Driving Impressions: 09 GM & 04 MM

[Vortex]

Well, Ive had the 09 Grand Marquis LS (Fleet) a few weeks now and yesterday as things came up I ended up driving them back to back so I thought Id jot down a few notes if anybody is interested. I have no idea why but my MM feels like a smaller car than the GM, I know they are both identical but I think its the way the seats are installed as the MM has buckets (made of much nicer leather) that sit more upright and the GM has the split bench that seems to be on longer seat rails and goes back further. One nice thing about the GM seat is the seat bottom is waaay longer than the MM, where the MM seat goes halfway to your knees, the GM seat goes much further towards your knees and as a "man of size", well,.... The dash on the MM is also way better than the GM, though the GM does have the little trip computer thingy that is nice to calculate mileage with. There is a world of difference with the suspension/ride. Note: my GM LS is the "fleet" version and does not have the rear air suspension like the GM LS "Retail" version. Anyway, the MM is so much tighter, no body roll compared to the GM. The GM does a great job of providing a smooth ride but not much in the handling department. Finally, the MM is a rocketship compared to the GM. I think my 04 has the same tranny as the 09 GM but the MM feels like it has twice the horsepower. The GM will eventually get to "flank speed" but it takes quite awhile. Guess thats one of the sacrifices for using regular gas. Speaking of gas, Im averaging 18 mpg city in the GM so thats pretty nice considering. Well, thats it for now. On a separate note I read someplace if you want a GM you have to order it, Ford does not let dealers get them without an order from a customer, thats why you dont see them sitting new on Mercury lots this year.

[guspech750]

i would buy a GM if they put a center console shifter in it instead of that damn column shifter.

[FordNut]

Well, Ive had the 09 Grand Marquis LS (Fleet) a few weeks now and yesterday as things came up I ended up driving them back to back so I thought Id jot down a few notes if anybody is interested. I have no idea why but my MM feels like a smaller car than the GM, I know they are both identical but I think its the way the seats are installed as the MM has buckets (made of much nicer leather) that sit more upright and the GM has the split bench that seems to be on longer seat rails and goes back further. One nice thing about the GM seat is the seat bottom is waaay longer than the MM, where the MM seat goes halfway to your knees, the GM seat goes much further towards your knees and as a "man of size", well,.... The dash on the MM is also way better than the GM, though the GM does have the little trip computer thingy that is nice to calculate mileage with. There is a world of difference with the suspension/ride. Note: my GM LS is the "fleet" version and does not have the rear air suspension like the GM LS "Retail" version. Anyway, the MM is so much tighter, no body roll compared to the GM. The GM does a great job of providing a smooth ride but not much in the handling department. Finally, the MM is a rocketship compared to the GM. I think my 04 has the same tranny as the 09 GM but the MM feels like it has twice the horsepower. The GM will eventually get to "flank speed" but it takes quite awhile. Guess thats one of the sacrifices for using regular gas. Speaking of gas, Im averaging 18 mpg city in the GM so thats pretty nice considering. Well, thats it for now. On a separate note I read someplace if you want a GM you have to order it, Ford does not let dealers get them without an order from a customer, thats why you dont see them sitting new on Mercury lots this year.


If the console and buckets were available we would have purchased a new one for my Mom, but we ended up getting her a used CV Sport. It is amazingly similar to the MM. One reason for the performance difference is the gear ratio in the rear end.