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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  a rare find, very cool - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By buckyboy - September 26 - 10:00 am

  This car is not for everyone. It is only for the ones who know about this car, and wanted it from day one. I am glad i bought this car. There are some things one might complain about, although minor, YOU WONT HEAR IT FROM ME. One thing you cant deny about this car is the cool factor. Although every car could have more horses, this car is overflowing with testosterone. I like the fact that it is rare, but wish people would stop saying it looks like a cop car. I didnt buy it for that reason. Mine is black with blacked out windows, it looks downrite mean! It truely is a great combination of luxury, performance, and style.

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  The Best Roadtrip Vehicle - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Tre Five - September 19 - 10:03 pm

  I have had very few issues with my mountaineer. It now has over 212k miles and the thing runs great. Great performance as you can fly up steep mountain grades and it never gets stuck, even when driving alongside kentucky country roads in thick mud just because you thought it would be fun. It is very comfortable and aside from little problems here and there it is very reliable. 5.0 awd is the only way to go. IT AINT BAD FOR A FORD! However it is still a ford.

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  So Far So Good - Part IV - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By 04SableDriver - September 19 - 2:00 pm

  Just a bit more than 20K and rolling along! Im well past the "new car" euphoria, and have settled in for what I plan to be a "long haul" relationship with my car. They stopped building Sables after the 05 model year, so not sure who this updates meant for, but what the hell... As stated before, I still enjoy the basics of my Sable; smooth and well muted ride, plenty of interior space, lotsa bang-for-the-buck (power amenities, trip comp, solid safety credentials, etc.)... Complaints are few, but focus on what could be described as "classic automotive Americana;" cheapo interior materials, the ominous threat of shakey long-term reliability (though, like the title says, so far so good!

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  Very Nice Small SUV - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Donna - September 19 - 10:36 am

  Our first SUV. Drove Toyota Camry XLEs for past 10 years. The Mariner is missing some of those amenities, but overall, very nice. Very happy with Mariners interior cargo room and front seat area design and features such as dual heat and air controls and seat warmers. Not so thrilled with gas mileage so far. Have 3500 miles and only averaging 19 in traffic and 22 on highway. Hoping for better as mileage increases. Exterior look is great...many compliments on that.

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  I Love My Mountaineer - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By hancock1119 - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I love my Mountaineer. It has been a great vehicle and I highly recommend them to anyone who asks my opinion of SUVs.

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  My Cougar - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By tmccli3 - September 15 - 11:16 pm

  Fun to drive. Not very many aftermarket parts available but I am doing what I can to make it a part of who I am. The 4 cylinder has next to nothing for performance upgrades. I dont have a v6, so it is a struggle to add performance. I trust the reliability to drive it anywhere. I had it for about two weeks and took a 2500 mile road trip when it had 167,000 miles on.

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  Continuing Mercury - 2007 Mercury Milan
  By forthesakeof - September 15 - 1:23 am

  The little Sable (Taurus) that I last bought, made in Chicago, was what i was looking for in reliability. I know the story of the Taurus (why stop?), and I see these new Tauruses on the road. Absolutely beautiful. I loved my sable so much, after only owning GM my entire life, I went to a Ford dealership for another used venture. I found this sweet little demon, oh boy. I saw this baby, next to a silvernother. Mine is AWD, smoke/purplish. Beautiful. I am old enough and experienced in Michigan snow enough to know what AWD means, I am curious. Sound system is superb. Extra trunk room, excellent, easy everything. I am anxious to see what this baby has in store for me. Certainly has the spunk.

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  Reverse Cool (aka: Happy Motoring) - 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By ejfudd - September 3 - 12:39 pm

  That some bemoan the Grand Mercury for being a poor handling automobile is unfortunate. The Grand Marquis was never meant to handle like a car half its weight, but rather this American chariot was meant to isolate its occupants from the bumps in the road and all the outside noises. When I think of the Grand Marquis, the engineering adages "Keep it simple" or "Simple is best" come to mind. Admittedly, theres not much current styling going on here, to the point that my teenage son calls it "reverse cool". Still the Grand Marquis achieves the classic Americana pitch & roll feel that will slowly fade as these classics dwindle on the roads. As for me, I just bought a used Grand Marquis 11.

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  My Sable - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By CLAREMORE BOY - August 27 - 12:00 pm

  Its been a decent car for the most part. Weve put over 80,000 miles on it in 4 yrs. The problems have been the cooling system, the brake rotors, and the heater core went out a year ago. And why Ford put independent rear suspension on it, ill never know, just extra struts to be replaced! The wind noise is right on the edge of being tolerable. However, I wouldnt be afraid to go cross country in her right now! A person could do worse.

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  Cool Cat - 1997 Mercury Cougar
  By El Draco - August 26 - 2:00 am

  When I get my cat people always comment on how nice it looks and how its a shame they dont make them anymore. Not only that the car has been a lot of fun to drive and very reliable mechanically.