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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  mountaineer - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Traci Nerren - October 25 - 10:00 am

  good options for the price with a v-8

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  I want another one - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By aml5501 - October 21 - 1:43 pm

  This was my first minivan and it will be my last. I love this minivan. Everything about it. It is luxury from top to bottom. I just wish it got better gas mileage. I havent seen another out on the road, which I think is sad because I love it and I think everyone should have one. My kids love the automatic doors the most. I love dropping them off at school and just pushing a button to let them out. I just wish they still made them. I too would love a navigation system and a little more under the seat storage but other than that, it is perfect.

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  Great Car - 2002 Mercury Sable
  By cyn202 - October 21 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this car in December of 2003 for $10,500.00 including tax/title. The car was a fleet car from Enterprise with 15,000 miles on it. I still had time on the original warranty and I also purchased the extended warranty. So I am covered until the car is payed off. This is one of the nicest cars I have ever owned. It has a very roomy interior and a large, deep trunk, CD player, tinting rear view mirror. It a great car to drive and I am getting well over 300 miles of "in town" driving to one tank of gas! I fill my tank up only twice a month. I am very pleased with this car. In fact, the car pictured here on this site is the same color as mine..."arizona beige".

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  My mountianeer baby - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By rteest03 - October 21 - 10:00 am

  I have never enjoyed a car more in my life. I tried maybe test driving 15 different SUVs that were similar in size and price. There was no comparison to the Mountaineer. I have had nothing but superior quality from the performance to the way it looks. Not only would i recommend this car, but I would advise you to be preparde that once you buy it, you will have mountaineers for the rest of your life!!!

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  excellent ls - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By budnbarb - October 21 - 10:00 am

  the ls is a wonderful car to travel in for driving vacations,im averaging over 25mpg on my trips overall with a normal dashboard computer readout od 27 mpg at 70 mph on the interstate highways.the ride comfort usually puts the passengers to sleep on all but the shortest trips and the interior room is greater than expected.

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  SECOND ONE OWNED - 2002 Mercury Villager
  By SAM1 - October 18 - 2:00 am

  This is my second one; Ive had good luck with both. The gas mileage is good for a minivan. I dont have a problem with the cargo space. My 97 had some electrical problems. The middle seats are heavy to remove.

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  Ford/Mercury Out did themselves! Wow! - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By MM - October 17 - 8:40 pm

  I researched this vehicle for 6 over months. After so much anticipation would it live up? I took the keys in Aug 07 and have never been happier. It surpassed my dreams! It is fun to drive, but you do need to be watchful. I have scared folks, when running on the electric motor, all you can hear are the tires on the ground. Which can be eerie. The kids tease it is quieter than the Barbie Car! We have taken it on a major vacation 700 miles one way for 12 hours and it did great. 31 mpg. Saved us 1/3 cost in gas over our Windstar while not losing comfort. Handled the mountain curves. The navigation system was helpful but gave warnings in some areas. Ford has out done themselves with this one!

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  Sold on Sable - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By JRipper - October 16 - 10:00 am

  Just bought a 2003 GS Sedan with 18000 miles on it for the wife.Paid half the sticker price for a 4 door midsize sedan with all the B&W needed (She didnt want leather seats,too hot)So far so good.Glad we got a sable instead of paying up for a import.

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  MILEAGE 29.4 MI/GAL HWY - SAME AS EPA - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By rmm966 - October 15 - 8:36 pm

  After hearing so many reports of EPA mileage not being accurate, I was surprised that the mileage on my new Mercury Hybrid SUV was as advertised. (About 29.4 mi/gal HWY. 366 mi on 12.5 gal of gasoline.) The ride is nice, the interior is above average, and the automatically adjusting volume on the radio is a cool feature. I like the SUV style and the great $2600 tax credit this year for buying a Green SUV - but that being said, the lack of a third row seat makes it only a so-so choice if you have more than three kids. If the SUV style and tax credit are not important to you, you might be happier opting for the 2007 Camry Hybrid when it comes out later this year.

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  Mercury Milan - 2006 Mercury Milan
  By cheryl - October 14 - 9:06 pm

  I fell in love with this car when I saw the commercials. It is an awesome car with few issues regarding warranty. The brake issues were fixed immediately. All in all the car itself is top of the line.