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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  Love It. - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By JB - May 31 - 10:10 pm

  This car hauls... Dont be fooled by its family sedan/granny car appearance Everytime that Ive let someone else drive it they end up squealing the tires their first time behind the wheel, it has a lot more get-up-and-go than they expect. Nice comfy ride and roomy interior. I havent had any major problems yet..(knock on wood) speaking of..the woodgrain interior looks pretty nice and I love the stainless steel door handles. Ive been considering buying a new car but dont want to part with my Sable.

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  Nice Car for the Money - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By Richard - May 30 - 9:50 pm

  I bought this car used three months ago for a second car, mainly short haul. Its capable, comfortable and solid. Leather seats are great. I had a Sable Wagon 12 years ago and the difference is night and day. Makes me a believer in Ford again.

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  I like it-i really like it - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By rosie - May 26 - 9:23 am

  i have had my mariner for 8 months and have had no problems with it at all. I find it a little noisy on hard acceleration and somewhat lacking in power but overall a very good and comfortable suv. I bought this as a winter replacement for my corvette but i find im driving it a lot this summer too.

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  Still evaluating - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Ice - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Just bought the van from a private party. Had problems I was aware of at time of purchase. Replaced motor mounts, cracked windshield, brakes, plugs and rotor. Had a brief transmission slip. Air conditioning works great. Seems throttle body had some work done to it. Display on radio does not work, but radio does. Service Engine Soon light keeps coming on and off, Passenger rear window wont stay open. Driver window switch is intermittent on roll up. Driver floor mat wont stay flat. Driver rear view outside mirror seems to oscillate a bit while driving. Fuel econ is fluctuating between 17 and 19 in city. Havent taken on long hi-way trip yet.

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  The only good part is the design! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Pritchett - May 22 - 2:00 am

  The only part of the the Cougar I liked was the design. I have had my car 9 months and have only been able to drive it appx. 4.5 months. I have had problems with my starter, the battery cable routing, my gear shifter sticks, the front defroster grille on dash board melts and pops out and Live in Mi. where its cold. Oh and how could I forget when the puter chip went out and the stero alwats cutting off. Any questions.

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  Unhappy warrior - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mishmash - May 18 - 2:00 am

  Compared to my prior 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, my 2002 has a poorer ride quality and far poorer gas mileage. My 95 got 28 mpg on the highway and over 20 mpg around town. My 2002 gets 16 mpg. My 2002 downshifts going up the slightest grade, and my dealer can do nothing about it..."Its controlled by the electronic engine module".

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  Handles well at speed - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By eng1neer - May 17 - 10:00 am

  I have about 200 Miles on my Maurader. I have had it up to 110 and it handles pretty well at that speed. I have been babying it a bit since its so new. Car pulls pretty well at upper RPMs and has smooth continuing power but will not burn the tires off the line very well. Ford Tech services claims fuel cut off at 123 but have yet to test this. Seems to handle much better at speed than the Crown Vic Sport pkg Car. Overall the car does very well but wont pass a gas station and it claims that Premium fuel is required. Milage statement on sticker seems to be very pie in the sky optimum operating condition numbers.

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  6 speed transmission a problem - 2006 Mercury Mountaineer
  By chris61 - May 15 - 4:36 am

  My wife and I replaced our 1999 Mountaineer with this 2006 Premier 2WD. She really likes her car, and for the most part, I do too. Im not disappointed with the gas mileage, as we knew going in it wasnt going to win any economy championships. My biggest disappointment has been with the six speed transmission. We currently have 25000 miles on it, and it has been back to the dealer for the trans too many times to count. The problem is with the 1/2 upshift and 2/1 downshift. The problem is especially noticeable on the first drive of the day. If you dont come to a complete stop it wont shift all the way to first, then almost "stumbles" until youre into 2nd. They replaced the MTronics last.

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  Would look MUCH better w/chrome rims - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Shockin Sean - May 14 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this truck for 2 days. The moonroof is malfunctioning b/c of what my dealer attributes to, "Maybe this wasnt made for a DVD player." What? Huh? Ford charged a lot of $$ to install the DVD and hes now saying the DVDs causing my moonroof to not retract properly?! They sent a tech over to fix it. Of course, it worked right afterwards. Then it refused to open again in 3 hours. They said to bring it to the service center and theyd be able to fix the "problem" quickly. Yeah, right! Besides that problem, I hear an annoying rattling emanating from the DVD panel (situated on the interior middle roof). Its not TOO loud but certainly bothersome.

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  Great Car - 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Fred - May 13 - 3:46 am

  This is a wonderful luxury vehicle! The stlying and performance is wonderful. The ride is so extremely smooth its like riding on a cloud. I would reccommend this vehicle to anyone who is looking for a luxury vehicle with class, style, reliability, and great performance.