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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  Brand New - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By TMarc - July 4 - 2:00 am

  So far, so good. Rides great,handles great. So far have found no factory defects.What a surprize, a new car and every thing works.

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  Molto Bene - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By C. L. Marshall - June 30 - 6:00 pm

  The Montego is well thought out, excellant vision all around, forward, backing, lots of storage compartments, ease of entry/exit, leg room for rear seating is supurb, better than Town Car, trunk space plus fold down seats provides great carrying capacity, pick- up is more than adequate, CVT is great in conjunction with traction control, AWD. Air intake below windshield is designed so that leaves and debris are not sucked in. Braking feels effortless and comfortable. Trunk hinges are designed so they dont intrude into trunk space. Near chair height seats are comfortable and provide good forward view. The designers of the vehicle were careful in covering most all details.

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  Love my Mercury - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Love my Mercury - June 28 - 7:26 am

  This car is hands down the best value for the money on the road. With the rebates and incentives, you can have full size American comfort at a Honda Civic price. The Marquis is powerful, handles and brakes well, and at only 1400 miles, is already getting 22 mpg in combined city and highway driving. The power pedals are a great feature, as is the power lumbar support. I really like the variable assist steering- one finger easy in town, and lots of road feel at highway speeds. The traditional body-on-frame construction seems very solid. I feel safe in this car, which is something I never felt in smaller front-drive cars. Im a Realtor, and my clients often mistake this car for a Lincoln.

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  My Mercury review - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By jksmist - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Car is good, have a hard/stiff suspension

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  ok car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By Nicole - June 27 - 12:16 am

  I bought my car used from a private person.I drove it about 2 months then it broke down on me then I got that fixed. I guess the fuel pump was clogged. When I first got it I needed to get in inspected so I proceded to do so and they wouldnt do it because of the spring coil on the passenger side was bad. The speedometer is bad on it have the time I drive it I have no speedomter. I thought I was getting a great car but I thought Wrong. Over all for some people the car maybe be great but for me it was bust.

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  Love My New Truck!!!! - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By LaChellelv - June 26 - 6:56 pm

  Ive always wanted a truck, but didnt want to feel like I was driving a boat!! My Mariner is just PERFECT for people starting out with a truck. I love almost everything about it. Gas mileage could be better, but hey its a truck so you really cant expect a lot! Its sporty and stylish!!!! Real cute :o)

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  This car is awsome - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By ashman - June 26 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for about 6 months now and it just keeps on getting better and better. I love this car. Its fast, turns on a dime, brakes on it are great. This car is just awsome. I cant get enough of this car. Ive already put a new esgost, cold air intake, racing chip, and anything else you can think of and now im putting Z28 camaros in my dust. If you want to have a really good car and have lots of fun you have to get this car

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  I may have bought my last Mercury - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Richard - June 25 - 1:23 am

  I love the big body on frame, V8 RWD Mercurys. I believe they are going to drop the Grand Marque. They are down to one model, with few options. You just cant get all the options offered an there other models. If you could I may be in the market for one. I love my Marauder and dont plan on getting rid of it I would like a second car like the Grand Marque. I guess I will have to go for something else. So where do I go? Cadillac, BMW (overpriced).

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  Great SUV except - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By suzie - June 21 - 1:43 am

  I loved this SUV, of course gas mileage stinks, but for an AWD it rides like a luxury car. Heated seats, 3rd row seating, great. Cons...wheel bearings. They all go too early, AC wires rusted out. I also knew 3 people who had the same problems, bearings and AC rusting out. Mercury knew this but never recalled the vehicles. Tires, I went through two pairs in three years. Other than that, a fine vehicle.

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  Great Ride - 2009 Mercury Mariner
  By Nat69 - June 17 - 10:56 am

  I just traded in my 2004 Rendezvous for a new 2009 Mariner Premier. It took the dealer a couple of days to find the color and options I wanted but it was worth the wait. I got the Premier version to get the color and options I wanted at a lower price. This is a Great Ride, Tunes and Style, it is not boaty like the Buick but has a very smooth ride. I love the USB port where I have ALL my 12Gb of music availabe via SYNC. Went for a ride through the mountains this pas weekend and got 22.8 MPG with under 500 miles on it, this is absolutly the best and exceeded my expectations. SYNC - you will need to speak clearly and break up your phrase into single words and it works great!