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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  Good car and fun to drive - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By Terry Francl - May 12 - 9:26 am

  Purchased the car used with 50K, now has 85K. Has 24 valve DOHC engine which is preferable and peppy. Gets low-mid 20 mph in commuter driving and mid-high 20 mph on road trips. Best mph has been 29 and worst 20. Good drive train and suspension, rides well on all road surfaces/at all speeds. Has a tight body but some moderate road noise. The only issue Ive had is with the rebuilt front disc brakes which is more of a parts supplier/mechanic issue than car issue. Great handling and fun to drive car. Bought it for commuting but found it was a good over the road car too.

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  Excellent!!! - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Bridget_73000 - May 11 - 10:00 am

  Extra comfortable, Half luxury, High Reliability.

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  Love it! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By brittany - May 10 - 5:26 pm

  Ive had my Cougar for 2yrs now and Im at 85000 miles. I love this car. I love the way it looks and the way it drives. Ive put a few performance things on it such as a cold air intake and a muffler and am hoping to get it tuned very soon because it is running lean. Ive had not problems as far a reliability and performance. I get what I expect from my care everytime I step on the gas. I think it is the best car Ive ever owned and wish they would make another one with maybe a bigger engine. I dont think Ill be getting another car until this one is completely gone. I will do anything to keep it as long as possible.

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  Best american car made - 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By bigdave40 - May 10 - 4:27 am

  i used to own a 2000 merury grand marquis , i bought the car with 304,000 miles for $1500. i drove the car for almost 3 years untill my daughter had an accident in it and totalled it with 342,000 miles on it . i felt confident that the car was gonna roll 500,000 miles with ease.it still didnt use any oil or leak it and the transmission shifted like new . so two days ago i traded my junky 2005 dodge magnum sxt for abeautiful 03 mgm ls, 77,000 miles ,leather beautiful garaged kept 2 owner car. i am so happy to be back in the comfort and dependability of mercury. this car is like new . i love the mercury grand marquis ls ,

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By mm2003 - May 9 - 10:00 am

  An EXCELLENT family car with power and performance.

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  Middle Age - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Andy Peclet - May 9 - 10:00 am

  Middle aged means you have been around long enough to drive cool cars. Could this be all that Mercury says? Answer YES! The first time my fat middle aged butt hit the seat I knew. Hit the key and the beast comes to life. Get salesman in car and advise to stay calm. This is not grandma going to bingo. The urge hits. Mash the peddle and the Maurader roars to life. At a buck 20 the salesmans pacemaker starts to fail, back to the showroom to sign some paper. Turn heads you bet. Fun car yep. Great job Mercury. Adding an addtional 60 HP with the new chip it even gets better. If you got one enjoy it. If you want one get it. If you dont like em tough #!%&.

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  99 Cougar V6 - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By JP - May 9 - 10:00 am

  Great car, fun to drive and sporty. Great for commuting and pleasure driving. No problems.

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  Sable is just fine - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By carmen - May 9 - 10:00 am

  Nice car - not great on gas in the city, but very good on the hi-way.

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  Over All Evaluation - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Paul5577 - May 9 - 3:53 am

  This is the third Grand Marquis that Ive owned. The reason... I cant find another auto that comes close to delivering the bang for my buck. The engine is strong and the Premium ride is that of a Town Car, of which I possess as well. Solid built, comfortable ride, dependable and not to mention big enough to sit across from another person without rubbing shoulders. Paul

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  First FoMoCo product in many years - 2010 Mercury Milan
  By winter2 - May 8 - 2:15 am

  Purchase our 2010 Milan Premier as an executive car after my Jeep Liberty diesel lost a rod. Still fighting with Chrysler. Overall, the Milan is surprisingly comfortable and quiet on the road. Fuel economy is good getting in the upper 20s commuting and in the low 30s on long trips. Engine power is adequate but lacks the torque of my Jeep (miss that). Engine noise is very subdued while cruising. Have had issues with Sync as the voice commands refused to work. Three visits to the dealer plus a visit from a Ford engineer finally got it fixed (broken wire). Fit and finish good be a bit better as some body panels are not aligned as well as they could be.