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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  Excellent - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bob Boyd - November 9 - 10:00 am

  Recently relaced my 1995 Grand Marquis with a new one. The older one had 86000 miles on it yet was still going strong. I had been very happy with it so bought a new one. I always had liked the comfort it provided on the highway. Only problem I ever found was it smooths out the best around 80 mph, which the Texas Highway Patrol frowns on. Its a great vehivle to drive though and nearly as confortable as a Lincoln with the leather seats I have in my new model. Hope Ford keeps up the good work. Ill be looking for another one in 4 or 5 years.

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  follow-up - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By vanillaice - November 9 - 9:50 am

  This car is so good, its like not owning a Ford. After 70,000 miles, exactly zero dollars and zero cents in unscheduled maintenance. Incredible value especially as a used car. High altitude seems to hurt the performance inordinately, but maybe its just me. A Toyota should be so reliable. Very large trunk is a little oddly shaped. This was done to fix exploding gas tank. Still, I wish they would do another work-around to bring back true "three body trunk" capability. Easily the best kept secret in the auto world.

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  Bought a Pretty Car & thats what I got! - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By Sara - November 8 - 10:20 pm

  I bought my 2000 V6 Cougar used and drove it for 2 years with little incident, nothing but routine maintenance. In the two following years I replaced the alternator twice ($600 a pop), manifold intake gaskets about $500, rear brake caliper broke causing brake failure (I would be dead if not for engine brake) $600 for new caliper assemblies and pads. I have also "run out of gas" - completely stalled - when going up hill with 1/4 tank of gas! Had my car towed to the shop just to have it start and run just fine, the second time I topped it up with a jerry can and it was fine. Not yet replaced a fuel pump but its not running well and Ive been told that or dirt in the fuel tank, well see.

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  LOVE IT - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By RJDomke - November 6 - 10:20 am

  Better ride then Cadillac, or Pontiac. I rented one in Chicago during a winter fly in. I loved the feel and felt safe inside on the icy roads.

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  Dashboard unglues Mercury does NOTHING! - 2000 Mercury Mystique
  By Laura Belfiore - November 5 - 10:00 am

  I am happy with the performance of the vehicle, but am very distressed over the fact that a four year old cars dashboard has become unglued, unsitely and unsafe! I went to Lincoln Mercury and they also told me there was nothing they could do and it would cost me 1350.00 to replace and there were no guarantees. I feel that there should be a recall on this because the guy Linc/Merc told me he has seen a alot of this and that there should eba recall. Anyone that is interested in getting together to write to Ford/Lincoln Mercury about this particular problem, please email me at Awaken59@aol.com

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  A fun car for the price - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By black cougar - November 5 - 10:00 am

  I have owned this car since I bought it new in Sept. 1999. I like the cars styling, handling, and acceleration is good with a V6 5 speed manual. The quality has been decent so far when I compare it to friends cars. I have 76,000 miles on it and have only had to replace the alternator, which cost $400 (not cheap). Although the fuel pump is starting to go now. These two problems seem to be typical for Cougars. I am thinking about getting a new car now that this one is older, but I dont see one that I would rather have in the same price range.

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  Mariner is a Great Vehicle - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By FearlessBear - November 3 - 9:10 pm

  Great ride, great comfort, excellent handling and good performance. A bit of a gas drinker, but not really bad, and it takes regular. I have driven Jeep Grand Cherokees, Land Rovers, Suzuki, but this vehicle is better. Its ideal in size, style, comfort, roominess and performance.

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  First 999 miles - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Jay - November 1 - 2:40 pm

  The SUV has performed superb, the ride is smooth, transmission is swift, and overall a great investment. Rides and styles as a luxury SUV. The Family Incentives from Ford made this $12,700 investment a no brainer. The vehicles manuvers superb and is easy to park, great view from all angles. The cabin design and adjustable pedals allows for flexibilty and comfort for my wife to drive. Is fun to drive, can wait to take it on the road for a 600 - 700 mile drive. Compares to my BMW 325 on handling and comfort. The Mercury team got this one right on the money.

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  Happy Mariner Owner - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By trublkkngt - November 1 - 3:02 am

  Weve been happy with our Mercury Mariner Premier. We bought it used in 08 with 9000 miles on it. It has been very reliable! No maintenance or repair issues. Its perfect to haul our two small children around. The only complaint we ever had was how LOUD the stock Continental tires were. We replaced them with General Grabber HTS tires and it significantly improved the ride quailty. If you have a Mariner, Escape or Tribute, do yourself a favor and dump the stock Continitental Tires as soon as you can!

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  good car - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By tabo - October 29 - 3:46 am

  i just bought this car after reading the numerous reviews.i think its a good car. my only only problem so far is the gas mileage especially now that prices are to the ceiling.the gas tank is really small,that means im at the gas pump every 250-300miles.the v4 is a good alternative if you just want the looks. nice overall design,seats are excellent.drives fast. cd changer is a little slow to change,load or eject cds.