5th Aug 2008, 14:44
These cars ARE dinosaurs. The engines are inefficient for their size (look what GM is doing with it's new trucks and see how good the mileage of their twice-as-heavy vehicles is). But I really don't think that this car symbolizes the industry anymore. This car badly needs a redesign, and is just a symptom of a car company that has become complacent with tactics and designs that worked a decade ago.
19th Sep 2008, 04:05
I've been following the comments here and even made a couple of them myself. Here's another... I just purchased a 2004 Grand Marquis LS and so far, I love it with one exception: the gas mileage isn't exactly what people claim these cars are capable of. But it is a big car, and I do have the optional 239 HP V8 with dual exhaust, so perhaps that makes a difference. The final drive ratio in mine might be different as well. I also have the optional performance suspension, which firms up the ride and improves the handling. The original reviewer wrote of imprecise steering, but mine is razor sharp if devoid of road feel. The rack and pinion steering that Ford started putting in these cars with the 2003 model year was definitely a worthwhile improvement.
16th Oct 2008, 03:33
I made the September 19th comment above... I LOVE my 2004 Grand Marquis so far. It turns out the highway gas mileage isn't so bad after all, if you know how to drive it. On a recent 217 mile round trip of mostly highway miles, I got 28 miles per gallon. Yes, you read that right: 28 miles per gallon! The trick though, is to accelerate gently and stay at the posted speed limit (which for my trip was 55 miles per hour). Setting the cruise helps. In combined city and highway mileage (about 50% of each), I average 20-21 miles per gallon.
3rd Dec 2008, 08:48
How can half of the world save fuel and reduce c02 pollution if the other half is proud of having cars that burn 16l/100km :O.
It's ridiculous and people are finally opening their eyes, just see the GM company begging dollars from the government.
In Europe, taking the example of the new Scirocco we have a 1.4 engine 160Hp and a 2.0 200Hp with a medium fuel consumption of 7.5l/100km, this is innovation, technology and fuel efficiency.
Please adapt and adjust, thank you.
3rd Jan 2009, 23:55
Take a look at the Europeans with their big gasoline powered VW Touaregs and BMW X5, plus S series Mercedes Benz, and OK they have diesel power too, but at the rate they drive in Germany and the UK, their diesels cannot be economical.
If you're worried about climate change, look back thousands of years ago; did man have jumbo jets then or polluting factories in Asia producing everything for your green lifestyle?
6th Jan 2009, 05:00
Saudi Arabia is where the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis are at their best. Statistically speaking, this country probably has more of these two models (per capita) than any other place on Earth. Even most of the used cars of both makes end up in Saudi Arabia. But why? It's not because fuel is cheap (which it really is!) - it's because these vehicles are so unbelievably reliable. Hot or cold - they just start up and keep running. It's not uncommon to see a million plus kilometers (sometimes even miles) on their odometers.
Then it's their space and comfort - seat six full-sized adults in it comfortably and the A/C cools them all down even when the temp outside is a blistering 55 degrees Centigrade!
Last but not least, they are safe - I know friends who have walked out of these cars after being in accidents where both vehicles involved were traveling in excess of 80 km/hr. Parts are cheap, so even totaled cars find their way back on the road.
Kudos to the people at Ford who designed these cars and built so much reliability into them. I live close to St. Thomas (Ontario) where these cars are built - it would indeed be a shame to see their production stopping.
As for the new models from Ford & Mercury, all I can say is that "they just don't build them like they used to".
6th Jan 2009, 12:01
Hell yeah man way to go! I'm am 19 and the very proud owner of a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria. It makes me proud to see someone else who shows respect for these cars. They are superior to Japanese garbage in every aspect! And as for the Fusion and Taurus: those front wheel drive unibody Japanese wannabees are garbage and could never be considered a worthy replacement to the mighty Panther platform.
16th Jan 2009, 14:47
My first car was a 1994 Ford Crown Victoria, which is the practically identical Ford version of the Grand Marquis. It was big, outdated and clumsy, but it was also the best car I've ever owned. Durable as a tank, amazing gas mileage and cruising ability for a V8, and extremely reliable with almost 230000 miles on it. These cars aren't for everyone, that's for sure, but they are definitely one-of-a-kind!
10th Aug 2009, 19:51
My 27 year old son has just returned to the U.K. after spending two weeks with us in Ontario. During his stay, he drove our 1997 Grand Marquis with 250,000 miles on the clock. I'm used to Brits moaning about North American cars - behemoths, lack of handling, gas guzzlers etc. I call it the "great divide". At the end of his stay, my son grudgingly admitted what a comfortable, powerful and safe ride the Mercury was. He was also amazed that it drove and looked so good with so many miles on the clock and could average 30 mpg. Everything is perspective.
15th Oct 2009, 05:56
You don´t say true. I live in Czech republic and I am one of few people who drive big American sedan (Oldsmobile Delta 88 - 1985). I know German turbodiesel engines; while the output of these engines is good enough, these engines have no torque in low rpm, these engines are lazy against American V8´s. Turbos on these turbo diesel engines is often faulty and is very expensive.
That's not all, sometimes they blow out coil suspension springs at these crappy VW cars. Seats in the Passat are like benches, hard and uncomfortable. Seats in American cars are like chairs.
Suspension in German cars is horribly hard, engine roar inside Volkswagen cabin is terrible.
Grand Marquis is body on frame construction, no German car has body on frame, German cars have crappy frameless chassis.
27th Apr 2008, 23:29
To 2nd April @ 22:41...
Not all of the Panther platform cars were built in Canada. All of the current ones are and have been for some years to the best of my knowledge, but my wife and I owned a 1984 2 door Mercury Grand Marquis and I know for certain it was built in the U.S. The VIN on ours started with the number "1", which denotes a U.S. made vehicle; VIN numbers starting with the number "2" denote Canadian built vehicles. Incidentally, this numbering system is universal, not unique to Ford. Back in those days, they were built simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada. Just wanted to clarify that point.