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 van- great price- love it - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By bsmith82 - November 24 - 6:06 pm

  Vehicle bought new- no warranty issues - runs very strong. everything still works as new some 4 + years later. Other vans were way too much money and this was a great value for sure. 3 kids, 14/12/9 and we have it loaded and can get 22 mpg at 65-70 mph all day long. City mpg is at best 18- but we have friends with an Odyssey who do no better and freinds with a Sienna who have had engine sludge problems and a door fell off of theirs. Oh yeah- affter 60K miles, we had to do rear brakes. Not bad in my book ! Overall I give this Merc a B+ / A-.

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  Ill buy another one. - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By KXBill - November 22 - 4:03 pm

  Trouble free vehicle. Quite, simi-firm ride. Room for six big adults in back and two in front. Small person can fit in the front middle with ease. Love the large trunk. If I hold the spped around 60, I have made 28 mpg.

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  Pleasantly surprised - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By impressed - November 22 - 10:50 am

  Got my Mountaineer last weekend. Loved almost everything about it - the very quiet interior, the ride and handling, and the power. Had owned a 2003 Explorer and thought the redesigned rear suspension was going to spoil an already good thing. I was pleasantly surprised. My only complaint is the interior door pull handle. The location is very awkward and an afterthought.

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  98 Mercury Mystique Sport - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By MystiqueSport98 - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I got my Mystique in Aug 2000. It had 14K miles. Since then it has been 100% reliable and a joy to drive. It currently has 60K miles & the only mechanical problem was when the O2 & fuel sensors had to be replaced Sept 03. I drove it through the worst road conditions I have seen in Jan 02. 12 hours to travel 400 miles, counted 38 accidents, but my car didnt slide once. Had a bad accident with my beloved car last Wed and it may be totaled, but it saved me and I was able to walk away.

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  A Very Good SUV - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By JFK - November 22 - 2:00 am

  The Mountaineer is an excellent vehicle. Its just the right size and gets decent gas milage with the V6. The deals that are being offered are great too. I would rate it just as good as the imports without dealing with the arrogant imports dealers.

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  Quality in a American make Vehicle - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By DanDudley Jr. - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This is a solid,reliable car, a best buy by anyones standard.

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  2004 Grand Marque GS Convience Owner - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Frank J Marchetti - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This Automobile Has a Very hard ride, you feel every bump in the road, (small or large). It being a large 4 door sedan the ride is a big disapointment. I will not own it very long. Before you buy one give it a good test drive!!!!!!!!!!

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  Love our new Mariner! - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By bslate - November 19 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I just purchased an off lease 2009 Mariner Premier with V6 and everything except navigation. So far, we are thrilled with the car. It replaces a Honda Civic that was totaled. We have a baby coming in 4 months, and we were shopping Mariners anyway for more space. What you get for the price, in a manageable size, in such a nice looking vehicle really sealed the deal for us. Some of the "newer" designs were more expensive and did not offer as many features. We feel we got a very nice vehicle with lots of options in a nice package that well still have a very reasonable car payment and actually be able to put some cash away in the babys college fund!

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  Just be aware of a problem - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By swiftone - November 16 - 9:23 pm

  I took delivery of my Montego in October 2005. While my wife and I love the car the quality is not there. Since October the car has had struts replaced, ABS repaired other things that dealer cant find, Main issue is that the Main airbag warning light has come on 4 times and Ford is unable to fix. They have replaced the OCM module and yet the problem still exists. Now they will be replacing the sensor under the seat. Wont be keeping the car as we are not sure of the reliability of the vehicle.

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  A Mercury Story - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By A_MAN_in _VA. - November 16 - 4:40 pm

  I recently purchased this vehicle, used from the local dealership, and found it to be a cute little vehicle. I liked the stylings, but after having a Ford Ranger XLT that had the Overdrive Off button flashing, and knowing the troubles that it could bring first hand, I was displeased. I was so hoping to get a vehicle made by Ford that did not have this button. It really serves no purpose in holding back downhill. I prefer to leave it in the normal position. I have heard some loud noises from the transmission. This makes me wonder why its clunking so hard. I do know it is fun to drive, but I still worry it could let me down someday in the future.