for such a big tank, helped by the handling package on my car. Considering the size of the car and my many short trips, it gets decent gas mileage, 17-18 ave. I get 25 on the highway, better than most 6 cylinder SUVs.

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  Great gas mileage - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By mcoll1 - July 24 - 11:09 am

  Just finished a trip getting as much as 29.9 mpg on a tank of gas. Another tank full got 29.7 mpg. Overall, driving 2600 miles I averaged 27.5 mpg. The vehicle has been very reliable.

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  fun to drive - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By lou varga - July 21 - 2:00 am

  Its a car that feeds the ego. It hearkens back to a bygone era, but with a reliable vehicle. It looks good, rides good, gets decent gas mileage(never less than 17) and draws compliments as nothing else Ive ever owned. I could take two friends and all their luggage to the airport in comfort with no problem. It handles better than my 2002 Grand Marquis did. I am 65 yrs old, 75" tall and over 200lbs and I can get in and out of it in comfort.

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  my marauder - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By impala owner - July 21 - 2:00 am

  overall a fun car to drive it turns heads and makes people hit their brakes to see exactly what it is

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  QUALITY AT BARGAIN - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By irv - July 20 - 10:00 am

  ONE OF THE FINEST AUTOS IVE OWNED IN FORTY YEARS OF DRIVING IN THE NYC AREA WILL BUY ANOTHER AT 250000MILES EASY SERVICE GREAT SAFETY WITH MY NEW TOYO PREM TIRES . A GREAT FAMILY CAR!

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  A good, solid car - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Mickie G - July 19 - 12:46 pm

  There is one major drawback, gas gas gas consumption. Otherwise this is a solid investment if you purchase this car with low mileage and car fax proves that it was not driven into the ground. If the car was well maintained and has clean background, this is indeed a great car to have.

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  Reliable - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Chris - July 14 - 8:06 pm

  I have a 2001 Grand Marquis LS and it is a very reliable car even with over 174,000 miles on it. The only things that kept this thing from starting was a few bad alternators and at about 170,000 miles a bad ignition switch. The gas mileage in this thing is a killer. I get about 15 city and 22 highway, but I dont drive like the car is made for, a grandma. For a V8 this cars horsepower is way less than impressive, most V6s and a lot of l4s nowadays have more power than it. If you want a safe, reliable family car then the Grand Marquis is the way to go. If I were to buy it again I would rebuild it to how Ford should have.