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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  Very Pleased with my Villager Estate - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By samsdad - November 5 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving my Villager for about a year now, and I love it. The leather seats are very comfortable. The passengers like the dual a/c controls, and the rear floor heater. The interior is designed well, and its not bad on the outside, either. The 7 passenger seating allows space for everyone, and the quad seating is very comfortable. I average about 20 mpg, and I do a lot of city driving. Highway mileage is better. It is smaller than some other minivans, but it is big on comfort, so that makes up for any size difference. Overall, I think it is a very good value.

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  I love it but I hate it too! - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Rodney and Pam - November 5 - 2:00 am

  I have had my 2000 Mountaineer for 1 year. The first week I had it the message center had to be replaced. Ok. I can live with that. I had an awful growning noise in the front end after several trips to the dealer the problem was the CV joints. Now my big problem! The transmission went out at 50K!!!! Now I have a rebuilt one and the SUV is for sale! I love it and I dont want to give it up but what happens when my rebuilt trans goes out after the waranty is gone?? So I must say bye and I dont think I will buy another one.

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  Lexus convert - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By dsvetcov - November 1 - 12:13 pm

  I traded my Lexus es350 for a new milan. The main reason was price. I opted for the Merc as it addresses a more seasoned buyer (ug..age) over the ford Fusion. Too bad LM does not heavily market this vehicle. It is superior in many ways to the foreign competitors as well as GM. Get the premier edition and the with Microsoft sync. It makes driving fun, as well as a very comfortable and price savvy experience.

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  No more Fords - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Nomorefords - October 29 - 7:13 pm

  Even though it only had 50,000 miles it seemed to use oil. At least a couple of quarts per 3,000 miles. But no smoke. Go figure. Auto climate control also had problems. Rode worse than previous Grand Marquis even through I had new original equipment shocks installed

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  Good as the first car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By fan - October 27 - 12:20 am

  I actually hesitated before I bought this car one year ago. A year later, I think i made a good choice. The car is a good choice if it is your first car. It is safe but not stupid. It is powerful but not aggressive. It looks like a fish but not a food stamp. Up to now, I replaced the power steering pulley, the rear suspension link bar and two tires. In total, I spent 2700+ 1000 for this car, that is only 3700! And I get a fully loaded senior luxury car. I drive the car with comfort and confidence, as I know it is safe to drive such a car.

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  Concerns due to breakdown - 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
  By Mac - October 15 - 3:03 pm

  This is a nice car but unfortunately left us stranded after running well when we stopped for a snack. It would not start and gave us various error messages.

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  Nice SUV for the money - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Bill - October 6 - 2:36 pm

  the AWD is so well implemented that you dont notice it - unless youre the one driving the speed limit in the left lane when everyone else is slowing way down. This was my second (after a 2000)and the ind. rear susp improved the handling over the prev model. Even my wife loves it.

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  A Strong SUV - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By aptkrs - September 29 - 10:00 am

  We have owned our Mountaineer for 2 1/2 years and have really enjoyed owning it. I love the power of the V8 and the little bit of rumble that comes from it. There are not many more options that you can cram into a midsize SUV that the Mountaineer does not have. The ride was very rough until we put some new tires on it and the ride is noticeable smoother, but still not "smooth". We have been talking about getting another vehicle, but we can find no reason to get rid of our Mountaineer.

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  Fun to Drive - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Chris_Voetbal - September 29 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Cougar for 3 years now and I have had only one problem. In its 3rd year, the cables on the sunroof snapped during normal operation. The dealer says "We have to replace the whole sunroof so itll cost ya $$$." A private mechanic says "Ill get some new cables and well have it repaired for about $$." Maybe I have more of a gripe with Ford? Other than the sunroof, I have not had one single second worth of problem out of the car. It drives great, its as comfortable as a sports coupe gets, and its a fun car. My only other gripe is that since it looks fast, all kinds of other cars want to race it... maybe their jealous of its tight appearance?

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  Still Going - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By Go America - September 27 - 8:10 pm

  I have had my Sable for 5 years and now have 222,000 miles on it. This car still runs great with cold air. I have the 24 valve engine which I think is a lot better than the 3.0 Vulcan engine.I replace the AC compressor at 190,000 miles but other than the front wheel bearings and some basic maintance along with oil changes every 5,000 miles this car is great