Katmandu
07-08-2002, 07:09 PM
I had the pleasure yesterday to test drive an 03 Maruader!
Overall pretty impressive piece of work from FORD! Damn nice car!
That being said, the 302HP DOHC was NOT that impressive to me. The DOHC seemed to have serious lag and didn't wake up until around 4500 RPMs.
ALTHOUGH! The Marauder's suspension is KILLER!!! Absolutely Magnificant!!!
The new Rack and Pinion steering is impeccable. At highway speeds, one merely flicks one's wrist to change lanes. The ride is VERY comfortable and the cornering is something EVERY CV/GM owner NEEDS to experience!
The car is SO incredibly stable and quiet in ALL driving situations. It really gives the ILLUSION that your going MUCH MUCH slower than you actually are. That is probably one of the reasons that the DOHC did NOT impress me that much.
Now, to the drivetrain. The DOHC is super smooth and refined. Shifting is silky smooth and otherwise unremarkable. The lack of low end torque is utterly apparent. Mid range power is so-so and 4500RPM+ is SWEET.
From a standing start, the car pulls away moderately and finally wakes up around 4500 RPMS. At this point, the 1-2 6000 RPM shift comes in quickly and is not too pronounced.
I didn't want to scare the **** out of the salesman (too bad) so I only had it up to XXX MPH!!
When I popped the hood, I was previously unaware that the whole front suspension is ALUMINUM! THAT blew me away!!
Looks like the exhaust manifolds are STILL a MAJOR cause of Power consitpation. (COME ON FORD!! How bout some damn headers here already!! You have ROOM enough to do it!! Someone wake up the Engineers in the Exhaust manifold development program!!)
The 18" tires and rims are a PERFECT match as are the upgraded Cobra rotors (so I was told) and calipers. Dudes! Them brakes are FRIGGIN HUGE!! Oh, and did I mention are seriously awesome ??
So.... when I buy an 03 Marauder.... My FIRST mod will be an Inject Tech Chip from Dennis ( www.reinhartautomotive.com ). Dennis has said an additional 25+ HP HAS been obtained already on another '03' Marauder! That puts the '03' Marauder in near 330 HP folks!!
With "The Mans" ****ot, the Chip upgrade would make the Marauder a MUST HAVE machine all by itself! I can only drool to imagine driving an 03 Marauder with an Inject Tech chip!!
My next mod would be to unleash the exhaust. Custom headers and Dynomax Super Turbos would fit the bill. I never quite heard the exhaust note at any point.
Overall, I walked away rather impressed with the '03' Marauder !!
With a Chip from Dennis as one's first mod. The '03 Marauder would be something to be reckoned with!
- ERIC
Overall pretty impressive piece of work from FORD! Damn nice car!
That being said, the 302HP DOHC was NOT that impressive to me. The DOHC seemed to have serious lag and didn't wake up until around 4500 RPMs.
ALTHOUGH! The Marauder's suspension is KILLER!!! Absolutely Magnificant!!!
The new Rack and Pinion steering is impeccable. At highway speeds, one merely flicks one's wrist to change lanes. The ride is VERY comfortable and the cornering is something EVERY CV/GM owner NEEDS to experience!
The car is SO incredibly stable and quiet in ALL driving situations. It really gives the ILLUSION that your going MUCH MUCH slower than you actually are. That is probably one of the reasons that the DOHC did NOT impress me that much.
Now, to the drivetrain. The DOHC is super smooth and refined. Shifting is silky smooth and otherwise unremarkable. The lack of low end torque is utterly apparent. Mid range power is so-so and 4500RPM+ is SWEET.
From a standing start, the car pulls away moderately and finally wakes up around 4500 RPMS. At this point, the 1-2 6000 RPM shift comes in quickly and is not too pronounced.
I didn't want to scare the **** out of the salesman (too bad) so I only had it up to XXX MPH!!
When I popped the hood, I was previously unaware that the whole front suspension is ALUMINUM! THAT blew me away!!
Looks like the exhaust manifolds are STILL a MAJOR cause of Power consitpation. (COME ON FORD!! How bout some damn headers here already!! You have ROOM enough to do it!! Someone wake up the Engineers in the Exhaust manifold development program!!)
The 18" tires and rims are a PERFECT match as are the upgraded Cobra rotors (so I was told) and calipers. Dudes! Them brakes are FRIGGIN HUGE!! Oh, and did I mention are seriously awesome ??
So.... when I buy an 03 Marauder.... My FIRST mod will be an Inject Tech Chip from Dennis ( www.reinhartautomotive.com ). Dennis has said an additional 25+ HP HAS been obtained already on another '03' Marauder! That puts the '03' Marauder in near 330 HP folks!!
With "The Mans" ****ot, the Chip upgrade would make the Marauder a MUST HAVE machine all by itself! I can only drool to imagine driving an 03 Marauder with an Inject Tech chip!!
My next mod would be to unleash the exhaust. Custom headers and Dynomax Super Turbos would fit the bill. I never quite heard the exhaust note at any point.
Overall, I walked away rather impressed with the '03' Marauder !!
With a Chip from Dennis as one's first mod. The '03 Marauder would be something to be reckoned with!
- ERIC