anyone who says that merc will be saved should read this as the last nail in its coffin. This wil leave them with the mariner, millan, and mountaineer. Sad, I like the styling of the sable better then the taurus.

 

Yep--my parents just purchased a Sable a few weeks ago. The styling differences are nicer on the Sable. The back LED lights are pretty cool. Oh well at least they will be able to find theirs in the parking lot.

 

Bummer....the first gen Sable blew me away with its sleek jelly bean styling and futuristic light bar front end.

 

Mountaineer is dead in the summertime.

Mercury will be a 2 model brand for a year - just like Buick was before Enclave.

The new models are coming - but as I said - this is Mercury's last chance .. if they cannot use it as a test bed for some non-treditional EU models (S-max) - Mercury is gone.

Igor

 

That's what they said about Saturn and look what might happen to them now!

 

Wow, didn't realize they were still making Mercuries/Mercurys?

What's a Taurus X?

Seriously, YAWN.

Hey, what is the Sable named after? The little critter used in fur coats, the antelop or the fish?

 

I thought the Taurus X was dead already. And to me Mercury's been on borrowed time for along time. The difference between Buick and Mercury is, Cadillac is further up the food chain than Lincoln. Also the CTS and STS are RWD, while Buick remains FWD. Add to that the huge styling differences that exist with Buick and Cadillac and are NOT there with Mercury and Lincoln (or Ford itself, for that matter) and Mercury has been redundant for some time now. As I said before, Ford killed Mercury in Canada 8 or 9 years ago and guess what...nobody noticed. It'sll be similar when it happnes in the US.

 

No Mercury dealers in Canada.

 

I wonder if this will change with Mercury's new direction, especially as small cars seem to have greater acceptance up there.

 

Only Avis, Budget, National, and Hertz will notice.

.

 

:lmao:

 

Ford never did right by these cars, which are quality products. The Freestyle/Taurus X, if done right from the beginning (with sharper styling and the correct powerplant right off the bat) could have obviated the need for both the Flex and the Edge. In many ways (less weight, better dynamics) it is superior to those vehicles. I know people will argue that they don't overlap- but there aren't that many ways to slice this particular pie IMHO. The Edge fills a rapidly shrinking niche, and the Flex should have been a quality minivan. Honda and Toyota are making do quite nicely without so many "crossovers."

As for the Sable, both it and the Taurus look a good deal worse than the original Five Hundred/Montego IMHO. Both feature gaudy chrome accents, huge wheel well gaps (esp. in AWD models- noticeably worse than the FH/Montego) and front ends that look tacked on (which they were) rather than integrated with the design.

An object lesson on why it is important to get a vehicle completely right at launch.

 

Honda and Toyota are making do quite nicely without so many "crossovers."

Honda
CR-V
Element
Odessey
Pilot
Ridgeline

Toyota
Rav 4
Venza
FJ Cruiser
Highlander
Sienna
4Runner
Sequoia
Land Cruiser

Ya, they hardly have any. Especially Toyota.

Ford
Escape
Edge
Flex
Taurus X (dead)
Explorer
Expedition

 

Mercury is getting a compact car, sub compact car, C-Max, S-Max, and Capri (if built in Europe).

 

The writings on the wall. Mercury is on its last days. Grand Marquis is dead, Sable...

 

The Grand Marquis will not die it's to good!
(my 99 has 200k drives like new)

 

If anything, Merciry is getting new life, and not just rebadges. The upscale Focus, C-Max and other vehicles fit in with the urban contemporary image that it's been working on.

 

I just don't understand the need for the division. We haven't had Mecury here in Canada for years and don't miss it.

 

Sable is no suprise since its been leaked that Mercury will be a small car division so not to overlap with Lincoln. And based on the spy photos, Taurus X will get a Lift kit a set of new fenders and an Explorer emblem for 2011.

 

Too bad.. I like the Sable.. I think between it and the Milan, it got lost. It was kinda tall, too - I'm not sure how well that went over without being a Crossover SUV.

 

Its sad but if i didnt know about the other vehicles coming into the mercury lineup from the euro portfolio it would be more sad.

I've never owned a mercury but I have alot of respect for Ford keeping them and hopefully doing a total restructure.

 

I'd love it if they'd take the current stunning Mondeo and skillfully work in a lightbar front end in homage to the original Sable and call it a Sable.

 

It cannibalizes the MKz especially when shown in the same showroom.

 

everyone saw this coming.. useless

 

It's a shame the Taurus X/Freestyle never sold in numbers. I really like the quasi-station wagon styling, and it's the ONE Ford product I would definitely own.

What a pity.

 

We love ours. You can get one used cheap for several more years to come. You could probably buy one "New" in eighteen months in some parts of the country.

 

I think the future of Mercury is still nebulous and depends largely on the economic climate. Mercury's new product mission has been dubbed as premium small car, which probably means it will offer products that don't overlap with Lincoln. Lincoln is expanding its roll and will carry enough market share to keep dealers viable, but Mercury currently serves a valuable roll in the Ford customer portfolio which will likely be absorbed by Lincoln and Ford. I don't know how much farther Mercury's product expansion will go beyond the one promised C-segment product. I suspect the ultimate goal is to do without Mercury and get down to Ford and Lincoln.

One thing is for sure, Mercury is profitable and a stabilizing force under the Lincoln brand, there no benefit to closing it up right now. However, when it comes to shuttering brands, this is the best way to do it.

 

I hope that a crucial aspect of Mercury's role in the Ford family is to offer stylish unique cars that are NOT rebadged US Fords.

 

Not a big surprise... Ford never had confidence in the Freestyle, even if it is much nicer, appears more practical and uses less fuel than the shed-shaped Edge. That's too bad, it could have started the renaissance of the station wagon in the US, now it's up to some other automaker to exploit the opportunity (listening GM?)

The Sable was good as Montego - while the 500 was a smack in the face of Ford (should've been a RWD Ford Falcon or Fairlane or both), the Montego was just what a large Mercury should be.

This does indeed seem like another step in the "killing Mercury softly" plan by A. Mullaly, though it is not entirely out of sync with the "Merc as small car brand" thing. Time will tell...

 

Mercury can survive if Ford is willing to commit to it. I recently bought a Mariner Premier for my wife and she loves it. Now with another of Chicago's infamous snowy winters beginning, she's enjoying it even more. It's loaded with options including V6 engine, 4WD, heated leather seats, sunroof, and satellite/CD stereo. This is our third Mercury; our two previous cars (a Topaz and a Marauder) were both incredibly reliable vehicles.

A close friend of mine has a similar Escape. While mechanically identical, the Ford is clearly aimed more at the male buyer and the Mercury the female. The details on the Ford make it look more rugged while the Mercury's are classier and more upscale. Ford has done a good job of separating the two by marketing them differently. Much the same could be said about the Fusion/Milan twins. Apart from those two car models, though, Ford needs to separate these two brands much, much more. I had hoped the Taurus X would be dropped from the Ford line and redone for Mercury as the replacement or the Mountaineer. With Lincoln coming out with the MKT soon, Ford would need to market them to different buyers. For the same reason, Mercury needs to differentiate the Milan from the MKZ if they are to be continued to be sold on the same showroom floor, especially since you can now get the 3.5L V6 in the Mercury. Perhaps Milan could be marketed as sportier than the luxurious Lincoln by offering it as a two door, too. An upscale compact with a hybrid drivetrain optional would be a great idea as well.

 

especially since you can now get the 3.5L V6 in the Mercury. Perhaps Milan could be marketed as sportier than the luxurious Lincoln by offering it as a two door, too. An upscale compact with a hybrid drivetrain optional would be a great idea as well.

Actually the '10 Milan just has the duratec 30 with 240 HP like the regular non sport Fusion. In fact, its the only car without the option of Duratec 35 out of the cd3 triplets, kind of a shame. Thank god Ford didnt give a hybrid version to the MKZ, that would kill the Milan and Mercury.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens to the Crown Vic and GM in the next few years, If Chrysler merges/dies then the Charger could possible die off as well leaving the CV as pretty much the only game in town for cops again.

 

A car cant just keep on being built for just Police and taxis, its not a money maker...as Hudson proved back in the 80s.

 

I can see NYC's taxi fleets taking to a taxi version of the E7 in droves...

I wouldn't be that sure...

 

http://www.lincoln.com/towncar/home.asp
http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/grandmarquis/

Take a look Uzzy

 

I know, I know. I went to Lincoln's site. I also know I read somewhere the Town Car was dead sometime in 2008. I guess not. Or maybe it's a zombie!

 

no, it will be around till 2012.

 

There are really no reasons for them to discontinue it, they sell a decent amount of cop cars every year still and all at pure profit as there are practically no marketing costs associated with the CV and tooling and design costs were paid off a long while ago.