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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  Moving Up To Mercury - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By Lyndita - April 6 - 2:00 am

  I moved up from a Ford Windstar to the new Mercury Monterey and I love the luxury of the Monterey. The power is more than adequate for a fully loaded mini-van. And with the entertainment system, its the perfect family car for our frequent trips to Las Vegas.

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  A great family car. - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By Fred S. - April 4 - 2:06 pm

  Replaced a Ford Windstar that was too large for the wife. She loves this vehicle. I now have my truck back.

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  EXCELLENT UNIT - 2000 Mercury Sable
  By JJOYS1000 - April 4 - 10:00 am

  GREAT PERFORMANCE WITH 200 HP DOHC ENGINE. 26MPG AVERAGE. EXCELLENT HANDLING & RIDE. PLENTY OF ROOM FOR LARGE DRIVERS. WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE.

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  Rabs 2001 Cougar - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By Rab5862 - March 30 - 7:13 pm

  This is an excellent car with good handling. Bit short on power but alot of fun to drive.

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  This car saved my life - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By anned1993 - March 30 - 8:05 am

  Bought this car in 2002, my mother drove it for about 5-6 years and then she gave it to me (19 year old daughter) when I became old enough to drive. Shared it with my siblings on and off for two years. drove it everywhere, had about 110000 miles on it. Boyfriend was driving the car after a long day of hiking, I was in the passenger seat. He dosed off and swerved across the lane hit a fire hydrant that tore off the wheel and then hit a pole that sent us upside down. Airbags deployed on impact and we were wearing our seatbelts. We both walked away from the accident with 2 stitches each. If & when accidents do happen, you want a car that will keep you safe. I thank god for this car.

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  Watch out for leak - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By tom - March 29 - 1:13 am

  Purchased mariner 4 months ago. Ran great then noticed fluid leaking from transmission coolant. Knew the Escape had this problem so i purchased the mariner. Good thing SUV still under warranty at 33,000 mi.

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  Monterey Van Review - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By Susan H. - March 27 - 2:43 pm

  Overall we are very pleased with our Monterey Van and would recommend this van to others. It drives smoothly and is wonderful to take on long trips. The interior design of the van is what we like the most. It is easy to move around and the front passengers have lots of room for storage. We like all of the extra features, there are so many. We love this van!

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  Best Vehicle Ever Owned - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By LivinOnGravel - March 21 - 7:56 am

  Driven daily for over six years. Have ~148K miles on it. Keep expecting something to force us to stop driving it, but it just keeps running. Amazing vehicle. Weve had a tiny cost of repair over the years. It is my rule against what I measure everything else now. Have had the throttle place stick, so I clean out the throttle body regularly. Gauges failed twice-tach sticks & stops moving. Great fuel mileage. We get 18-ish in town and up to 24 MPG hi-way. Couldnt afford a Honda or Toyota, but didnt need to -- this vehicle will be hard to say good-bye to when/if it ever dies.

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  Nice, but uncomfortable!! - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By daddyaddy2003 - March 17 - 2:00 am

  The Duratec has more responsive power than the new Crown Vic LS-Sports souped up V-8. Fast and nimble car! Back seat is surprisingly roomy, but front leg room is big disappointment for taller driver. Put seat back for legs, cant reach wheel comfortably. Bad proportions, bad intrusive left front wheel well into drivers left leg area. Foot will fall asleep bent up on foot rest!

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  Great basic sedan - 2009 Mercury Milan
  By Cristo - March 14 - 4:26 pm

  Well, I turned in the lease of my 06 Lincoln Zephyr and purchased an 09 Milan Base model with auto transmission. A very good basic sedan and the 4 cyl gets great mileage. After driving a fully loaded Lincoln for 3 years its hard to go to a base model, however, I dont do the driving I used to. The car is fine for what I need, however, the headrests are very uncomfortable! Why they changed them Ill never know! I had no problem with the ones on my Lincoln. Hopefully, I can switch them out! Ive had the car for 2 weeks and I still havent put gas in it! Great basic no frills transportation.