Defining Mercury

[Sully008]

From bon.com:

http://blueovalnews.com/2005/products/mehta.definingmercury11mar5.ht m

Interesting reading on the Panther platform halfway down.

[BillyGman]

They will never draw my business with any AWD cars. That's for sure!!!

[metroplex]

If Ford mades an AWD car like a turbocharged AWD Focus or a turbocharged/supercharged AWD 500 (or just use a real V8 w/ displacement) that has a strong AWD drivetrain, I'd buy one.

They come up with the stupidest ideas. I wonder if the marketing geniuses sit around the water cooler thinking of ways to screw up a good idea. "AWD, nice looking platform... let's gut the powertrain!!!!!!!!! yeah customers love slow cars"

Meanwhile, imports and the rest of the Big 3 are making cars faster and faster.

[Sully008]

If Ford mades an AWD car like a turbocharged AWD Focus or a turbocharged/supercharged AWD 500 (or just use a real V8 w/ displacement) that has a strong AWD drivetrain, I'd buy one.

They come up with the stupidest ideas. I wonder if the marketing geniuses sit around the water cooler thinking of ways to screw up a good idea. "AWD, nice looking platform... let's gut the powertrain!!!!!!!!! yeah customers love slow cars"

Meanwhile, imports and the rest of the Big 3 are making cars faster and faster.

I agree. Ford does make an AWD Focus for WRC, using the Turbocharged 2.0L Cosworth engine. 300 Hp. Too bad that will never be available.

I don't understand how Ford thinks people don't want some power under their foot. Most, if not all cars in the CV/GM heck even Taurus range are well above the mediocre 202 hp that the 500/Montego get. Not to mention the paltry 239 hp from the 4.6L. Heck most of the imports get more than that from a V6!!

History tends to repeat itself, and it looks like everyone sees the big car, big power making a comeback. Well, everyone except Ford...

[dwasson]

Good article. It looks like Ford's customers know what they want and Ford has decided that they are not going to get it.

[BillyGman]

(or just use a real V8 w/ displacement) , I'd buy one.

Now you're talking.......DITTO!!!

[wsmylie]

Interesting reading sully008, thought it brought up some good points concerning L-M vs Ford marketing. Thanks for posting.
BTW, I realize "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and all that, but....always felt the Sables were overdone and hence kind of unattractive styling-wise, no matter how close or different they were from the concurrent Taurus model...IMHO. BILL

[MENINBLK]

They will never draw my business with any AWD cars. That's for sure!!!

What's the matter Billy ?
You can't afford to buy TWICE as many tires ??? j/k :D

[MENINBLK]

Interesting reading sully008, thought it brought up some good points concerning L-M vs Ford marketing. Thanks for posting.
BTW, I realize "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and all that, but....always felt the Sables were overdone and hence kind of unattractive styling-wise, no matter how close or different they were from the concurrent Taurus model...IMHO. BILL

I agree with you wsmylie, but that wasn't what the article was about.

Because the Sable was "different" enough from the Taurus,
Mercury enjoyed a huge amount of sales from the vehicle.

You want to know why the Marauder didn't sell ?
You want to know why the Grand Marquis sales are slumping ?
Because they BOTH still look like a Crown Vic !
To a Crown Vic owner, the Marauder was the same car with a BIGGER engine,
and it wasn't worth the extra $$$.
A Grand Marquis is just a Crown Vic with an expensive Window Sticker.

If Bill Ford wants to do something right, whether its AWD, 4WD, RWD, or WWD,
he HAS to make each car DIFFERENT, instead of clones.
This is why so many people are looking to foreign cars.
You buy a Toyota, and it looks one way.
When you look at Lexus, it doesn't look anything like a Toyota at all.
On the outside, there is a slight resemblence, but over the years they have worked hard to mask it.

[Sully008]

I agree with you wsmylie, but that wasn't what the article was about.

Because the Sable was "different" enough from the Taurus,
Mercury enjoyed a huge amount of sales from the vehicle.

You want to know why the Marauder didn't sell ?
You want to know why the Grand Marquis sales are slumping ?
Because they BOTH still look like a Crown Vic !
To a Crown Vic owner, the Marauder was the same car with a BIGGER engine,
and it wasn't worth the extra $$$.
A Grand Marquis is just a Crown Vic with an expensive Window Sticker.

If Bill Ford wants to do something right, whether its AWD, 4WD, RWD, or WWD,
he HAS to make each car DIFFERENT, instead of clones.
This is why so many people are looking to foreign cars.
You buy a Toyota, and it looks one way.
When you look at Lexus, it doesn't look anything like a Toyota at all.
On the outside, there is a slight resemblence, but over the years they have worked hard to mask it.

I agree with you here MIB. The cars' styling need to be more than just a grille and taillight change. Case in point: Nissan's 350Z and Infiniti's G35 coupe. Yes, you can tell that they are similar, built on the same platform/drivetrain, but you wouldn't mistake one for the other. They each have their own distinct identity, without copying each other.

http://www.edmunds.com/media/reviews/top10/04.luxury.under.45K/04.infiniti.g35.coupe.500.jpg
http://www.edmunds.com/media/roadtests/roadtest/03.nissan.350z/03.nissan.350z.touring.f34.500 .jpg

[Krytin]

Good article. It looks like Ford's customers know what they want and Ford has decided that they are not going to get it. When will it stop! You would think after 30 or 40 years of killing good ideas to bring on some truly awful ones - they would learn! But Noooooooooooo!

[rookie1]

I agree with you wsmylie, but that wasn't what the article was about.


When you look at Lexus, it doesn't look anything like a Toyota at all.
On the outside, there is a slight resemblence, but over the years they have worked hard to mask it.

are you and sully kidding? I can spot gussied up Camrys and Nissans a mile away and I think Sully's pix of the Nissan and infinity prove my point. Badge engineering is not new or exclusive to Ford.
Just my opinion but I think Cadillac is the only division of a major manufacturer to differentiate itself enough from lowlier brands in the same stable.

just to prove we can disagree and still be friends, look below sully

[Cobra25]

are you and sully kidding? I can spot gussied up Camrys and Nissans a mile away and I think Sully's pix of the Nissan and infinity prove my point. Badge engineering is not new or exclusive to Ford.
Just my opinion but I think Cadillac is the only division of a major manufacturer to differentiate itself enough from lowlier brands in the same stable.

just to prove we can disagree and still be friends, look below sully We need more pictures like that!

[MENINBLK]

Just my opinion but I think Cadillac is the only division of a major manufacturer to differentiate itself enough from lowlier brands in the same stable.

When it comes to Cadillac, GM plays a different ball game.
Whatever Cadillac does, STAYS with Cadillac.
They don't share much at all that you can SEE...

There have only been a few plus' that have come from Cadillac,
and most of them get handed down to Buick and Oldsmobile.

But when it comes to the Cadillac SUVs, you'd think they would make their own,
instead of borrowing from GMC... :dunno:

[rookie1]

When it comes to Cadillac, GM plays a different ball game.
Whatever Cadillac does, STAYS with Cadillac.
They don't share much at all that you can SEE...

There have only been a few plus' that have come from Cadillac,
and most of them get handed down to Buick and Oldsmobile.

But when it comes to the Cadillac SUVs, you'd think they would make their own,
instead of borrowing from GMC... :dunno:

You're right about the suv's with the exception of the slow selling srx but, in fairness, nobody has proved there is a real market for stationwagon based crossover vehicles. Look at the Pacifica and Freestyle.
The Escalade is the sales king of the luxury Suvs for some reason and they are nice but to pay that kind of premium over a Yukon?
The best contribution Cadillac has made in the last few years is the Northstar engine. I have that engine in my wife's Aurora and it seems bulletproof.it also has gobs of torque at low rpms. The variable valve timing they are offering now will hopefully filter down to the rest of the brands eventually.
I think Mercury should should try take the brand a little upscale leaning on Volvo platforms and interiors. One thing I really noticed at the Autoshow this year is that Ford's interior plastic supplier is way behind the curve in making their plastics look expensive. We looked at the new Mustang and were impressed but the interior plastic just looked so bargain basement compared to other brands. Chrysler is also guilty of cheesy looking plastic in their interiors.

[Sully008]

are you and sully kidding? I can spot gussied up Camrys and Nissans a mile away and I think Sully's pix of the Nissan and infinity prove my point. Badge engineering is not new or exclusive to Ford.
Just my opinion but I think Cadillac is the only division of a major manufacturer to differentiate itself enough from lowlier brands in the same stable.

just to prove we can disagree and still be friends, look below sully

It's all good Rookie1. If we all had the same opinions, what would we talk about?
:beer:

You're right, badge engineering is not new. And I know it's to keep costs down on manufacturing and such. So now my question is, what would want me to move to say a MGM over a CV, if not for styling? They cars are essentially the same, so why a premium for the GM? I'm not going to pay more just for the Mercury badges and some extra fake wood trim, there needs to be more of a difference between the two. Even if it's more available options on the GM over the CV. Hopefully, when the restyling comes out the two models will be more dissimilar.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a Ford guy through and through. Always have been, always will be. But sometimes it makes you wonder where their thinking is coming from.
BTW, thanks for that pic. :D