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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  Above average - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By rhaman - December 3 - 2:54 pm

  This is my first Ford product and the first car that had rust. Rust developed on both rear fenders on the top section. I found out this is common to Ford vehicles of this style. It has to do with the welding or how the two sections were fitted at the factory that allows moisture to collect. The vehicle is excellent. Not perfect but we wanted a fuel efficient SUV for traveling. It does that. The seats could be more comfortable. This a Premium model that comes with a $3.00 radio antenna. Handling in snow, mud is superb. With proper use of the throttle it can go about 1 mile on electric at slow speeds. I have logged 45 MPG on a 12 mile run on back roads. I average 33 MPG. My wife averages 28.

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  Great van - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By baseballmom - November 30 - 2:00 am

  Bought this van in 98 with 54,000 miles it has been very reliable. It now has 126,000! Very few repairs have been needed. I dont like the cup holders though!

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  Pretty Good a 140k - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Viper Guy - November 23 - 10:20 pm

  Yes, Ive had problems, but overall its been good. The transmission was an issue, as is common. Mine went out at around 60k miles. The bill was about $2k, but Ford covered all but $500 and gave me extended coverage of the entire drive train to 100k miles. Okay, so my rear axle started leaking and i had to repair the clutches and bearings just recently. Also, I had to replace the front bearings last year. At over 100k miles, Im not sure what people expect. It doesnt bother me that those problems came up at that point. I also had a couple of oil leaks. The paint is still in great shape, as well as the interior, the AC is cold as ever, engine runs great. It looks as good as new SUVs.

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  Last of a dying breed - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By ionosphere - November 23 - 8:13 am

  Ive had my car for 6 months now and I love it. Others can complain that this car is old fashioned, but Ill take this car anyday over any Honda, Toyota, etc. The front bench type seat leaves this big fella with terrific legroom unmatched in other cars. The trunk is great, with the trunk organizer and all the space. Okay, so its not the greatest in handling around sharp turns and staying in lane. Big deal; Im not going to race it.

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  Good Deal - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By bigdaddy - November 12 - 3:33 am

  Bad on gas but has plenty of power handles like a car no problem as of yet lot of room inside and very quiet ride

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  2000 Sport Villager - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By Not Eric - November 9 - 4:50 pm

  A sporty fun-to-drive minivan. Shorter wheelbase makes this the best- handling van Ive driven. Solid build and dependability alone would lead me to buy another, but alas, service from my dealer is well below par. A/C has leaked since new and three trips to dealer have failed to fix it. They just squirt in some more coolant, call it a fix and send me on my way:(

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  good car-bad dealership experiences - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By HISPANIC MECHANIC - October 31 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my mystique with 17000 mi. it nows has 42000 mi. i like the handling and the smoothness of the engine. the seats are comfortable. THE WORST THING ABOUT OWNING THE CAR IS HAVING TO TAKE IT TO A FORD OR MERCURY DEALERSHIP. I HAD SPRING GUARDS INSTALLED ON THE FRONT STRUT (AS PART OF A RECALL) AND HAD TO RETURN TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THEY MADE A LOUD NOISE WHEN I DROVE OVER SPEED BUMPS. IT TOOK 8 VISIT AND THREE DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS TO FINALLY FIX THE A/C WATER LEAK I HAD INSIDE THE CAR.

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  Great SUV for a Ford Product - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By CO Driver - October 29 - 1:06 pm

  The Mercury Mountaineer is an all around great SUV with a nice standard package as well as a great option list that will make the price shoot through the roof. The 4.0L V6 is a great motor offering 210 hp and 254 ft-lbs of torque at 5100 rpm and an average of 20 mpg. Living in Colorado I can really test the performance of a motor! At an average altitude of 5,280 ft and many passes that climb well over 12,000 ft, the 4.0L V6 had power to spare. The handling of the Mountaineer is better than other SUVs test driven. With the Stability Control system, it really helps the Mountaineer really stick to the road. With minimal body roll and tight steering, their really is no "wishy washy" feeling

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  Loving It - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By Susan - October 25 - 11:00 am

  Ive really enjoyed driving my new Mariner. 100 miles every day on farm to market roads in southern Texas. Averaging 24 MPH and no problems so far except for a small squeak in the center dash when driving over a different type of payment. Enjoy the Bluetooth and Sync. Comfortable seating - that surprised me for a compact SUV. Id recommend it to another single person or a family with small kids.

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  The little things - 1997 Mercury Cougar
  By jimmyh911 - October 21 - 10:00 am

  This car ran beautifully up until its warranty was up. First to go was the radiator than a freeze plug. The crack manifold almost totalled the engine. (we recieved the recall too late.)The front end has had $3500 in repairs in the last 2 years. The doors sagged off the hinges ($450 repair) Through all of that, it rides beautifully, never breaks down, handles well, has a beautiful cockpit and speeds like bat out of he11. The cougar cleans up beautifully but still leaves others in its dust.