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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  Mariner - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Minnesota - March 24 - 11:53 am

  This has been the most trouble-free car Ive owned. I recently checked the highway mileage and was pleased to find I was getting 27 MPG.

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  Best Purchase Yet - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Jasonwillhelp - March 23 - 3:20 pm

  I am thinking of buying another van and as I have been searching, I see these reviews. This is my 2nd villager. We had great luck with our first one and bought this one after our first one was totaled. Bought with 95,000 miles and we now have 150,000 miles on this one and actually just got back from a weekend get away from a destination that is 4 hours from us. We have slight issues, but normal for this many miles. Considering that the Odyssey and Sienna remain high priced when even used, this van is a great buy! By the way, there was 7 of us on this trip, 2 adults, 4 teenagers and one, big for his age, 8 year old. No complaints from them about room.

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  If they only made more.... - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By FamilyVan - March 8 - 1:00 pm

  Very pleased with the van now with 166,000 miles. Bought it in 1998. Just had to retire it today. The transmission is slippin away. Too expensive to replace. My wife and I wish they still made them. Many fond memories. Wed buy another. It doesnt owe us a thing. Many x-country trips with no problems.

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  Digtal Dash - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Tigerbob - March 8 - 2:00 am

  From day one when I drove the car home the digtal dash will not always lite up. Have had it to the dealer About four times, and they could not find the cause. Now waiting for a new dash for over a week. Dont Ford no their is such a thing as air freight

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  Grand Marquis Comments - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By DC - March 6 - 4:26 pm

  Recently purchased Grand Marquis. The vehicle has many options which make driving it a pleasure (pedal adjustment, traction control, power seats, lumbar support, stereo adjusts for vehicle speed, etc). Trunk is large. Ride is great. Purchased all required maintenance for next 75,000 miles along with 75,000 mile warranty. No checks to write at dealership for maintenance or problems.

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  2000 Mercury Cougar - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Pebbles073 - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Cougar for almost 2 years now and I LOVE it!! Never had a problem. The car is stylish (turns alot of heads) and very quick. My lease is over 9/03 and I will be sad to see it go, its definitely been my favorite lease so far.

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  No Surprise They Stopped Making These - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Tony - February 27 - 4:53 pm

  I factory ordered this car in 2000 with every option except leather and the moonroof. I had warranty problems from day one and gave this car to my daughter after 3 years of frustration. It is going on alternator #5 in only 65,000 miles and we will soon dump this car for a used Honda. Nice looking car, fun to drive, but beware!!

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  Comfortable cruiser - 1996 Mercury Cougar
  By Zillafire7 - February 26 - 10:00 am

  The cougar has a very powerful engine, that after 8 years is still able to lit up the michelins. The interior, while basic, is comfortable for 4 adults, provided the two in the back are shorter than 6ft. In the wet, RWD combined with 280lbs/ft of tourque conspire against agressive throttle imputs, but in the dry, can make the car feel like a sports car. Brakes are a little weak compared to new cars, but decent.

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  Great truck - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By kim - February 26 - 7:30 am

  Im just writing to tell everyone, how much I love my Mountaineer. I bought it used with 49,000 miles on it. I only have 2 things that bother me. The crack on the back liftgate with I found is a common problem with them. Had issues with it stalling in reverse. Took to dealer and they couldnt find a problem, and couldnt help because the check engine light didnt come on. So I visited many other sites and found that others had the same issue. One guy suggested putting dry gas in it when you fill it. Well, we put the dry gas in it at everyfill up and it hasnt done it since.

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  1 of the Sweetest out there for the $$ - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By KC in Brooklyn NY - February 13 - 10:40 pm

  This is our first American after years of leasing Volvo, Infiniti, and Lexus sedans. So we can compare reliability and service. 6K miles in 3 months and we love it!! We gave up the heated steering wheel,heated r/seats & 3rd row aux. air. But in return a DVD(=happy kids), tons of cash left over when compared to imports, and an SUV that does not get lost in a sea of Explorers in the parking lot. The fuel gauge went the 2nd week, and the A/C air compressor "chirps" every once in a while.(happened in my friends 03) Dan over in the service dept. really takes care of his customers. All I can say to the import companies is: You can keep your Cappucino and Biscotti! In the end I paid for IT!!