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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  Been a good Van - 2002 Mercury Villager
  By trapfreek - November 25 - 5:36 am

  My wife and I have had this van for 8 years (second owner) and it has had no problems. My only complaint is that a strong wind will move it around a bit on the freeway and the seat will not go back quite far enough for me. All we have done in the past 8 years was front brake pads and a new battery. My daughter gets our hand me down cars and I hope this will keep going as well for her for a couple more years.

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  Flywheel? - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By NH,JH - November 24 - 2:40 am

  Solid feel, wagon is stylish,in lighter colors. Almost five years of ownership. BUT, a minor and a major problem. Minor: grabbing windshield wipers, even after dealer replaced at 25K miles. Rainex helps for a while. MAJOR: Flywheel just replaced, at 70K miles. Also, the starter. A bit over a year ago, there was an occasional screech at startup attempt. It kept getting more frequent. Of course, it didnt do it for the dealer AND the symptoms described to same did not lead them to suspect, as they should have, a flywheel defect. The reason for all the detail above: have others had same problem?

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  Love the Mountaineer - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By byrnes - November 23 - 9:53 pm

  Really nice truck, pulls our boat well. Wish it had load leveling suspension though. Navigation system works well.

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  Gorgeous Car - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By David - November 23 - 3:13 am

  I bought my Marquis in September, I have absolutely no regrets about it. The car is beautiful, it looks better than most town cars. Mine is silver with a black cloth roof, and decked out with chrome. I have never been in a more comfortable car, its very quiet and it rides wonderfully with that air suspension. Its a shame that its viewed as an "old persons car," because I am 20 years old,and love the car. It is extremely easy to handle, park, and drive; people who complain about bad parking or bad handling need to go back to driving school. One last thing, it is excellent in the snow, I live up on hills and let me tell you,snow tires and posi traction rear is great!

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  2005 Mariner - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By R . Klein - November 22 - 10:26 am

  Since buying this vehicle, I have had fun driving it. The gas mileage has been a little low, (1 or 2 miles per gallon difference) compared to my previous vehicle, a 1999 Ford Taraus. I contirbute this to the winter weather, and the newness of the vehicle. Also there is a difference in driving a SUV vs a car, which I havent quite mastered as of yet.

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  Continuous transmission issues...company refuses to fix. - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By desert7rain - November 21 - 1:08 pm

  My mom has a 2009 Chrysler Mariner and from the beginning it has had transmission issues. Shifting rough, jerking into gear and lagging between gears then rough shift. They have have had it in the Chrysler shop at least 8 times and it has never been fixed. Even with it obviously not shifting right they would tell us that they could find nothing wrong. When we are able to get a diagnosis, it will be fixed for a week and then its back to mal-functioning. Now they are completely refusing to pay for any further repairs. This car is not worth the money simply because the company does not believe in fixing issues and it has been in the shop so much that it is difficult on day to day life.

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  Pleasantly Surprised - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Bruce in Texas - November 21 - 7:26 am

  Went out on a limb and bought a Mercury...loved the looks and got zero per cent, but was nervous about the purchase, but getting more pleased each month. Went from LS400 to Accord EXV6 to F150 and now Milan. Fun to drive, quiet, comfortable and Im a big guy, but Ive still got head room. Also dont see many on the road, which I like, and its way cooler than a Fusion, but 3k less than Accord. Got one of the last 2006s and wish Id gotten the audiophile system. Rides and feels like the Accord. Had it four months, 4200 miles and only one small rattle to get checked. Mileage is about 20mpg town, and 25 highway...expected a bit more. Trunk easily holds golf clubs. Great looking car!

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  SOLID - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Uncle Rem - November 20 - 2:00 am

  It came down to the Sable or Camry (my last two were Tauruses). The Sable has a solid feel, more powerful engine, and cheaper price. I am fresh off the lot with my Sable, but my Taurus was relatively bug-free for the 120,000 miles I drove it. Granted, Camry has a better rep, but I am not sure why.

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  Its an okay car - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By loveswedcars25 - November 17 - 11:58 pm

  My family has had this for 12 years. I have to say, Im surprised it has lasted this long with us. The engine is great. Very powerful and quick to take off. Will definitely spin a pair of tires off. But, the transmission was terrible from the start, and the interior sizing is terrible for a car of its size. Its like they crammed to much sound canceling material into it before they thought about how they were going to fit the seats into it with enough room for the passengers to be comfortable in it. Air is great, I like the fact that it is a climate control system. Radio is terrible. And the rearview mirror is placed entirely to low. I wouldnt recommend this car to really anyone.

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  Built to last - 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Tony - November 13 - 5:23 pm

  Bought this car with 85,000. I use it for commuting back and forth to work, approximately 25 miles each way. I now have 118000 miles on it and I can honestly say it is the most comfortable, best handling and quite car I have ever owned. Mileage is around 22 mpg in mixed traffic. Very adaquate power and have had no mechanical problems beyond normal wear. I know this has the old man stigma but for the price this is the best car you can buy.