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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  Wonderful Car! - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bobby - October 27 - 11:23 am

  The 2008 Grand Marquis is a fantastic vehicle. I love the exterior design and chrome. Its classy and classic. This car is a great ride, and its price is not bad. It is smooth on the road, and it is powerful enough for all driving situations. When looking for a full-size car, check out the Grand Marquis. Its worth it.

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  Have fun with this one - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Troll - October 22 - 2:00 am

  OK, so I dont have $35K but I got to test drive one for about an hour yesterday. VERY fun car to drive. Looks like a sedan a businessman would own, but handles and performs like a much smaller, faster car. Very tight handling due to the 50/50 weight distribution. One thing I heard is driving this car will attract attention from Officer Friendly - and it makes sense given how powerful this car is.

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  Got for a good price. So far so good! - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By JackMaddy - October 17 - 12:00 pm

  Picked a Red Convenience up with all the bells and wistles. There are a few feature missing like rear motion detector and heated seats and DVD..but for the 24K i picked this AWD up for we love it. The 3rd row is not very practical..but we kinda knew that..it more of a nice option just incase you need to seat more people. Once in the 3rd row...its not too bad even for adults.it just getting back there that is the issue. However I think this is the case with most mid-sized SUVs. The mileage is not great..but cmon its an SUV what do you expect ;) I really love this car and glad we went with this instead of a Lame Toyota Sienna. Highly recommended..8.8 outta 10.

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  2000 Mercury Sable LS Premium - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By adventura - October 17 - 2:00 am

  Overall, this is an excellent car for the money. In over 65,000 miles of driving I have had no repairs whatsoever. Its a comfortable car to drive and handles well in all weather. Ive been particularly impressed with the Continental Touring Contact all- season tires. A couple of minor gripes; the lack of a standard CD player is anoying. There are some blind spots with the large A and B pillars that take some getting used to. The overall ride could be a little firmer, and Ford needs to do something about the mushy transmission shift points; it hates to downshift inless you prod it with the gas. The 3 liter V6 is one of the best powerplants on the road today.

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  Reliable Car - 1998 Mercury Mystique
  By no-mistakin mystique - October 6 - 3:40 pm

  4cyl GS. Had to write a positive review after reading many of the others. Bought the car in 2002 with 40000, and so far has far outlasted my expectations. After 187,000 miles, this car is running great. I have changed 2 water pumps, 1 timing belt, 1 thermostat, and 1 blinker switch. For the money, this is the best car I have ever owned. Changed oil every 5k and Tranny fluid every 30K. Follow the recommended service items and problems should be minimal. Granted, I dont get any double-takes from the ladies here, but for everyday transportation, it has been great.

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  96 grand marquis - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By George - September 21 - 6:43 pm

  I bought my grand marquis used with about 87,000 miles for $2000. I replace the wiper blades, one rim with curb damage, and one missing side light, and changed the oil. It drove great till 117,000 miles. Then the plastic intake manifold cracked, leaking out the coolant. You can read more about this by googling intake manifolds, grand marquis/crown victorias. My engine must of over heated and warped or cracked a head. I dont blame my car, I blame Ford. I bought a used 4.6 engine with 118,000 on it and using info I found on the internet and my library, I switched engines. I have no experience doing this and it took me about 50 hours total. I now have 125,000 miles and it runs great.

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  Grand Marquis 2000 - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Shan - September 21 - 9:20 am

  This is our 3rd Grand Marquis. All have been excellent mechanically. Totaled one and came out unharmed. Noise level could be improved. Seam in leather seats hurt my back. Feel pretty safe on long trips.

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  Great Little Truck - 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Rik - September 20 - 8:26 am

  After I addressed the mileage issue my changing to BFG Wranglers (my truck now gets 18-19 mpg) I now would drive it anywhere I need to go. I just got back from a family visit that took me from Jacksonville FL to Philadelphia and back, no problems. Mine currently has 134K and id parked next to my 93 explorer with 219K on its odometer. Lets hear it for Fords Truck division.

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  A Good Family Car - 2000 Mercury Villager
  By marcopolocity - September 10 - 2:00 am

  A reliable fun to drive van with a unique style. Weve owned 2 and have been very please with the overall quality.

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  A good Villager - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By nstephen - September 10 - 2:00 am

  This has been a good van, commodious and reliable. It easily carries us, two dogs and luggage to Florida each year. It has been easy to maintain and has been back to the dealer only for routine service for the most part.