The 2003 Mercury Marauder is being touted as a return to the muscle car era.
The large rear-wheel-drive sedan revives a name from Mercury¹s past and is
in some ways reminiscent of a bygone era in which the company was a player.
Mercury has had its ups and downs, but more of the latter in recent years.
The brand had its best days during the 1950s and 1960s. Some of the cars
became legendary, particularly hot rods that were created from the low-slung
sinister coupes and convertibles of the early 1950s. Who can forget James
Dean and his sleek Mercury in Rebel Without a Cause?

But from the 1970s onward, Mercury faded and there has been industry
speculation that the brand would be marched out and shot, just as General
Motors has pulled the plug on its Oldsmobile division. But now the powers at
Ford are giving Mercury a little juice and the result is the 2003 Marauder,
available now as a sedan and in a few months as a convertible.

It has been more than 30 years since Mercury used the Marauder label. In the
muscle car era of the 1960s, the moniker was applied to full-sized cars
equipped with high-performance engines‹destined for the NASCAR circuit as
well as for consumer sales.

Here is an overview of a latter-day muscle car, American style.

Engine and transmission: A domestic sedan attempting to return to its
performance heritage had better have something special under the hood. And
the 302-horsepower V-8 delivers some kick. However, the engine is also asked
to push around a car weighing in excess of two tons. Performance is brisk,
but not exceptional. The zero to 60 miles-per-hour sprint has been clocked
in the 7.5-second range, which is no big deal. The engine, however, does
deliver big V-8 sounds and hits a number of musical notes as you accelerate
full-throttle from a stop to cruising speeds.

The four-speed automatic transmission displays an annoying ³hunting²
tendency in hill country or on mountain grades. As you accelerate, or even
try to maintain a constant speed on grade, the transmission constantly
shifts trying, we assume, to optimize fuel economy. The driver can minimize
this up-and-down shifting by pushing the overdrive lockout switch on the
gearshift lever, which prevents the transmission from shifting into fourth
gear. 

Ride, handling and brakes: Employing enhanced suspension, better shocks 
and beefier stabilizer bar, the Marauder package really shines when it comes to
handling. The Marauder employs sensitive rack-and-pinion steering as well
as18-inch wheels with wide sticky tires. The result is a quick, accurate
response as one turns the steering wheel into a curve. The car tracks
smoothly through a curve, maintaining its composure, even at high speeds.
Given capabilities of the engine and suspension, the brakes, however, need
additional improvement to match the car¹s performance.

Design: The Marauder¹s starting point is the chassis that undergirds both
the Mercury Grand Marquis and the Ford Crown Victoria. The latter seems to
be the vehicle of choice for uses such as police cars and taxicabs, since it
is the remaining large rear-wheel-drive platform made in America. The Grand
Marquis finds a home in retirement communities, as well as in executive
ranks. To give the Marauder more beef, Ford engineers stiffened the frame,
increasing torsional rigidity by 24 percent.

The styling of the Marauder is vintage large American sedan with110 cubic
feet of interior volume and 21 cubic feet of trunk space. The car gets a few
minor trim tweaks and is shod with incredibly shiny alloy wheels. In fact,
the wheels are the main visual note that distinguishes the Marauder from
other large Ford and Mercury sedans.

Interior:  The interior is also vintage American sedan, with a wide sweeping
dashboard that houses the controls for climate control and audio. The
standard gauges are replaced with new black-on-white dials that are
attractive and easy to read. The most disappointing aspect of the interior
is the seats, which have a spongy quality and lack the support now expected
in mid-range and luxury cars.

Value: It¹s hard to see the Marauder as a return to the pavement-shredding
era of the muscle car. Rather, it is something even more valuable, a truly
competent full-size American sedan. While no bargain, the Marauder adds
excitement to the Mercury line and is the best-handling large American car
on the current automotive scene.
 

 
Vehicle: Mercury Marauder
Price as tested: $34,495
Engine:
    Type: 4.6-liter V-8
    Horsepower: 302 @ 5,750 rpm
    Torque: 318 lb-ft @ 4,250 rpm
Fuel economy, automatic transmission
    City - 17 mpg
    Highway - 23 mpg
Curb Weight: 4,165 lbs.