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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  2003 MERC - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By FERNANDO - June 20 - 10:00 am

  AS A FAMILY MAN AND MUSCLE CAR BUFF, THE MERCURY MARAUDER IS DEFINETELY MY KIND OF CAR. IT CAN TRANSPORT MY FAMILY IN A SECURE COMFORTABLE WAY TO GRANNYS AND STILL BE AN EYE CATCHER ON A NIGHTLY CRUISE ON THE BLVD...TOO BAD ITS ONLY HAS 302 PONIES!

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  Replace Transmission - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Kimber - June 13 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! But after owning it only 9 months (purchased used) the transmission went out! No warranty with 39k miles! It has a auto trans so Im not sure how this happened? Now Im stuck with the repair/replacement bills. Will never buy another Mercury again. I bought only after my Mercury sable was a total loss from a guy hitting me. Not a happy Mercury owner right now. Will prob trade off and cut my losses! : (

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  Eats gas - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Troy - June 10 - 7:16 am

  I bought this vehicle with 68,000 miles on it and now have about 120,000. I have had no major problems with this suv except a small transmission problem, for me its been very reliable.

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  Surprising! - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By tkaxman - June 8 - 8:10 am

  Bought this 2005 with 90K miles on it, and have driven it 15K miles. Still looks and feels brand new. Excellent comfort, spacious interior, and good road manners make this car enjoyable to drive. Excellent build quality. Easily fits five adults. Engine performance very adequate for normal driving.

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  Solid Choice - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By Larry - June 4 - 2:00 pm

  Quiet and smooth ride. Excellent on highway MPG at 60 MPH --> 36 to 38 MPG on the onboard gauge on average hilly terrain for Atlanta. A bit noisy at high RPM, but quiet overall. Sync works very well with LG VX9400 phone. Wont miss the park assist, but disappointed at no built-in garage door opener (oh well). Around the neighborhood - averaging about 24-26 MPG as long as dont jump on the gas pedal. Stay moderate and keep RPMs below 2.5-3K and youll do well on gas. Handles very well. The interior design is great and the charcoal cloth seats are very comfortable. Wife has a bad back to comfort was king in our choice of vehicle.

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  I Like It - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By harrybob - June 2 - 2:00 am

  I enjoy driving this car. Exellent on long trips. (except for gas millage.)

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  room for six - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By madman350 - May 28 - 2:56 pm

  dumped 95 sse pontiac for a car that could hold 2 extra people for trips to town etc.,(bucket seats are for college kids- not FAMILY cars) and could never bring myself to buy a top- selling Asian car with no trunk or interior capacity, and front wheel drive durability inconsistencies, and wound up with the only option available that wasnt MEGA- Bucks,foreign, or a glorified station wagon (aka SUV). True more people would look at us if we had 23s, or full-fledge aero kits, flip down DVDs,etc. Oh well, the price you must pay if your wife tilts the scales at 300+, your kids pack enough junk for a weekend trip for a whole summer camp, and you have a lead foot that eats CV joints for breakfast

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  great vehicle - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By ericbnewman - May 28 - 10:00 am

  great vehicle, 9 yrs now and still going I want more!

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  Safe - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By 99 Merc - May 26 - 2:33 am

  Bought "my baby" new in 1999. Still not a scratch on her. Waxed many times and looks better than new. For long distance driving, this is the way to go. Smooth and quiet, and so safe. Riding in other cars now,feels so choppy and harsh. Great to get back into my Grand Marquis. Will never buy a smaller jolty car again.

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  So Far So Good - Part III - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By 04SableDriver - May 21 - 9:16 am

  Nearly 12,000 miles and still rolling along! Not much new to report with my Merc, save for what I think will be usual (and on-going) praise and dismay. To the former; a spacious and comfortable interior, smooth ride (whether city or highway), and myriad amenities for the buck. To counter; (relatively) poor gas mileage (no more than 21 mpg overall), a dysfunctional starter "repaired" now twice in 11 months, and a generally unrefined feel throughout (poor interior fittings, rough idlying/revvving motor, random creaks, etc). Sables are no longer constructed as new, yet still abundant as wholly reasonable "pre-owned" buys. Despite stated shortcomings do I recommend the ol Merc? You bet!