Hello New York, goodbye Mercury.
Our first visit to the Big Apple and the Broadway musical “Mamma Mia” gave us cause, also, for a last drive in a 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis.
The outdated Grand Marquis, for which production has ended, was the choice for driving away from the city and enjoying the beauty of the Southold, Long Island, area.
Seven others – Kim Parker, Kurt and Tammy Wells, Bill and Kathy Allen and Brent and Tina Wells – joined Jan and me for the NYC visit, so we used a Dodge Charger in addition to the Mercury to carry us out there, then several days later back to LaGuardia Airport and the flight home.
My focus, though, was the Grand Marquis, since Ford Motor Co. officials recently chose to shut down the Mercury brand after more than 70 years.
I hadn’t driven a Mercury since October 2008, when I reviewed a Mariner Hybrid, so it was appropriate to make this one a “last show” for the Grand Marquis.
The Grand Marquis, which has changed little through the years, remains a six-passenger four-door, with lots of interior space and a luggage capacity of 20.6 cubic feet. We tested the cavernous cargo area, especially after genealogy, winery and shopping stops swelled our luggage for the drive back to the airport.
The Mercury was the LS Ultimate Edition, with a relatively reasonable $32,225 sticker price, since the vehicle had no sunroof, navigation system or satellite radio.
The rear-drive model, which has been around for more than 30 years, is big and roomy with soft leather seats and still some float in its ride. More modern cars have gone to much stiffer chassis and crisper handling.
Many observers associate the 212-inch-long Mercury to police cruisers, for which the Grand Marquis and its sister car, the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, have long been a major producer.
The Grand Marquis’ 224-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8 engine, not particularly powerful, performs fairly smoothly with its 4-speed automatic transmission. It requires a wide turning space, more than 40 feet. The big vehicle has rated five stars in government crash and rollover tests.
In addition to the leather seats, a long list of standard equipment includes automatic on/off headlamps, foglamps, exterior keypad entry, automatic climate control, cruise control, rear air suspension, auto-dimming rearview mirror, 40/20/40 split front bench seat and AM/FM/CD audio. Also on the review model were 17-inch chromed aluminum wheels, leather/wood steering wheel, heated front seats and power adjustable pedals.
The drives to and from LaGuardia, around Southold and into the Hamptons averaged 20.6 miles per gallon of regular fuel, almost 2 mpg short of the average by the V-6-powered Dodge Charger.
Notes from e-mail
Q: Bud, with the planned phaseout of the Mercury brand by the end of the current model year in mind, here is a recollection of some distinctive Mercury models:
Best – The 1968 Mercury Cougar, their first pony car, which still has a great cult following today.
Wildest – Might this be the 1957 Turnpike Cruiser, with slanted retractable rear window? No other automobile in that period had such innovative lines and features.
Segment leader – Back when Mercury sales topped 650,000 per year (1974-78), many people liked the Monterey and Marquis Brougham models.
Small surprise – The new Mercury Tracer, helped by Mazda and assembled in Mexico, 1988-90.
Unexpected – Since Mercury never did have a minivan, it bought a package from Nissan and called it the Villager in the mid-1990s.
Good job – When new midsize models were trumpeted by all nameplates, Mercury brought out several nice designs in its 1965-67 Comet and then Cyclone high-performance models. – T.B.
A: Thanks, Torrey, your retro ramblings are always appreciated.
Q: Bud, I got a kick from last week’s e-mail about cupholders and it reminded me of the time my wife and I spent three weeks in Hawaii. We were disappointed that the rental company had no convertible for us, but instead gave us a Chevrolet Classic (an old-style Malibu). My wife was very unhappy that the new car had only one cupholder, and talked of this as we rode around in the morning with our coffee cups and later in the day with our sodas. Last week’s e-mail got me to thinking though that I should have realized that I had a car designed for driving. It makes sense that fewer cupholders mean the more a car is for serious driving. I should have been seriously challenging every curve in the road. – R.R.
A: Have another cup of coffee, Ray.
2010 Mercury Grand Marquis
$32,225
(price as tested)
MPG City 16 Highway 24
Vehicle type: Full-size sedan
Wheelbase: 114.6 inches
Length/Width/Height: 212/78.3/56.3 inches
Weight: 4,117 pounds
Engine: 4.6-liter V-8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Fuel mileage: 20.6 mpg
Fuel tank: 19 gallons
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic; 5/60,000 powertrain
Competitors: Buick Lucerne, Chrysler 300, Toyota Avalon
Built at: St. Louis, Mo.
THE STICKER
$29,935 base
$695 17-inch chromed aluminum wheels
$300 leather/wood steering wheel
$295 heated front seats
$875 Destination
PLUSES
Roomy 6-passenger interior
Luggage space
Soft ride
MINUSES
Outdated styling
Outdated mechanical
Outdated performance
