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:

• 

  Love this car - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Schreineri - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Love this car. Absolutely no maintenance other than normal We followed the more stringent maintenance religiously, particularly 30000 and 50000 suggestions. Replaced tires and battery once and always used premium fuel.

• 

  Nice Kitty - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Rocketman53 - October 7 - 2:00 am

  For you Fast and Furious types, the 2000 Cougar is a much better car than most reviews lead one to think. Yeah, the steering feels a bit heavy, but its a subjective observation. I dont find it objectionable. The power of the 2.5L V-6 is more than adequate, 145 mph top end, while the four wheel disc ABS brakes strong enough to stop you in a hurry. The interior is sleek, and all business. The New Edge look makes the Cougar a real chick magnet. Ford blew it when they discontinued the model line. The prices are a bargain compared to other similar vehicles.

• 

  Unrealized potential - 2000 Mercury Mystique
  By Another1ofhis - October 5 - 10:00 am

  Noisy engine. Vibrates at 70 mph. Brakes perform below norm. Replace twice w/in 60,000 miles. Irregular acceleration w/entry on expressway. Mechanic reports cracks in chassis that need repair. Knocking on extreme turns of the steering wheel. Interior molding below winshield curled up and getting worse. Same thing w/rubber door trim. Interior lighting shorts in dash, overhead and gear shift.

• 

  Review - 2005 Mercury Monterey
  By RONALD FEINBERG - October 5 - 6:46 am

  Slight steering wander on highway. Noisy brake pedal. At around 5000 mi. Gas mileage only slightly over 19 mpg after driving 500 highway miles and a little city driving (50 mi.)

• 

  Will only buy grand marquis! - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By candy - October 5 - 4:40 am

  I had a 1996 model with 201,000 miles on it when I bought this 2001 model. I had no problems at all.I will only buy the best and this is the BEST! Thanks Mercury for your great performance and continue building them the way they are.

• 

  2008 Mariner Premier FWD - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By marshismellow - October 4 - 6:00 am

  Let me start off by saying that I have never owned an SUV. Let me also say that my two previous automobiles were a Mercedes C240 and a BMW 325i. I have been incredibly pleased with my Mariner since purchasing it. I love the styling, I have all of the same options that I had in my luxury sedans (heated seats, moon roof, CD players, power everything). I actually have a few more options on my Mariner Premier that I didnt have on the luxury sedans (heated mirrors). The Mariner is fun to drive and extrememly roomy inside. It feels big but is actually shorter in lenght and width than my Mercedes was. I researched the hybrids, but for the lease rate I received I couldnt pass this up. I wouldnt have ever thought Id own a Mercury, but its elegant, stylish, and a better value.

• 

  Best Family Sedan Ever. - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By Aaron - October 2 - 10:56 pm

  The new 2008 Mercury Sable is great it has all the features you could ever want at a price you can afford. The new Sables 3.5L V6 has plenty of horsepower to move the car without any problems and the engine is good on gas so far on highway driving I have manage an excellent 29.2mpg. I love the overall design of the Sable. It looks like a big Milan. The interior is comfortable with plenty of leg and headroom. The materials are great quality. I love the wood trims and the clock in the dash. I think it looks really classy. Also the Sable was rated the safest full-size sedan in America so I feel secure knowing my family is always safe. I really could not ask for a better car. It has been great so far.

• 

  Lincoln in Disguise - 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By biglinc1 - October 2 - 12:50 am

  I purchased a 2007 Grand Marquis LS a few months back to replace an 03 Town Car. The Marquis had only 30k miles. The MPG is between 23-25, and some of the mid-size cars wont average much over that. I have plenty of leg room, and a huge trunk that you dont find on the smaller cars. Its as smooth as my Lincoln, and just as quiet. Would like to have had the redundant audio and HVAC controls on the steering wheel as the radio is a bit of a stretch for the driver. That was an option on the Grand Marquis but standard on the Town Car and Crown Vic LX.

• 

  Cops and cab companies love this car for good reas - 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bill Porter - October 1 - 3:24 am

  Comfortable, reliable, has a huge trunk.Its kind of "old school" by todays standards. Dont look for the latest in high tech gizmos. Back seat leg room seems a bit tight for a car this size. Mines got nearly 100k miles and still looks and feels like a new 2010.

• 

  Very reliable Sable - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By Love that Sable - September 29 - 1:13 pm

  In 1995 I was attracted by the styling of the Sable and Taurus. I like the futuristic aerodynamics shape, it is still looking updated in 2005. Never boring interior. But I was surprise by the excellent reliability. There were not a single problem for 7 years. The Sable is very stable on the road with the firm suspensions, very little float, good for high speed and lane changes. Road holding is very good except on snow. Kind of like driving a train. Very little lean in turns. A lot of car and accessories for the low price. No charge leather, auto air condition, moon roof and air filtration system, heated rear mirrors, California emissions for ULEV,etc. Very roomy inside with a large truck.