Owners love ‘Old School’ Mercury Marquis

COURTESY OF FORD

The fourth and final generation of the Grand Marquis was readied for 2003, above is 2004. It was extensively redesigned and upgraded.

Mark Toljagic

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld did a bit about how people shrink as they grow older, yet, paradoxically, they would insist on driving bigger and bigger cars.

Last rides typically included the Buick Park Avenue, Cadillac Fleetwood and Mercury Grand Marquis — full-size, body-on-frame hulks that plied our streets, with turn indicators blinking, for decades.

One by one the stalwart nameplates fell by the wayside, victims of the shift towards fuel efficiency and environmental responsibility.

Sadly, Ford’s St. Thomas assembly plant near London will be shuttered in the third quarter of 2011, bringing to an end Ford’s troika of rear-drive dinosaurs: the Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car.

Let’s take one last look at the Grand Marquis, a car you can no longer buy new in Canada, but lingers in used-car inventories if you know where to look.

Spun off from the Marquis as a standalone car line in 1983, Mercury managed to resist marketing a “de Sade” trim line all these years.

It’s a joke as durable as the car.

CONFIGURATION

The contemporary Grand Marquis arrived in 1992 with soap-bar styling and a SOHC 4.6 L modular V8 under the hood in place of an ancient pushrod 5.0 L V8. It came only as a four-door sedan, the Park Colony eight-passenger station wagon having bitten the dust in 1991.

The sedan was updated for 1998 with some mild restyling and a Watt’s linkage added to the rear suspension to rein in axle hop and bump steer.

The fourth and final generation of the Grand Marquis was readied for 2003. It gained new headlight clusters and a larger grille, while new door panels, switchgear and an optional overhead console graced the cabin. Side airbags were also made available.

The car was extensively reworked under the skin. The frame was now hydroformed and fully boxed, more lively rack-and-pinion steering replaced the old recirculating-ball system, and the suspension and brakes were reworked.

A troublesome plastic intake manifold notorious for leaking coolant was replaced with an aluminum front coolant crossover that corrected the condition (it can be retrofitted on older 4.6 L engines dating back to 1996). An engine knock sensor was added, along with a higher-capacity oil pan.

Inside, the column shifter allowed the split front bench to accommodate three people in a pinch. The rear seat could likewise carry three, although the legroom was not as generous as one might expect, and the cushions were soft and flat.

One deviation can be found in the rare Mercury Marauder high-performance model that was sold briefly in 2003 and 2004. It featured front bucket seats and a floor shifter sprouting out of a centre console.

The Marauder’s big appeal was the double overhead-cam version of the 4.6 L V8, producing 302 hp and 318 lb.-ft. of torque. It used the police interceptor’s limited slip differential, 3.55 rear-axle ratio and aluminum driveshaft.

The regular Grand Marquis made do with the SOHC version of the same engine, making 239 hp and 282 lb.-ft. of torque (with dual exhaust) working through a four-speed automatic transmission.

For 2005 Ford introduced an electronic throttle control that incorporated a more accurate cruise control. The following year the car got a more rectangular grille and headlights, as well as a freshened interior.

ON THE ROAD

Keen to maintain its lucrative fleet sales to police forces and taxi/limousine operators, Ford continuously improved its Panther platform vehicles with benefits that accrued to the civilian Grand Marquis, too.

Despite having 239 hp on tap, the V8 could propel the weighty sedan to highway velocity in 7.9 seconds (the Marauder shaved a full second off that time).

Steering the Grand Marquis was like tending to a boat tiller to make frequent course corrections on the highway. The standard suspension was flaccid and introduced some body roll, while the upgraded performance suspension didn’t always absorb impact energy well.

One pleasant surprise has been the V8’s frugal ways with regular-grade gasoline.

“Average 22+ miles per gallon and over 28 mpg on long trips,” reported one owner, figures echoed in numerous other happy posts on the Web.

WHAT OWNERS REPORTED

Grand Marquis owners know what they like and aren’t short of praise for their ride.

“Simple, reliable, safe, comfortable, roomy, pleasant personality, V8 acceleration (it’s not an over-hyped V6), trouble-free mileage, smooth rider . . . I could go on,” boasted one driver.

The few reported reliability concerns include wonky air conditioners, bad radiator fans and wheel bearings, driveline vibration and a few transmission issues (in small numbers).

Some repeat owners did notice that newer models seemed to be de-contented, suggesting that road and wind noise were more pronounced, perhaps due to thinner window glass, less insulation and other cost-cutting measures.

Still, the Grand Marquis is a throwback time machine that works considerably better than a hot tub. It comes recommended.

We would like to know about your ownership experience with these models: Honda CR-V, BMW 6-series and Dodge Sprinter. Email: toljagic@ca.inter.net.

Mercury Marquis

WHAT’S BEST: roomy family hauler, humongous trunk, surprising fuel economy

WHAT’S WORST: old-school ride, tricky in snow, retiree magnet

TYPICAL GTA PRICES: 2003 - $9,000; 2007 - $18,000

More videos from Wheels.ca and our partners