Chat Transcript

<moderator_kh>: Welcome to tonight's chat at Edmunds.com. Tonight we welcome Steve Babcock, Mercury Marauder Program Manager to answer your questions about the 2003 Mercury Marauder. Welcome, Steve!

<moderator_kh>: So, the Marauder is back. Can you tell us a little bit about what's new?

<steve_babcock>: It's an all black big four door sedan with 302 HP, 318 ftlb of torque, big wheels and tires, big exhaust pipes, bucket seats, floor shifter and a lot of other goodies...

<03marauder>: So Steve, I've read car reviews on the MM, and the 0-60 times tend to very form 6.7 - 7.5 seconds. Who are we to belive?

<steve_babcock>: Well 03, you've probably seen some car mag articles. And those, in particular Car and Driver, got an early non-production car that was VERY green - not broken in yet. Now you'll find that the cars will vary quite a bit depending on test procedures, but we've been using the NHRA method and we've been getting in the high 6's and in some cases with a broken in engine - over 5000 miles - you could see some cars approaching the mid 6's

<chrispotash>: Will there be different standard options packages available? IE an "LS" version, "GT" version, etc? It already seems pretty souped up to me, just wondering...

<steve_babcock>: Chris... the Marauder is pretty well loaded and I can tell you the content if you wish... but there are only two options right now: a 6 CD changer and a trunk organizer. By the way there's a single CD in the radio standard. In about 6 months, trax control will be standard, and we'll offer an optional moon roof and heated seats.

<steve_babcock>: Oh by the way you can also get a deck lid spoiler from our dealers!

<whitesvtcobra>: Are there any plans to have any "feature" Marauders (such as Bullitt and Mach 1 Mustangs)? Also, are there plans to offer the 6-speed ZF automatic as an option at some point?

<steve_babcock>: No plans at this time white svt, but we're always looking at new ideas. To be quite frank we would not divulge new product beyond the next six months.

<thegreatjd>: I was disappointed with the transmission choice. Are there any plans to offer a 5-sp auto (like in the Mountaineer) or the 6-sp manual that was in the Cougar? I know the 4-sp upshifts like crazy to maintain mileage, but a manual trans would do wonders for mileage and performance.

<steve_babcock>: tjd... you think the same way we do. A lot of us are hot rodders, and we'd LOVE to put in a manual... but we're anticipating this to be a niche product at 18,000 units per year. In our discussion with 100's of customers at different shows, we anticipate we could probably only sell upwards of 3,000 manuals...

<scotfox>: I'm a little disappointed with the hp output of this "special" edition, the 4.6 dohc has been making 300 hp for quite a while. Why no more?

<steve_babcock>: scot... this engine was geared more towards torque. The cam shafts were chosen to improve the low end. We tried to suit the engine to the vehicle; we tried to keep it from being a guzzler and get as much out of the engine as we could.

<scotfox>: Any plans for forced induction?

<steve_babcock>: No plans at this time, but we are always looking at ways to improve our cars...

<kludge>: What's the current production pace, units per hour?

<steve_babcock>: 6 jobs per hour, kludge

<steve_babcock>: BTW, back to the forced induction, we understand that Kenny Brown and MacLaren are looking at doing Marauder supercharger kits...

<scott164>: Steve, I have some concerns about the ALL aluminum engine that I hope you can put to rest. Will electrolysis cause bolts to seize in the aluminum? Will the different expansion rates of an aluminum block and steel cylinder sleeves be a problem? Will the engine be durable. SVT had to go to a cast iron block on the 2003 Mustang Cobra, and blew up 8 of those before getting it right.

<steve_babcock>: Well scott, we passed all of our durability tests. We have several vehicles at Ford with all aluminum engines, and this particular engine and it's predecessors have been in production for over a decade. The 2003 Cobra is supercharged very high output engine which far exceeds the Marauder cylinder pressures.

<drivinisfun>: Steve, I have 3 questions. What are the key differences between the stock Grand Marquis and the Marauder? Also, are you guys over at Ford worried about the upcoming Australian-derived 2004 Pontiac GTO Coupe, perhaps priced lower? Finally, don't you think a price tag of $35K puts the Marauder out the reach of its intended market audience? You are competing with serious Iron from Germany and Japan at that price bracket. Your thoughts?

<steve_babcock>: drivin, there are major differences... go to mercuryvehicles.com for a better look. Keep in mind the GTO is a smaller car- 2 door - we're not worried. As far as price, there's no comparable car in the Japanese or German market giving the value.

<scotfox>: Has this car been truly tuned to work as a package, IE spring and anti roll bar rates, shock valving, gear selection, torque conv., etc, or is this just another Grand Marquis with a little more power, and a bunch of cosmetics and name brand gauges, and if your answer is yes, can you give us some specifics as to the suspension changes we can look forward to.

<steve_babcock>: It's NOT another Grand Marquis... everything you have mentioned is unique and has been tuned specifically for Marauder. You might want to read Car & Driver... "No component, engine tires, suspension, steering or brakes overwhelms any other" in the July issue... "It's near perfect balance"

<paul555>: When will a color other than Black be available and what other colors will be available?

<steve_babcock>: We're looking at dark blue pearl...what colors are you all looking at? We like your input

<scotfox>: White w/ blackout kit, grey interior

<steve_babcock>: Come on folks here's your chance to tell us directly

<paul555>: Black is no good in Phoenix

<kludge>: red is good

<paul555>: ditto on the red

<thegreatjd>: white would look awful...perhaps silver or red

<scotfox>: 2002 mustang silver would be cool

<babicka>: Vivid red or british racing green!

<jimmyj1945>: Must have light colors in the south: Silver etc...

<scotfox>: too big for red

<steve_babcock>: We're tallying this!

<kludge>: too small for green

<scotfox>: NO GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<babicka>: Also t-bird yellow would look good!

<scotfox>: too big for yellow

<steve_babcock>: Would you like a white monochromatic with white wheels?

<thegreatjd>: no

<scotfox>: NO MONO

<interestedguy>: silver

<jimmyj1945>: The only reason I will not buy now is Black is Crazy in the Texas Heat!!!!

<thegreatjd>: white would look really really bad

<scotfox>: white, blackout, polished wheels

<drivinisfun>: Steve how about that beautiful Monochromatic dark burgundy found in the 94-96 Impala SS?

<babicka>: No white ambulance color please!

<drivinisfun>: I Vote for Silver or Dark Burgundy

<scotfox>: ambulances aren't white where I come from

<interestedguy>: dark electric blue

<jimmyj1945>: Silver on Silver WOW!

<thegreatjd>: perhaps a tan

<kludge>: burgundy is cool

<scotfox>: grandma tan... dark dark blu would be cool

<babicka>: Ford500 blue would be nice too!

<chrispotash>: silver

<steve_babcock>: OK... thanks for the input... now we'll get back to YOUR questions

<hildman>: I was really looking forward to the hard top until the convertible showed up on your website. How are the plans coming on it? I am ready to buy the first one.

<steve_babcock>: At this point we believe we'd rather spend our money on Marauder improvements... but we'd all love to do that... never say never! Everyone here would LOVE to do the convertible... we're not nuts!

<bracketbomber>: When will I be able to take delivery of my Marauder? Also, does it have a steel crank or cast? Forged or cast pistons? And, would a Cobra supercharger be a direct bolt-on?

<steve_babcock>: Official intro of the car is July 1. We shipped the first ones this past weekend, on June 1.

<steve_babcock>: At this point I'd like our Roush program manager Greg White to answer these: Marauder uses a cast crank shaft which is acceptable for cylinder pressures and max RPM of the engine, cast hyper-eutetic pistons, and the Cobra supercharger would not be a direct bolt on.

<stevencory1>: Hi Steve, Steve Cory from Chapel Hill, NC here...Nice 1st name :) My dealer Michael Jordan Lincoln Mercury in Durham, NC states the price will be $35,994. Does this include the CD and Trunk Organizer..I don't know? Is June 20th a pipe dream... will it be ready?

<steve_babcock>: Steve, the dealer would be your best contact on what is included in that price - per Phillip Smoker, our brand manager!

<stevencory1>: Do you suggest the synthetic type oil and when should I add it mileage-wise?

<steve_babcock>: Greg says there's no reason to use synthetic. Follow your owner's manual for fluids and service intervals. We don't recommend synthetics, sometimes they weep through the seals. There's no reason with the modern electronics to use synthetics.

<gsmith12>: Hello Steve, as an owner of a mint 1997 SHO, I was wondering if there was more in the way of handling or acceleration performance over my SHO?

<steve_babcock>: gsmith, I never owned or worked on an SHO, but we are definitely faster and can out corner the SHO... the handling balance will certainly be better.

<babicka>: Steve will the Marauder help to increase GM sales?

<steve_babcock>: We know it will increase mercury sales... but keep in mind the Marauder is not a Grand Marquis!

<moderator_kh>: Get a look at the new Marauder: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/firstlook/articles/46797/article.html

<tomcpa>: It sounds like production of the convertible is still questionable. Will there be any sales incentives on the Marauder (I have one year left on an LS lease)

<steve_babcock>: We are not starting work on the convertible in the foreseeable future... we will revisit it down the road.

<steve_babcock>: The incentive is a go fast car! A well balanced go fast car.

<steve_babcock>: If you can give us your email here we can contact you. We'll ask you in a private message.

<steve_babcock>: Yes.. I'm the prog manager for Marauder , Grand Marquis, and Crown Victoria specialty vehicles

<03marauder;: Are we going to see a FMC sponsered aftermarket accessories for the MM such as God's Head logos, and other performance parts?

<steve_babcock>: 03, yes! We have a complete merchandise catalog ready to go. We will be expending on that... we will be posting to the mercuryvehicles.com site. We have provided a couple of cars to aftermarket suppliers to develop components.

<hernman>: Oakville, Ontario Canada here. What are feelings on anticipated reliability and durability? I own a 95 SHO and have had to put a lot of maintenance to keep it where it should be (like new). Any idea when my order will be hitting the Canadian border?

<steve_babcock>: Durability and reliability... we've made great strides in the last few years. Our cars are designed to go 150,000 miles minimum... our internal requirements for durability keep getting more and more stringent.

<steve_babcock>: Ford of Canada cars production will start this November and include traction control standard, as well as engine heater. Expect to see them in Canadian showrooms in December.

<rehl>: At 18000 a year, are you expecting large dealer premiums?

<steve_babcock>: I certainly hope not... our suggested MSRP is $34495 which includes $700 shipping and a $300 Marauder black leather jacket.

<steve_babcock>: This was a lot of fun tonight... and for all of you whose questions we could not get to... you should call 888-566-8888, where you can speak to one of our personal consultants.

<steve_babcock>: Thanks for coming everyone!

<moderator_kh>: Thanks, Steve. We'll look forward to seeing the Marauder on showroom floors soon!

<moderator_kh>:

<moderator_kh>: Thanks to everyone for your great questions. Good night everyone, and drive safely!

<moderator_kh>: Stop by and join other Marauder enthusiasts in Town Hall!