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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  FORDS BETTER IDEA - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By 1967z28 - January 16 - 8:26 am

  I just experienced my 8th power window failure. This is my wifes car, no kids to abuse the system. Ford has been building cars with power windows for over 50 years and still cant get it right. Other failures include the dreaded plastic intake manifold. The improved Ford replacement manifold is now leaking around the heater hose nipple. Ford has been building cars for 100 years and has difficulty building a manifold that holds water. My wife has been stranded twice with no start issues due to poor crank trigger connector placement, it takes on water when driving in the rain. The rear seat belts were replaced under warranty and still have ratchet issues. The clear coat & paint have failed.

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  Mercury Montego - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Roy - December 30 - 10:36 pm

  The Montego is a decent car with a few exceptions. My main complaint is the area where you would rest your left foot is awkward as the wheel well comes in at that area and makes long drives very uncomfortable due to the restricted area for your left foot. My second complaint is the seats should be wider & the console narrower. The width of the seats is very restrictive. The seats could be padded a bit better as well. The CVT transmission is great & smooth, the engine lacks acceleration but is ok under normal driving. My Montego averages about 20-21 MPG which is lower than the specs state but still good. Im not sure of the aluminum block for long life.Radio is real cheep sounding.

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  Timex in a digital age - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Dan - November 12 - 2:00 am

  This car puts comfort and reliability above all else. It is amazingly comfortable although I wish the seats offered more side bolstering to keep you in place through the turns. It is VERY reliable. nothing has broken or worn out in its 62K mile life. Lots of room in the cabin and trunk though Id like a center console for storage. The driving experience is muted by vague steering and minimal road feel. The car wallows over bumps and turns and doesnt instill confidence in its handling, especially in wet conditions. The power train is adequate and the car never feel out of breath although more power would be welcome for passing. MPG is ok given its a 2 ton car, I get about 19.

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  Help!!! - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Tom Mehringer - November 7 - 11:03 am

  We bought our 2002 Mountaineer new based on our favorable experiences with other Ford vehicles (Bronco, Windstar). However, we have had a very different experience with the Mountaineer. So far we have had the car in for transmission work 13 different times. The transmission shudders when shifting into overdrive and slips noticeably. The Ford dealership we purchased the car from finally overhauled the transmission last week ($1400.00 to fix of which we paid 10%, the dealership paid 10% and Ford paid 80%). Its still not fixed, so I am contacting dealership and Ford tomorrow in hopes of one day getting this resolved...HELP!!!

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  Mercury Villager - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By C Smith - October 26 - 5:56 pm

  I purchased my van in 2004. It had 58,000 miles on it. I like it, have had no trouble with it, except that the gas pedal sticks. It would be nice if they would do a recall on it. I have taken it in to be fixed....it was better for about 2 weeks and went right back to doing the same thing.

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  1999 Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By LMigliore - September 30 - 5:03 am

  Car handles reasonably well. Its almost impossible to shift smoothly; revs dont drop for several seconds. Dies occasionally. Maybe theyve fixed it now. Cant see out the back or sides.

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  2009 Mercury Mariner - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By ILS - September 23 - 9:00 pm

  Within the first 6000 miles the transmission began to "clunk". I took it to the Dealership and was told it was a "characteristic" of the transmission. It is loud and it sometimes takes a second to "engage" and then the "clunk". I am not happy about this. The material on the drivers seat is loose and "puckered up" where I sit. I weigh 120 lbs and I am the only driver. Looks terrible! Sync is a great feature for phones but it is not compatible with my cell phone! Forget trying to figure out the Media! Even the dealersip didnt have a clue. I buy a new car every 2 years and this is the first American Car I have purchased new, wont do that again.

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  Runs like a %@$#&@i#$!!! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By maggycat - September 20 - 10:00 am

  Within 4,000 miles a bolt broke in the engine - took two weeks to fix and dealer wanted me to pay for rental car- unbelievable! Love the way the car looks inside & outside - drives harder than my 1981 Ford Fairmont Futura - very disappointed with the car and I only have 25000 miles on it - dealership even more disappointing - glad my lease is up in 10 months - also HORRIBLE in snow!

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  Did I get a lemon? - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By Indygal59 - September 7 - 2:00 am

  Problems from the day I bought it with emissions: Rotten egg smell, burning smells, etc. Had it into dealer many times-no fix has worked. Have had fuel pump replaced twice (per dealer recommendation). Front AND rear windshield washer pumps have also been replaced. Too many expensive problems for a low-mileage car with faithful maintainence by owner.

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  Fun To Drive When Its Not In For Repair - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By jammb - August 8 - 10:00 am

  This is my final Ford "Fix or Repair Daily" product. I am so tired of bringing the car in for various recalls and other problems (in fact, I need to call the dealer tomorrow to find out why my car is now leaking transmission fluid). Time in the shop is compounded by an inept dealer repair shop. Problems are not fixed right the first time. When its not in the shop, the car is actually very pleasant to drive - great pickup and very smooth even at high speeds. However, its just not worth the effort anymore. We also own a Hyundai Santa Fe, which has had zero problems, and has a better warranty.