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:

• 

  Looks, luxury, very good reliability - 1999 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Jay - November 4 - 9:03 am

  Purchased the vehicle in 2001, it has been a joy to own, excepting rear differential seal leak, shot EGR valve, and a bad rear wheel speed sensor. Vehicle is "old generation" SUV, huge inside and handling is kind of gimpy on the road. Minor suspension probs as the vehicle gets older. This model year received very good reliability ratings in the Consumer Repts guide compared to other model years. Recommended.

• 

  06 Milan - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By enriched - November 3 - 9:30 pm

  Over all it is a very fine car, pretty much happy with it after 6 months & nearly 8500 miles. My wife is primary driver does a lot of in town driving, so in town mpgs were important she hovers around 27-28 on average. Nice interior, not cluttered & and overly busy, good support on the seats, a main element for my wife. Stylish exterior, much better than the goggle headlight look of its sistership Fusion.

• 

  Owner - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Juniper - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I have a 2003 model & like it quite well. Front cup holders placement & size flexability need improvement. Why not have tilt-down lighted mirrors for rear passengers? Needs better quality carpeting. Consol lid not convenient for front passenger. Why not have same size tires on front and rear so they can be rotated? I am happy with the handling & performance.

• 

  Gas Mileage Poor???? - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By papasmith - November 3 - 2:38 am

  I am not sure if others who are complaining of poor gas mileage have a different engine or what in their GM but, in my case, this car gets excellent gas mileage for its size. On road trips, my GM will get 28MPG and a bit more. This is with around 120k. We have not have the car tuned or anything else to enhance gas mileage. This is no hype or exaggeration. Now, I know that it is listed to give 22MPG Hwy as the official number. That might be true when it is new but, once it is broken in, the MPG shoots up. This is a very comfortable and reliable car for the most part. This why they and Crown Vic are popular as taxis and cop cars.

• 

  No other SUV comes close to Mountaineer - 2008 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Chris - October 28 - 1:46 pm

  This is a great SUV. Mercury really put their effort and time in this vehicle. All the details are very thought out and has a very stylish exterior and interior. It is very spacious and will fit any large family with up to 7. I really like how nice the ride is and is very comfortable. We were looking at other vehicles to consider, but we made a very smart choice and got this. This is a perfect SUV for a single person or a family of 7. And the V8 engine is very powerful and its just an overall awesome vehicle to own.

• 

  2007 Mercury Mountaineer great value! - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Vic Costa - October 26 - 11:53 am

  I have nothing but good things to say about this SUV. It does all I need it do do with comfort and style! Value wise it is a great investment. I have had zero problems.

• 

  Love it, but be careful - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By mep - October 26 - 1:16 am

  I love my car, but just had an issue with losing power and no warning. At @42,000 miles the throttle sensor malfunctioned and I lost all power without warning! I was traveling at night on the freeway, so this was especially frightening. That being said, I get aroun 30mpg on the highway and 27 in the city...love the size and feel. I am concerned about excessive tire noise...Ive been told this is a problem with the Continental tires which are hard. Ill be replacing them soon, but overall, with the hard driving Ive put this car through, its been a champ!

• 

  A Great Traditional American Car - 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Clifford W - October 25 - 1:53 pm

  I bought this car from an older fellow in Feb. 2010 for the sole purpose of replacing my Oldsmobile Aurora. This Grand Marquis is not as advanced or as modern as the car it replaced but the ride and comfort far surpass anything on the road today. I have driven many cars from Acura to Volvo and can personally say that Ford did a great job on keeping the traditional American sedan alive. It is a shame Ford is discontinuing the Panther platform of cars ( Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, Town Car) as of 2011 because I am now sold on these excellent cars. The Performance is good for its almost 3800 pound mass and the powertrain is smooth and responsive. I highly recommend you test drive one today!

• 

  Dream To Own And Drive - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Jerry - October 25 - 9:43 am

  This car is a dream if you are interested in performance. It has the power to merge into traffic on the freeway and the power to pass other vehicles on 2 lane roads. I am getting about 23 MPG on the highway and about 20 MPG in the city. It is so comfortable that I can drive this car for 350 miles without stopping and not get tired. There is plenty of room in the back seat for your passengers and there is a center fold down armrest in the back seat. The visibility from to the outside from inside the "cockpit" is excellent and all the gauges are easy to see. The console makes a handy storage area but unfortunately neither it nor the glove compartment lock. I love this car.

• 

  just drive it - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By peretz - October 25 - 2:00 am

  just drive and change the oil. no problems in 163,000 miles