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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  Fun car - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By tjl - September 6 - 12:36 am

  I just bought my 2000 Cougar V6 with every option it could possibly have. It had some of the problems I read about in these reviews like stalling and the electrical but I brought it to a Mercury dealership 7 times till they got it right. They replaced the fuel pump, egr valve several vaccum lines. Every once in a while the engine light comes back on and its just a vaccum line came off the egr valve. Just put it back on and the light turns off after a cycle or 2. Its been running great since I just put a Cougar banner across the windshield and an aem ram air intake. It gave the car a mean growl to it. Now Im just waiting for my new exhaust..

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  Montego is a Large comfortable car - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Bill - September 4 - 3:00 pm

  I bought the Montego Premier as a replacement for the Mercury Sable. The Montego is a larger car with a better interior and better ride. The engine is not a powerhouse but is adquate. On interstate driving, the mpg is around 26. Overall, I am pleased with the overall performance of the Montego and it is an improvemnet over the Sable.

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  You cant lose - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By ..... - September 3 - 10:00 am

  These are great, reliable cars. I owned a 98 taurus before I bought this car. Drove that car for 120000 miles and then bought this. The only problems with these cars are the brakes and the rotors. Dont waste your money on an Accord or Camry, this car will do you just fine.

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  My Sable - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Bill Hughes - August 31 - 2:00 am

  A great car for all around use. Very dependable.

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  El Grande Marquis - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By AW - August 24 - 4:46 am

  IF you need an everyday driver that is relaible and looks are not important, the Mercury Grand Marquis can fit the bill. I have drive my used Grand Marquis through all kinds of weather and it holds up well.

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  Great family car buy - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Dan Robinson - August 21 - 10:00 am

  If you are looking for a roomy, reliable family car - this is the one. I test drove the Accord, great car but seems it had shrunk over the previous years models in drivers room - the adjustable pedals on the LS premium and power adjustable driver seat make for a great ride. I test drove other midsize cars such as Camry and GrandAm and Dodge Intrepid, but found that the Mercury offered more bang for the buck. Sunroof, adj. pedals, leather interior, side impact beams all came with the LS premium packaged for much less than the other vehicles driven.

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  Grampas car - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Scott Tallman - August 8 - 2:00 am

  This is my 5th Grand Marquis. This is the Grand of Marquiss. Turns heads, extremely fun to drive. But loves gas, and lots of it. Rides a little rougher than other Grand Marquiss, but to be expected with the low slung tires. Could be more aggressive under 3000 RPM, but makes up for it over that. Wish it held its value a little better. Since I;ve owned it, less than 4 months, its gone down in value almost $6,000....wow.......and I bought it at 9500 miles for $25,500

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  Great V8 American Full-Size Sedan - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By George - August 5 - 6:03 am

  I have ridden in these Ford sedans for over for all my life. My grandparents have had two Town Cars and a Crown Vic. The Grand Marquis, on the same platform, is simply one of the most comofortable sedans out there. Its got room, V8 power, comfort and traditional style, which stands out on todays roads. I hope Ford keeps these sedans around and updates them. Their comfort is hard to beat and its a throwback to an earlier era, in which I wasnt even born, of big, luxurious sedans. No matter your age, young or old, the Grand Marquis offers great value and should be test driven!

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  Does what it does with style - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By rlupetin - August 2 - 2:00 am

  Our Mountaineer has already earned its keep by twice taking the family on ski trips, carrying building supplies from Home Depot, and doing daily chores. It also looks good when pulling up at a function. The gas mileage kind of stinks, but average for an SUV this size. A very nice alternative to its sister the Explorer. In fact, its like getting a Lincoln ride for a Ford price. The 4.6 engine has nice power and the ride is quite comfortable, even for long distances. The AWD makes shifting from dry to wet to ice to snow a no-brainer. Very happy with it.

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  Beautiful Cat - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By Michael - August 1 - 9:53 pm

  Notable information about the Cougar: -The engine was designed by Cosworth. They also design engines that go in formula one cars. Pretty respectable. -The Cougar introduced fords new Edge design. Notable among this is that the cougar is a blend between American and European design. The hatchback styling is European, the high displacement high torque engine is american muscle. It was designed to be at home on the twisty nuburing. -Ford discontinued it because the Cougar dances around the Mustang. Ford wanted to sell Mustangs because theyre in keeping with the all american Ford image. They also sold them for $20K more, the same thing was done to the Thunderbird. Twice.