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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  Awesome - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Gator - May 30 - 10:00 am

  Great car, wont let the wife drive the beast, mid-life crisis fun mobile.

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  Peace of Mercury/ Ford junk - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Toyota - May 30 - 4:20 am

  This piece of junk handles horribly and has horrible gas miles. Why cant Ford start making some cars not cruises. I also own a Toyota Avalon which is ten times better. The Mercury takes 9.7 seconds to get from o-60 with a v8 engine with 224 HP and the Avalon takes 8.5 seconds with a v6 engine with 210 HP. If you want a big boat go Linclon, Toyota, Lexus, or Acura. This car has been in the shop ever 40,000 miles. It has mainly been in the shop for electric problems and loud radding. Go Toyota Boo Ford!

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  I love it - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Sean Jester - May 29 - 12:13 am

  7 months in, I havent had a problem. Looks much nicer than the Escape or Tribute. Mercury has done an excellent job making the interior of their vehicles look very upscale. The engine has problems finding a gear and revs loudly a lot, but overall the ride is smooth and quiet at cruising speeds. Love the space, can easily fit 5 adults and luggage at the same time, however folding rear seats down can be a pain and over time could damage the leather. The suede seat insets are already getting dirty and I dont know how to clean them. CD/Stereo w/sub sounds great -- better than wifes Accord. Gas mileage is poor, but gas tank is small so it wont kill your wallet to fill up.

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  Great Van - 2002 Mercury Villager
  By C-man - May 27 - 12:16 am

  This is more comfortable and easier to manuver than the last 1998 Ford Arrowstar. Always tends to give plenty of warning before anything breaks or gives out so you can take it in and have it fixed before you are stuck. Could use more leg room for driver. A little better acceleration ability would be very nice, however it does seem to hold its own. Very nice manuverability and drives well in any weather. It is hard to do any of the work on your own under the hood as it is all compact and squashed together making it very difficult to do it yourself. It only has two key locks, one on the driver door, and one for the hatch. Would like to see one on front passenger door as well.

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  Nice looks, tight ride. - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By The Monsignor - May 26 - 6:53 pm

  This vehicle nicely fills a niche between the larger luxury SUVs and the more expensive, smaller luxury SUVs (I consider it entry-level luxury). The engine is wonderful and peppy (V6), and the two-tone leather trim is nicely done. The suspension is smoother than the Escape, and it drives more carish than truckish. Brakes are quite responsive. The interior with chrome trim and very dark faux wood is quite handsome, and helped seal the deal. I went with white (living in a hot climate and beige leather). Mercury has done a nice job, and I expect to see more of these on the road soon.

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  Flawless Thus Far - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By Jamestown Joe - May 25 - 12:13 pm

  2001 Sable LS premier purchased new and driven 56,000 to date without any mechanical issues whatsoever. Still has original brakes and rotors and all other original components. Drives, rides and handles exactly as when purchased. Great value considering all the options included with the Premium model. The 24 valve Durotec engine is smooth and powerful. Recently I have suffered from the new car itch so have been test driving new 2007 vehicles of similar size (domestic and foreign) and cant find sufficient differences to justify trading in the Sable. Perhaps I just " lucked out" but so this has been a great car.

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  Love my Mountaineer - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Deborah Heckenberger - May 25 - 5:33 am

  This is my second Mountaineer (1st was 2003). I love the comfort, handling and roominess. I like the AWD, and my favorite feature is the heated seats, not too hot, not too cold. Only problem was shifting and the recall took care of that. Sorry that they are discontinuing or I would buy a third one in a year or so.

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  Great Car - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By gd - May 23 - 10:16 pm

  My last car was a Subaru Forester. Although fuel economy was better, the ride in the Mountaineer is vastly superior. Great for long trips. Was a little hesitant about the size of this car, but the comfort and convenience is a great change from the Forester. Will definitely be a repeat customer.

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  Never again! - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Sozo - May 23 - 5:30 pm

  Our new 93LS would put this 05 to shame. I thought theyd make the car better, not worse. Too much wind noise (mirrors & windshield) and a noisy low speed fan. The engine, transmission and exhaust noise is a total disappointment. The dealer said they now use thinner windows. But besides the overall cheap feel of the car we ended up with steel wheels that are “out of round”. Yep, shaped like an egg with the vibration and road noise to go with them. I spent my life in the tire business and know tires and wheels. The dealer replaced one wheel but it looks like it will take an act of Congress to get the rest taken care of. With 7,000 miles we’re stuck. My wifes Corolla is a much better car.

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  Almost perfect - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Kpz1234 - May 23 - 1:30 am

  As a former police officer, I knew what I was getting into when I bought this car. Its exactly like the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor - except its in all black, has leather seats and upgrade gauges, and has the 01 Cobra 4.6 stuffed under the hood. Half of the people look at it because its cool, the other half think its the cops.