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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  Great SUV!! - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By rustyfan39 - June 22 - 10:00 am

  We have had our Mountaineer about a month-I had a Durango before that and loved it until someone tboned me! Researched every midsize to large SUV on the market,went back twice to see the Mountaineer.We were very impressed with all the safety features,especially the side curtain airbags.They offerred us such a sweet deal,we would have been fools to pass it up! This car drives like a dream and looks so good on the road! The kids love the DVD player w/ headphones-they are great on trips. I would reccomend the Mountaineer to anyone who wants a sharp SUV with great power and handling that drives like a luxery car!

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  MINI-ME T-C - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By pappy Z - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This has been a wonderful experiance so far. When I bought the car I needed the larger space that this car provides. I never thought that I would be getting a Towncar only $15000 less. Forget your front wheel drive and get back to what a car should feel like when you drive it.

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  Bought used, this car is a bargain - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By KitGerhart - June 19 - 11:40 am

  While decidedly "old tech," the Grand Marquis is comfortable, performs adequately well, and gets better gas mileage than all but the smallest SUVs. The car has good crash test results, and mine, bought used, has been completely reliable. While this car doesnt handle like a sports car, with the handling package, mine handles well for such a large, low- tech car.

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  Is this really an American car - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By Rick - June 18 - 5:03 am

  The Milan I purchased is a Premier which comes with leather and numerous amenities and options including side air bags, a convenience pkg, heated front seats and traction contol. For the price this car is a steal. It seems inevitable that the Milan/Fusion will change the publics perception of American sedans.

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  Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Not worth it - June 14 - 10:36 pm

  Runs great when not needing repairs. Like the others, engine light never turns off. Fuel pump replaced, hoses replaced, but beware the biggest problem is the engine is on top. The labor costs are double due to this fact and since they no longer make this type, the parts are hard to find and costly. Good freeway car but the maintenence was costly due to parts and labor costs. All mechanics hated working on this car and I paid for it. They commented never to buy a Cougar again....not a mechanics favorite and you will feel it in your pocket.

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  mercury grand marquis - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By cbuick - June 14 - 10:00 am

  mercury knows how to build them .mercury grand marquis rides quiet and is a beautiful car.the motor is a strong 4.6 liter v8and responds fantastic strong acceleration.

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  Love my Mountaineer - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Diana - June 13 - 10:46 am

  I mostly use my Mountaineer for commuting, but have taken a couple of long trips, and love it for both. Things I love: comfort, turning radius, quality, sound system, ease of handling, reliability, ease of maintainence, and runs on regular grade fuel. My former cars were a Mercedes and BMW, and this is more comfortable, reliable, and economical to maintain than either. The paint doesnt chip or fade, and always looks great. 2 people have bumped into me and caused damage to their cars but no damage to mine. Its great going up mountains such as the Sierras. There are so many little well-thought out details. I have no complaints.

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  Oldie, but Goodie - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jay - June 13 - 2:33 am

  Im a 26 year old male and I prefer the "old Fashion" rear-wheel-drive and body-on-frame construction. The car feels solid, powerful, and comfortable. RWD with traction control does well on slick roads during Buffalo, NY winters. I plan on keeping this car for atleast 5 years or more. My only fear is that they will stop making them.

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  03 Muscle not there! - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By novars71 - June 11 - 10:00 am

  The hype that this mercury is in the lines of any muscle car just isnt true. The 302hp engine does not do it, poor acceleration, good for high speed driving but 0-60 not impessive. Thats what the "muscle cars" were all about. I still have a 1971 chevy nova small block that will leabve this mercury in the dust. Its basically a souped up Grand Marquis with a high $35000 price tag and I regret buying it.

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  Very enjoyable to drive - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Sold on Mercury - June 11 - 10:00 am

  In terms of value for your money, no other car comes even close! The Mercury is a fun, safe, dependable and comfortable car to drive. This is my 4th Mercury and have never had any problems.