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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  Very Impressed so far - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By Warren - June 16 - 2:33 pm

  After my last car which I couldnt wait to buy, and then couldnt wait to get rid of, I wanted a car that I didnt care much about. I never gave Milan any consideration, but saw this one and liked it. It has only been a month but it grows on me each time I drive it. The quality of it is as good or better than the Passat it replaced. It rides very smoothly and handles nicely. The steering is not overly assisted. The leather interior is beautiful and very comfortable. The exterior design is very good looking as well. It definitely looks more expensive. Im not sure why you dont see more of these on the road, but it is nice to stand out in a crowd of Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans.

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  No complaints - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By scavio - June 10 - 6:36 pm

  I always said that if Ford came up with a solid AWD drive car Id buy it... and they did. Got a Silver one with all the options and couldnt be happier. Exterior is top notch and I liked the styling over the standard Fusion. Interior is solid (the stitching in the leather seating was impressive) and has plenty of room for my family of four. The engine could use a little more punch, but it has more than enough power for a mid size sedan. Handles extremely well.

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  Great reliability - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By Carol - June 5 - 3:23 am

  Have had this vehicle since new and have had no problems...Ive changed the timing belt every 110000 miles as suggested in my care booklet. Have had only 1 set of brake pads and 4 sets of tires. I routinely get 21 in the city and close to 26-27 highway. Really sorry they dont have any more!!

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  Good choice for us - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Bill - June 2 - 6:13 am

  After 4000 miles, we are happy with the car. It has all wheel drive, which we need in our area, room for real people in the back seat, which we need, good comfort overall, a smooth ride, plenty of power, and all for a reasonable price.

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  Expressway riding? try this! - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By Cheri0 - May 31 - 12:33 pm

  Bought car gently used, was like new. No surprise the 6 cyl. isnt great around town, but not real bad. The great surprise is I have gotten up to almost 33 mpg on expressway trips, and believe avg might be better with longer trips! So give it a try! See if the gas needle stays put, on a fast half hour ride!

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  Good Car - 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By East South - May 26 - 10:00 am

  I think Ford is making a mistake discontinuing this car. I love the room and power. The Mileage could be little better but good for big car. I noticed it does catch alot of side wind and the windshield holds the hard rain so visibility is poor during that. My Nissan Pathfinder did much better with the wind and rain. I still like the Merc Grand better overall. Im just turning 50yrs but enjoy driving this car. The comfort is great. I hesitated at first during purchase because design is so retro but it has grown on me now and I really like it. You can see around during driving very good and changes lanes very stable with no sway at all. Bring it back Ford, be smart.

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  Best car I ever had - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By rick - May 26 - 10:00 am

  This car rocks. Very classy, great sound system and the sync is awesome for anyone who lives by a pda. I get compliments everywhere I go. Folks think it is German quite often. Then they see Sable and go "WOW". I get 28 mpg at 68mph around 19 in town carrying as as much gear as folks pack in their SUV. I cant understand why they quit making it. I only wish it had a manual shift tranny like the LS I traded in. It does have a a high profile and looks kind of funky from directly behind but not as much as say a Volvo or a SAAB. Previous cars: Lincoln LS, BMW 535, VW Passat, Grand Cherokee Limited.

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  2004 Mercury Marauder - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By CT Marauder - May 25 - 12:40 pm

  To date I have never done anything to her other than normal maintenance work you would expect. Tires, brakes a couple of light bulbs. For its weight @ 4200 lbs or 2tons the car has plenty of power and handels better than you would figure on a full size 4 door. The ride and comfort for a full size muscle car is exceptional to say the least. Many changes were made to it so it would stand out above the Grand Marquies. No more conventional stearing has rack and pinion. Forged control arms with a better front and rear suspension and larger sway bars. Heavy duty transmision and coolers for it. Mustang rear end gears and so much more.

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  Love to drive - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By moe45 - May 24 - 3:46 am

  This vehicle is a great step forward for the American car manufacturer. The drive is superb, confort and handling are outstanding. Its very easy to forget you are driving a "truck" as the drive feels like a luxury car. The V8 engine gives you very smooth power throughout all the six gears of the automatic transmission. The rear "power" 6th and 7th passenger seats are comfortable for an average size adult. My wife, 52", loves the adjustable foot pedal which allow her to drive at a safe distance from the steering wheel. The interior is very nicely appointed with a modern clean but yet luxurious look and feel. It all works, no rattles, no squeaks, no interior parts falling off, "great"

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  Missy - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By MissyGaff - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Experience so far is excellent, great ride, love having the radio and heat controls on the steering wheel.