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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  Good car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By Joe H - April 17 - 6:40 am

  Very good service for the price. Paid $14k with 20k miles. Now at 190k miles its ready to go. Needs transmission, electrical overhaul, wheel bearings, minor body work. Before now only paid for recurring maintenance, starter and steering rack. Less than $1000 plus recurring stuff you always expect. If I junk it it cost 9 cents a mile over 8 years.

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  Newbee - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Frank - April 16 - 10:56 pm

  We bought this and a week 1/2 later the transmission warning was on, cost us 1500 and 4 trips to fix the issue. The car is a slug in 70 degree wheather and inconsistant with its performance. Some times it flys Odd. I love the way it looks and handles in inclement wheather but we need more power in that big V6 or a turbo diesel

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  2005 Montego - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Ted - April 15 - 11:53 pm

  Car has adequate power.Ride is very comfortable. Gas mileage is very good. Transmission shifts very smoothly. Adjustable pedals are a plus for short drivers. Air bags front,side and side curtain are great safety feature. Large rear view mirrors keep blind spots to a minimum. A fine car around town and on the road.

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  4 cyl Mariner runs great - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Joe - April 15 - 11:36 am

  Took delivery in March. In mostly suburban driving we are getting 22.5 mpg. Highway 27 mpg. This in northern New Jersey with AWD. 7500 miles so far and no issues. You have to push the car to get it to perform at times. But I expect that with only 153 hp. Cruises at 85-90 no problem at all. We have the convenience package which is the not loaded version. But includes 6 cd, sunroof etc. nicley packaged.

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  Good ol workhorse - 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Paul Elzey - April 14 - 8:40 pm

  The 93 GS that I owned was as reliable as the sun rising every morning - hardly a problem in 80000 miles of ownership. I ran the miles up to just over 160,000. The engine used no oil between 3000 mile oil changes and was always willing to run. The body was as tight as any car Ive ever ridden in, with minimal noise from wind.

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  145,000 Miles!!! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By taoterazz - April 14 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my 99 Cougar in 98 - probably one of the first to have one. I have had some of the normal probs, but an extended warranty helped...alternator at 65,000,catalytic converted at 72,000, transmission at 119,000, a wheel bearing and a new headlamp due to the leaky problem. For a domestic, Im actually quite impressed with the mileage Ive achieved. Oh, I am disappointed with the paint job. It has chipped around the front wheel wells.

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  Another Big Car Review - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Brian Smith - April 13 - 8:10 am

  I have only had two bad problems with this vehicle. The intake manifold leaked and the transmission shifting. Both where taken care of by the local Mercury Dealer at no cost to me. Even though the car was out of warranty when the maniflod went out.

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  love it - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By mark - April 11 - 3:06 am

  Wife and I love most everything about this vehicle. Our 2000 Ford Explorer would only avg about 12-13 mpg in town and we never got over 19 on the hi-way We opted for the 4cyl FWD auto version. With lots of short trips we avg 18-20 mpg and Hwy mpg has hit 29mpg. Performance with the 4 cyl has been better than expected. The only complaint that we have is that of road noise. It is a great small SUV

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  A VAN WITH GOOD PRICE AND RELIABILITY - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By AZAZUL BHUIYAN - March 31 - 10:00 am

  THIS IS THE VAN THAT COMES WITH GOOD VALUE WITH 3.3L V6 ENGINE MADE BY NISSAN BUT CHEAPER THEN THE NISSAN QUEST WITH SAME FEATURES.DRIVES GOOD.BACK SEATS ARE LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE BUT ITS OK.OVERALL ITS GOOD PASSANGER VAN.

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  Sweet & Sour - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By LMO - March 30 - 2:00 am

  I bought this vehicle new and maintained it. At 38,000 miles the transmission needed to be replaced. Unacceptable. After threatening to protest at the dealer, they discounted the cost. 50,000 miles later, that one went too. Ford couldnt care less. This in my opinion is not normal. Even the dealer service agreed and they were equally frustrated with Ford HQ. I really had no other complaints besides the disappointing gas mileage however, like Ive read in other reviews, Ive lost my faith with American cars especially Ford. Im afraid to chance it. With 130,000 miles being on the 3rd tranny, its time to start looking.While I still cant really find anything I like as much, Ill skip Ford.