2006 Mercury Grand Marquis

The twenty-six year old Grand Marquis, after a number of upgrades and makeovers, remains Mercury's best selling car. Based on the venerable Ford Crown Victoria, both cars are throwbacks to the era when the American highway cruiser ruled the roads in America.

With its V8 automatic, rear wheel drive, seating for six adults, cavernous trunk, and land barge handling, the Grand Marquis has only cosmetic revisions for 2006: a new grille, front fascia, and headlights, new 16-inch, spoked aluminum wheels, and some new interior features on the LS trim line.

With its 212 inches overall length, riding on a 114.6-inch wheelbase, the Grand Marquis has earned five-star safety ratings for the past ten years. Reviewers recommend the optional 239-hp V8, available with the LS trim line, which includes the handling package: a different rear-axle ratio for better acceleration, rear stabilizer, rear air suspension (a self-leveling system), and aluminum wheels; and the traction control option for snow country.

These options help, but do not overcome the car's barge-like handling. The Grand Marquis adequately handles round the town jaunts hauling the kids sports equipment one owner commented that he found the Grand Marquis a better option for his family than a mini-van. An adequate highway cruiser in small doses, reviewers and some owners faulted the bolster-less seats for fatigue after three hours of steady driving. Other owners liked the floating, large car feeling comparing it to Cadillac and Lincoln rides. Reviewers, however, were not so easily impressed.

Neither were they impressed with the average 17 mpg, though one owner claimed 26-27 mpg on the highway. While owners enjoyed the interior roominess for six adults and large trunk, others cited the interior's poor ergonomics, lackluster sound system, and wind noise. One owner's son summed up the Grand Marquis when he equated the driving experience to being the captain of the starship Enterprise - ah, the good old days.