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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  2010 Milan Premier 6cyl FWD - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By Tuko - June 2 - 4:06 pm

  Took delivery of our Milan Premier with 6cyl and FWD. Traded in 2007 Lincoln MKZ. Wanted another Lincoln but base price had increased over $10,000 in 3 yrs. Milan is basically same car but way cheaper and with lots of bells/whistles. Good quality. So far, gets 31 mpg Hwy and 24 city. Voice Sync system is pretty neat but steep learning curve and can be distracting. Got Sirius for 2 years. Lot of car for the price.

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  Lovin It - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Ox - May 31 - 10:33 am

  I have 200400 miles. V-8 still pulls strong. Still fun to drive. I have 2- wheel drive but have been able to drive through what I want. Replaced tranny at 105000 miles. I use a K&N air filter and installed a Tornado air mixer thing; I get close to 19/20 mpg. I change oil 3 mo/3000 miles. I pass emissions test annually in GA. On third set of tires, they wear evenly. Ride is comfortable, especially on long trips. It does good for taxi service. Tis is my third Mercury, they have all worked well-I do make sure I do regular maintenance.

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  Great Car - 2004 Mercury Marauder
  By Art - May 31 - 1:53 am

  Fun to drive. Excellent performance. Love the exhaust sound. Gets lots of compliments from variety of ages. Great backroad driver as well as long trips. Probably the best car I have ever owned as far as a pleasure to drive and sheer fun.

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  Great Value - 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By dave - May 30 - 10:10 am

  This car hasnt changed in years and thats why it is good. Theyve got all the problems worked out. You can usually pick up a new for 25K at the end of the year. You can pick up a 3 year old used one for $10k that will go another 100K miles. Highway mileage is 27. And those are non-tiring miles. Its extremely safe. You can tow. I built a roof rack and can haul lumber like a pickup. A used one would make a great family car for someone with not much to spend. The only drawbacks would be comments from your friends. But you can laugh all the way to the bank.

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  Best Car I ever owned - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By bondianwolf - May 18 - 6:04 am

  I have owned Fords; Mercurys; Oldsmobile; Pontiac; Mazda; and a Mercedes. For the longest time the best car I owned was a 1987 Ford EXP. Yeah it was a tarted up 2 seater escort. But it was fun; practical and it never broke. Then I bought this 1997 mountaineer used (I am the second owner). The reason it is the best is because I got it dirt cheap and (after owning it a while) I recently drove it 4000 miles in blistering heat. At one point my wife and I were crossing the desert in 118 degree heat with the air conditioner running. Neither of us could believe the car didnt explode. It ran like a champ. All repairs have been minor and its easy and cheap to fix. Ford trucks r awesome

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  Love this SUV - Bad Gas Mileage! - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Petnannyz - May 15 - 7:20 am

  I bought this SUV used in Nov 2007 with about 18,000 miles for $17,900 and got an awesome prices. It is fully loaded and has the extra two seats in the back too. Have driven it now for 29 months through summers & New England weather. It does shift a little rough at times and has gotten stuck in Park but there was a recall for that so dealership will fix that for free. Love the AWD and how you can lock in the 4WD - pretty easy to do once you figure out the buttons. Love the extra two seats in the way back and they fold up & down so easy! Love my heated seats too; wouldnt get one with out them. Not too pleased with the speaker sound, sounds tinny to me. But otherwise love this SUV.

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  Nice roomy small suv - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Nic - May 14 - 10:53 am

  Great small suv and very good looking. Lots of wind noise on the highway. Metal seems thin on exterior. Windows make a clanging noise when closing them. Base of door sits on an outer ledge that just traps dirt.

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  Very Solid Car - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By Not even Ford people - May 14 - 4:03 am

  My wife and I have a truck and a car so we normally take the car everywhere we go because it is a better ride and has better gas millage. I have no problem keeping this 02 until 2010.

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  its OK - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By frank rachowicz - May 13 - 10:00 am

  Runs good, no real problems. Just rides like a truck. Should have waited one more year.

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  Hate to love it - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By ghignight - May 12 - 6:23 am

  I got my 1999 Mercury Cougar about a year ago. I really just got it because of the gas milage. I have had only normal wear and tear out of it. Tires, battery ect...when I got it it had 115k and a year later it sits at 140k......I have no major complains its fast and really sporty looking. It makes a good car for men for women......would make a great first car