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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  Great - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Mercury Girl - December 15 - 10:00 am

  I usually drive about 300 miles a day, and with the Sable, I never get bored. Great performance, I feel safe, its comfortable, and reliable. I drove 2000 miles to North Carolina and back, and she made it just beautifully. I love my car, and with oil changes every 5,000 miles instead of 3,000, I never worry about being that poor girl broke down on the side of the road!

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  Great Car - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By Art - December 13 - 3:13 am

  We have had it three weeks and went to the highest peak on the east coast with out a problem. Good pick-up, excellant features and we are averaging 4o miles to the gallon. It is nice to see such a solid, well built, American car. Memory for the drivers seat would have been nice but it is what it is,,,,,still impressed.

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  Best front wheel drive - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Gus - December 8 - 11:23 pm

  The montego is the best front wheel drive I have ever driven. It also has one of the best road visbilities, you have a very good front view of the road.The montego is just fun to drive.

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  Excellent alternative to Japanese models - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Oshkosh49 - December 5 - 5:50 pm

  This car is just a fantastic choice. I love this car. Ive had nothing but a very excellent experience owning this car since March. Absolutely zero quality issues. It rides like silk. It handles and looks like a more expensive European sports sedan. The combonation of the 6-speed automatic and the 3.0 liter 221HP V6 provides excellent acceleration. Especially anything over 35 MPH. The interior with the comfortable two-tone leather seating and the wood-grained dash gives it a look of a higher end European model. And for a similarly equipped Camry, Altima, or Accord, youll pay more, lots more in some cases. There is no better midsize car for the money than the V6 Mercury Milan Premier.

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  A great car! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By FREDDY COUGAR - December 2 - 5:00 am

  After reading some of the troubles other people had with their Cougar, I must have got all the good parts. My 2000 Cougar SE had only 25 miles on it and came with the five speed. For the next 6 years and 120,000 miles not a thing went wrong aside from the tires and brakes being replaced 3x. Then the alternator went and a few months later the original battery died. I consider that normal wear. For 2008 Ive done a the front brakes and my 4th set of tires and have 145,000 miles on it. I give the car a good detailing every spring inside and out and she still looks new. Ill keep her as long as nothing major goes wrong with the engine or the tranmission. Good luck to the other owners.

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  "GRANDE" Marquis - 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jack McGowan - November 26 - 9:06 pm

  I owned a 93,96,97,03 and now a 2007.Would I rebuy these beauties if the werent an excellent car? gave the 93 to grandson,traded the 96 for the 07,sold the 97 to my son and sold the 03 when wife died.They were all superior performing cars and all got between 22 and 25 mpg.You can do no better at the price.

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  Mercury keeps making, Ill keep leasing - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By my second Mariner - November 24 - 9:00 am

  Im on my second Mariner. Leased the first year model and then upgraded to second generation. Love this vehicle. I am able to get a solid 26 MPG on highway trips. And thats doing 75 mph when able. My dealer didnt believe it so I sent him a picture text when I reached it. Cant make that number up. Hope he uses it for future customers. No problems with comfort, reliability, safety, and the commercial that came out with the husband and wife fighting over the Mariner was exactly what my husband I do on a constant basis. I think he loves it even more than I do.

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  Wonderful Slightly Used Luxury Car Value - 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Webbmeister - November 21 - 6:06 pm

  I have owned one Crown Victoria and one Grand Marquis over the past 14 years. these cars were reliable, quiet, powerful, and comfortable. In fact, the 2000 MGM I just retired (still in the driveway - still runs great!) has 215,000 miles on it. That car was driven over 100,000 miles after the car payments ended, and needed nothing more than regular maintenance and replacement of wear items. I expect the same from the 2007 just purchased. This cars initial drop in value makes riding in luxury delightfully inexpensive. It was put into service as a Ford program car 9 months and 7000 miles ago. I paid $17,000 for it, a $13,000 drop from MSRP. If not for the odometer youd think it was brand new.

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  2002 Sable Wagon - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By bloviator - November 21 - 10:00 am

  I also own a 2000 sable and this one is even better. Great price performer

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  2000 Mercury Sable - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By bloviator - November 21 - 10:00 am

  Definitely a good price performer. I bought a 2002 sable wagon because I was so satisfied.