The vultures have been circling the Lincoln camp for the last few years. The slow death of Lincoln’s companion make, Mercury, in 2011 certainly have given the critics a watchful eye. Lincoln executives hope to reverse that perception by giving journalists a peek today of the MKC concept. The MKC is a small crossover that Lincoln hopes will capture the hearts of those in the market for a small luxury utility vehicle. Ford executives promised that the 5 door crossover is a strong hint at a future production vehicle. We expect that this small Lincoln will be based on the platform used for the Ford Escape. With hints of Audi Q7 in the rear, and a muscular stance similar to the Range Rover Evoque, we think that Lincoln may be headed back in the right direction. The interior looks inspired by that of the new MKZ and features the distinctive pushbutton gear shift selector. While hardly groundbreaking, we think this glimpse at a future Lincoln looks promising and we dare anyone to tell us they knew it sprang from the bones of an Escape. Read more…
The demise of Mercury has had the auto world considering what went wrong with Ford’s mid-priced brand. While we recently shared our suggestions on which vehicles most contributed to Mercury’s demise, there were plenty of vehicles in the brand’s history that are worth celebrating. Never having owned a Mercury, one of my earliest tastes of automotive freedom was experienced from the passenger seat of a ’76 Montego that my high school buddy drove. The car had a power dome hood that stretched a good six feet ahead of the windshield, a one piece bench seat, AM radio, and the requisite full vinyl top – complete with opera windows. Though ragged and worn, that behemoth was our transportation many a Saturday night out with the guys. That Mercury dripped character from chromed bumper to chromed bumper. Like the Montego, Mercury produced several memorable cars over the years. Had Ford produced more vehicles like these, perhaps Mercury’s fate would have been different. Read more…
Now that Ford has made official what many had been predicting (hoping for?), the discontinuation of the Mercury brand demands some reflection on what went wrong. Ford launched Mercury in 1939 in order to bridge the gap between Ford and the Lincoln brand, which itself old Henry had purchased in 1922. This was a logical move considering that cross town rival General Motors had five car divisions producing six brands (Cadillac offered an entry level companion make called LaSalle from 1927-1940) in addition to the GMC Truck division. Read more…
Alright, I admit my lamenting over the loss of Mercury has led me to dig into the photo archives to dig up what we have on Ford’s middle brand. And what you see above is probably our favorite from the past 20 years. The 2003 Mercury Marauder. Available only in Henry’s favorite color (black) that year, the Marauder turned heads riding on 18″ chromed wheels. This Grand-Marquis-gone-midlife-crisis featured smoked head and taillamps, chromed dual exhaust tips and a unique 5-passenger seating arrangement complete with additional gauges and center console mounted shifter. Under the hood was a 32-valve 4.6L V8 producing 302-hp and 318 lb-ft of torque. The 4-speed auto that was coupled to this motor was a bit lazy and likewise the acceleration times, but this car’s token was its presence and an exhaust note that was piped right out of the ’60s.
Well, it is official. Ford Motor Company announced today that the Mercury brand will be phased out by the end of the 4th quarter this year. While we hate to see the brand go, none of us here in the AT garage could say that we didn’t see this coming. Ford has been limping the brand along on a life support of ancient Grand Marquis sedans and lightly re-trimmed Blue Oval cars for quite a while. Still, the news brings a tear to the eye. The bright side to this song of sorrow is that Fo Mo Co will be refocusing their efforts on Lincoln and promise seven new or heavily refreshed models will be brought to the lineup over the next four years. My vote is for a genuine CTS combatant and the dropping of the silly MK-whatchit nomenclature. But I digress. Our hearts are heavy tonight over the news that Mercury will soon be joining the Saturn and Pontiac brands at that showroom in the sky. Click through for a gallery of historical pics we dug up and remember the good times with us. Read more…
This may look like a mere Mercury twin to the Ford Freestlye, but the Meta One concept shown here at the 2005 NAIAS was a techno tour de force. Really! Under the hood was a PZEV-capable diesel hybrid powertrain. It was also Ford’s first public test bed for their Lane Departure Warning and Collision Mitigation by Braking safety systems.
Welcome back, all you journalism fans. It’s time for the lightning round in America’s hot new game show, “How to Review a Mercury.”
For the first question, pick how you’d describe the 2006 Mercury Milan.
Choice A: “It’s the best car Mercury’s made in years.”
Choice B: “It’s an overpriced Ford Fusion.”
Choice C: “Is Mercury still around?” Read more…
The Fusion Is Good, Are The Milan and Zephyr Better?
We have driven the Ford Fusion and formed a generally positive opinion about its fresh styling, 6-speed automatic and surprisingly good road manners. It’s a competitive car at its price point and they’ve been selling well-a rare piece of good news at Ford lately. Because we liked the base model so much, we skeptically asked ourselves why people would want to pay more for the Mercury or Lincoln version of the same car. We ordered up a sample of each and gave each car a week to convince us why it’s worth the premium. Read more…
