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:

• 

  Great Reliable Car! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By sprotn_candice - January 31 - 2:29 am

  I have a 99 Mercury Cougar V6 Automatic. My parents bought it for me back in 03 with about 32k miles on it. 10 years later, with 155k miles and it is still a great car. All cars break, that is inevitable, but it never left me stranded and always got me home or to the mechanic. Very reliable, sturdy and well built. My interior still looks close to new. Regular oil changes, tires, and brakes. All the norm. This is the perfect first car for a new driver. People are always surprised when I tell them how old my car is. They cant believe it. Im sad to be trading it in for something newer in the next month.

• 

  Extremely Pleased So Far! - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Joe - January 30 - 10:36 am

  First SUV and thought I would give Ford/Mercury a shot. Extremely pleased after 6 weeks with this vehicle. Not sure of the reliability, so I bought the extended warranty. Hopefully its what it appears to be and Ill have made a good choice.

• 

  Coping... - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By jameslowell - January 29 - 10:00 am

  The combination of looks, sound, and performance are only surpassed by the frequent looks and comments my Marauder has received. Originally I felt the car could use additional starting-out-ooomph but as it (and you) get some miles you realize the unnecessar-iness of that. I have had a 96GSvette, 2-Z28s, and a 2000CamaroSS and, yes, during all that time my 96TownCar (a teen once commented "my GranDaddy has a towncar like that !"). This Marauder exceeds my appreciation for them all when considering good looks, awesome variable sound, superb handling - with the Marauder though, I get in it each time and do not ponder my "next car".

• 

  Wonderful Car!!! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By azprgrmmr - January 29 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car two years ago and I couldnt be happier. It has been regularly maintained, had some minor service and hasnt ever let me down. The power is great. The sound system is great. Traction is wonderful. Low body roll. Very responsive ride. It has 67000 miles on it so far and has been an all around great car!

• 

  Loved the car for a while - 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By getting there - January 26 - 10:40 pm

  I bought my Marquis used at 12 years old. It was great for about 2 years and then I had a snowball effect. The brakes I was told were built somewhat of plastic so it would cost me 1000 for a complete brake overhaul, then my catalytic converter just up and died a slow death and I was told since the converter had been welded in it would cost me about $1600 at min to cut it out and get replaced. Overall though its probably one of the most solid cars around. I truly enjoyed driving it!

• 

  Still loving it - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By cynco - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Bought new in 99 and still driving it at 53000m. I love the way it handles and it still looks great. Some mechanical issues- fuel pump, trunk latch, and engine light. Fuel pump was the biggest headache - finally got Ford to refund repair cost. (I wont deal with the dealer for repairs!) Overall, I cant complain - it has been reliable and it rides great.

• 

  My experience with the Mariner - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By Kara - January 22 - 3:03 pm

  I purchased this vehicle because I wanted an SUV with decent gas mileage. I really like my Mariner, but have had a few problems with it. When I bought it, at 28K miles it still had its warranty in effect. Good thing because even though I test drove it, I hadnt noticed that there was a probem with its overdrive. I had it repaired under warranty, but soon after more problems with the trans surfaced. I had to take it back 5 months later because it was hesitating & loosing power when driving up steep hills. The entire trans had to be replaced. It has been a few months & I am noticing a clunk going into 2nd when I let off the gas. I am worried it is going bad again, the warranty is now expired.

• 

  Just purchased - 2007 Mercury Montego
  By LaurelD - January 13 - 10:30 pm

  Just purchased a 2007 sedan and drove on a trip for 5,000 miles. Impressed with the interior comfort and ability to adjust the pedals as both my husband and I are rather tall. City driving is fine but accelerating uphill or to pass another car takes planning with the engine size. Back seat is very roomy but I wish they would have made the front seat go back farther for taller drivers and have the ability to adjust the steering wheel higher up to accommodate knees and high heels when entering the car. The rear auto-adjust mirror feature at night is great with the bright lights of vehicles coming up behind you. Overall good value with the quality and end of year price for us!

• 

  Reliable. - 1995 Mercury Villager
  By jaredh - January 10 - 12:33 pm

  Just rid myself of my old 95 Villager recently due to electrical issues that just werent worth the money for repair. At 17 years old I have nothing to complain about. This van has been reliable through out its life span. And the most major repair it ever saw; was a replaced water pump. Other then that this thing never saw any critical failures. The air vents for the back passenger seats gave out about 5 years in. But we managed with just the front ones. Heat was great, AC was great. But more importantly this van was sturdy. Even after being in a wreck a year ago it still ran like a champ. Im going to miss the old thing.

• 

  big Ds Merc - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By bigdaddy@localnet.co - January 6 - 10:00 am

  The handling and get up is great. The fuel mileage isnt so good. Lots of blind spots because I have the seat all the way back when I drive. Very comfortable on long trips. Good stock sound system. 3rd row seating is cramped for adults. The computer area is hard to see.