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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  mercury mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By chris k - August 2 - 2:00 am

  Nice vehicle all around, If you dont have one get one. Only 2 bad points, bad gas milage, and needs more horse power.

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  Comfort, Handling, Utility, and Safety - 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
  By shuklasr - July 31 - 10:00 am

  We have taken our new Mountaineer on 2 long trips and a few short trips within the first two months of purchase. We have thoroughly enjoyed the drives in terms of comfort and handling. The interior has a nice luxurious feel and I have had the most comfortable ride experience in my life for long trips. The highway mileage was not too bad for an SUV averaging 21 MPG.

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  Classic luxury with sport performance - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By JSheehan - July 30 - 12:16 pm

  I have owned my Merc for a couple of months now it is my second Grand Marquis. Ive got the state trooper package so it handles amazingly (the air ride which is standard isnt bad either) The 4.6 puts out close to 300 for hp and torque (modest estimate) at its power band its probably well over that. You can red line it forever without over heating it. Super easy to install a super charger and HP chip which puts it over 500 HP and torque. Very nice interior/exterior. Avg 25MPG stock I get an AVG of 32 with the supercharger in it. Handling is comparable to large Lexus and Mercedes.

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  2006 Mercury Montego - 2006 Mercury Montego
  By Craig Judd - July 29 - 12:40 am

  Have had no problems with this car, driver comfort is excellent, handles very well,gas consumption is as expected.CVT transmission very smooth. An overall pleasant automobile.

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  Outstanding Value! - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Happy Family of 4 - July 28 - 10:00 am

  Were very happy with the blend of performance, styling and the overall utility. The 4.6L aluminum V8 is much smoother than the 4.0L V6 and gas mileage is very similair. Go with the V8 if you are thinking about towing or if you are concerned about resale value. Nicer overall than many "upscale" imports we drove such as the Volvo XC90 (sluggish).

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  2002 Merc Cougar - <3 - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By mielejam - July 26 - 11:32 am

  I LOVE my car. It is, for the most part, reliable. It has had its share of repairs, including alternator, rear wiper wiring, and is currently in the shop to have the transmission resealed. My moon roof stopped working while the alternator was going, but works just fine now. This car is in great shape for going on 9 years old, and is fun to drive. It gets decent gas mileage and has had no significant breaks until now. :)

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  What was Ford thinking? - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Jay McCosh - July 26 - 7:43 am

  I have only had the car a few days and am blown away. This is by far the most cool car I have ever driven. I dont understand Fords thinking as it seems this vehicle is not only hard to get but almost an ugly step child to them considering the lack of features and colors compared to the V6. They should pat themsleves on the back for this one and this should be the flagship vehicle for Mercury considering its fun to drive watching and feeling it go into EV modeand with its efficiency and amazing fit and finish. The NAV system is awesome as well as the stereo and free Sirius for 3 years! We liked this vehicle so much both me and my wife got one.

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  Mercury Monterey - 2004 Mercury Monterey
  By tracis71875 - July 22 - 10:00 am

  I really love my monterey. It has plenty of room for my three kids and all of their stuff.

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  My Marq - 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By profjprobst - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Nice big American car.

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  How come its a secret - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By A convert - July 21 - 9:13 am

  I found this truck to be a smooth ride on rough roads, comfortable seats, unbelievable economy, good pickup for a SUV, nice with the premium package.