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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  Excellent value - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By giuseppe - March 15 - 2:00 am

  This car is well-equipped (ABS, side airbags, traction control, monroof, leather, CD). Because it was the end of the model year, I paid $18K for it. The 24V Duratec engine has excellent power. This is a great value for the money.

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  Pure Sweetness - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Hazza - March 13 - 10:00 am

  I have a 1999 cougar. I love it. Three reasons why. Its duribility is great. I have had no problems with it at all. Two, style is manditory! This ride takes the Mustang, Integra, and Civic, and tosses it to the curb. A car can not look any better (stock) then this. Number three, Affordibility. Im a seventeen year- old and I dont exactly make millions. This car fits perfectly in the wallat of anyone.

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  Sleek Sports Car !!!! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Elizvi94 - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I have the 2001 V6, leather seats, 6 cd changer,ABS,anti-theft,side & front airbags,automatic. I really enjoy driving this car. I like it because a lot of people dont own one. It is much better looking than the Acura or Mits.

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  Great Value - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Great Value - February 23 - 5:13 am

  Shopped Honda Pilots, Toyota Highlanders, Toyota 4Runners, Ford Explorers, Subarus, and some of the smaller SUVs as well (Rav4/Mariner/Escape/CRV). Finally came across the Mercury Mountaineer. Really liked the exterior styling of the Mountaineer over the Explorer and it seemed to offer more standard features. Compared to the Honda/Toyota counterparts, the Mountaineer offered far more for the money (about a $6k - 8k difference for the Honda/Toyota equivalent). Really like the smaller SUVs but was able to pick up the larger Mountaineer for about $1k - 2k more. Once again, a great overall value. Gas mileage is on par for a SUV of this size.

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  Reliable if not exciting - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Keith - February 20 - 9:30 am

  We have had eight Grand Marquis since the mid-eighties. I can honestly say that they have served us well with most of them getting 120000 before trading. Our current 2005 has 140000 with minimal problems, electrical control module and catylic converter. We get 22 mpg on two lane roads and up to 27 on long trips.This is not a flashy car but it is comfortable and reliable.

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  Great car! - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By JRW - February 18 - 2:00 am

  Although this is a large vehicle, it handles nimbly. Acceleration and passing are spritely. The transmission shifts crisply. The engine is powerful, yet very smooth. The engine develops substantial torque at low engine speeds - making acceleration seem effortless. The Alpine sound system is very good. I really like this car!

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  One too many repairs - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Neil B. - February 10 - 9:33 am

  Cool car, but its been more than 20 years since Ive owned a car that so many things have broken or failed. Most are odd and surprising: lower A arms at 70,000 miles, rear axle seal at 80,000, failure of headlights (needed new Light Control Module at $400 just for the part), rusted lower steering column at 104,000. Also, a number of the interior lights (headlight switch indicator, power window buttons, heated seat buttons) no longer work. Vacuum leak in the vent system disables controls. Now it is in shop, likely needing an $800 fuel pump replacement. I love the car but Ive spent $3 or 4 thousand over the last 3 years fixing things that Ive never fixed before in any other car Ive owned.

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  Buyer beware 2003 Sable will cost you money - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By HMILLER2 - February 6 - 7:10 pm

  The car seemed to to be a good but when you compair all the known specs at the time of purchase but after a few years look out! This car model is no worse than the support from Ford Motor who just does not care in my opinion. I bought the extended warranty so I have had some protection. When you look at what others have had to repair you will see a pattern. First the A/C goes up after about 2-3 years. Then the door seals leak they needed to be replaced. The car does not burn E85 fuel as listed by Ford. Runs rough and chokes on mixed fuel. The list goes on but now after just 41,500 miles I need spark plug wires.

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  are you aware of the back window defect? - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By hercules911 - February 1 - 2:00 am

  Three weeks ago my back window blew out on my 12 year old daughter. This was after I was warned by the dealer that the window might drop due to faulty hing. They repaired it and then it exploded as my daughter shut the back hatch. Are you aware ford has send their service departments a bulletin warning the service to watch out for broken hinges? This is a know defect that can be dangerous to the owner or a hazard on the road should it drop and explode on public highways. There is no recall as of yet.....

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  Member of the Family - 2007 Mercury Mountaineer
  By 4010diesel - January 29 - 9:54 pm

  We have had our Mountaineer since the middle of 2008. We could not be more satisfied. I have utilized every feature and function of this vehicle. Including the roof rack, Class II hitch, AWD, cargo area, child seating, etc., etc. We have 3 children all of which are able to fit in the second row, leaving the rear cargo area available. The stereo is strong, the power is sufficient, the gas mileage is fair for an SUV, it easily tows my boat, powers thru 12" of snow, is smooth on the highway, and is a joy to drive. Although our V-6 is far from a performance engine I find that is provides all the pep I need and is relatively quiet considering the size of the vehicle.