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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  Awesome! - 2010 Mercury Mariner
  By ernestb48104 - September 3 - 6:46 pm

  We traded in an 2007 Odyssey (118K) for the Mariner, sure the MARINER is going to be smaller, but it is a nicely built vehicle and suspect we will be keeping this for a while.

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  From a huge car to a midsize - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Tom48413 - September 3 - 4:50 am

  I traded my 05 Lincoln Town Car for an 09 Milan V6 Premier AWD with the VOGA package. I wasnt sure Id like a mid- size car after such a huge car, but now I know what the reviewers mean when they talk about handling. This car handles beautifully. Ive really tested the AWD this month here in Michigan, as weve gotten a lot of snow and ice, and I havent gotten stuck yet. My Milan rides very nicely and I love the VOGA interior: camel with black trim with camel stitching.

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  Not a bad vehicle - 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Heynow - September 2 - 10:00 am

  I recently purchased this vehicle and even though I have only had it a short while I am pretty pleased. This is my first SUV and it is a nice change after driving a Toyota Corolla for three years. I love the leather seats and all the cool gadgets like service updates and the mileage updates.

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  Garbage car! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Mark Renes - September 2 - 10:00 am

  I was reading the reviews, and I cant believe anybody had anything good to say about this car. My car is sitting in the shop right now, with the Ford techs trying to figure out why Im on my 4th alternator, and why my car wont start 90% of the time. When I picked up my car in January of 2001, Reverse didnt work and it got a transmission overhaul at with 16 Km on the car. My rear bumper doesnt fit properly either.

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  Excellent car to own - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By PJM - September 1 - 4:10 am

  I bought my car brand new and now more then 10 years later, I am as pleased with my car as the day I bought. This has been the best car I have ever bought. I highly recommend it.

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  Surprised & Delighted - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By nvbanker - August 29 - 10:00 am

  This is our 4th Mountaineer and it seems the best yet. All of them have been very very good, but this one is perfect so far. Not one defect or repair needed. Seems extraordinarily well put together. Love the performance of the engine too.

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  no wonder they were discontinued - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By cougarmuscle - August 29 - 10:00 am

  My cougars history...headlights and covers were replaced within 6 months of purchase...transmission went up at 19,000 miles(transmission slipped into neutral on highway, was nearly run over by big rig), sunfroof was replaced within 3 years, electrical and computer problems too numerous to list...it is sitting in a repair shop as I write this critique for same problem...and there were countless recalls issued..in general fun to drive when its operating but Ill never by another Ford or Mercury product......

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  Im surprised how great it is.... - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By nvbanker - August 29 - 10:00 am

  I use a minivan for my business. It gets driven hard in city traffic every weekday. We had an 01 Villager leased, and I was a little concerned that the Villager was no longer available. It had been very good to us. I was looking for a replacement when the lease expired, but decided to try a Monterey. I was leery because of the reputation of the Windstar. We now have 9,000 miles on the van with no defects or repairs required at all. I expected much less than we got, my driver just loves it. It was pricey, but certainly is made very well. Its not class leading in my opinion, but its still underrated because of the way it performs.

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  Beyond Looks... Mercury Milan - 2008 Mercury Milan
  By Joseph Soto - August 28 - 8:36 pm

  I bought my 2008 I-4 Mercury Milan Premier because I really loved its exterior & interior looks. After the honeymoon was over I realized that a 4 cylinder 150 hp engine was not enough to generate excitement during aceleration & passing speeds on this car. To top all my wife bought a 4 cylinder 2008 Nissan Altima S. I drove it yesterday and blew me away with its acceleration. Yes I know it has 25 extra horsepower. But It made me feel young again. Sorry Lincoln-Mercury. But the truth shall set you free. Looks can be deceiving and Mercury Milan Premier I-4 is really a Grand Pa Corolla in disguise!

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  Owner - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Ron Miller - August 27 - 10:06 am

  I have had no mechanical problems only maintenance has been required. Roomy, performance reliability and cost compared to comparable sized cars is what makes the Sble a good buy.