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2004 Model Guide - Every Brand, Every Car

2004 MERCURY LINE-UP

2004 Mercury Model GuideModels on the lot at Mercury from the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motor Company increase by one marque in 2004 with the addition of a new long-wheelbase luxury minivan called Monterey.

It features contemporary styling with familial resemblance to Mercury's sport-utility vehicle, Mountaineer, plus a generous cabin size with three tiers of seats including a flip-and-fold third-row bench and innovative appointments like power-adjustable pedals with memory settings and parking sensors fore and aft.

The Mountaineer SUV returns in two versions labeled Luxury and Premier with new second-row bucket seating showing up on the Luxury trim and a third-row bench added to the Premier series.

Another repeat is Marauder, Mercury's full-size muscle car cast from a souped-up and spiffed-up Grand Marquis sedan. The 2004 Marauder gains a heavy-duty automatic transmission with quickened shift response timing, and more standard gear like a traction control system (TCS) and audiophile-quality entertainment system.

Big Grand Marquis, with a V8 powertrain and classic rear-wheel-drive (RWD) traction, adds a limited-edition variation and offers more stand-alone options, such as dual side-impact air bags, a moonroof and heated front seats.

And Sable, Mercury's staple sedan and station wagon for the mid-size car class, reveal new styling features front and back with revamped grilles and revised fascia and taillamps. Also, Sable's 3.0-liter Duratec V6 engine and automatic transaxle earn improvements, as trim designations condense for simplicity to GS and LS Premium.

Mercury Grand Marquis
2004 Mercury Grand Marquis

Mercury's venerable Grand Marquis sedan is big, carries up to six adults and a load of luggage, and drives all the torque from a powerful V8 engine to the rear wheels.

Because of its size and the RWD format, plus some attractive price points, Mercury's big car stands alone with no competition in the large-car class, save for its virtual twin, Ford's Crown Victoria.

Grand Marquis for 2004 projects fresh exterior styling with an improved ride quality and more comfort and convenience items added in the cabin. Mercury divides Grand Marquis into the two essential trim series of GS and LS, then adds packaged equipment in further segments, such as the Convenience array for GS or LS Premium.

A new Limited package on LS Premium brings heated seats and side-impact air bags, two-tone leather seats and nine-spoke wheels at 16 inches.Beneath the extended hood, a single-cam 4.6-liter V8 achieves 224 hp in all issues except for the optional handling package, where dual exhausts boost output to 239 hp.

Mercury Marauder
2004 Mercury Marauder

This monochromatic sedan is called Marauder as the reincarnation of Mercury's muscle car out of 1963. Ornamentation is minimal, save for a bead of chrome ringing side windows and five-spoke aluminum wheels glinting in chrome.

Another bright point: Exhaust pipes with stainless steel Megs tips. Marauder's dual-cam 4.6-liter aluminum V8 gushes to 302 hp. The engine sucks air through a low-restriction air intake with aluminum upper and lower manifolds. Fuel spurts into the engine through a dual-bore throttle body and high-flow injectors.

Marauder for 2004 supports a new heavy-duty four-speed automatic transmission that generates more low-end torque. A four-door passenger compartment has seats for five, with two up front on buckets and three on a rear bench. Seats are clad in luxurious leather tinted to a two-tone color scheme.

The instrument panel contains large analog gauges with bright white faces and red needles. Front section of the center console holds two more round AutoMeter gauges - oil pressure and voltmeter. Tires are 18-inch ultra-high-performance Goodrich g-Force T/As. Latest exterior paint shades for Marauder are Dark Toreador Red and Silver Birch.

 

Mercury Sable
2004 Mercury Sable

The mid-size Mercury sedan and station wagon feel quite comfortable, with generous space in the cabin, particularly in headroom for backseat riders. Editions for 2004 use simplified trim designations, as segmented now into GS and LS Premium models.

Cabins for sedans are configured for either five or six due to a choice in front seat style -- bench or buckets. Sable GS wagon seats as many as eight, while the LS Premium wagon fits seven or eight, with a rear-facing third bench optional for GS and standard on LS Premium.

Engines for Sable begin with the 3.0-liter Vulcan V6 that achieves 155 hp. Optional power comes from Ford's Duratec version with twin cams pumping 200 hp. The Duratec plant has a redesigned cam cover and positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system to improve on noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) aspects.

New color options this year include Medium True Blue Clearcoat Metallic and Merlot Clearcoat Metallic.

Mercury Mountaineer
2004 Mercury Mountaineer

The SUV from Mercury tucks into the mid-size class and can carry as many as seven passengers. Revamped in 2002, Mountaineer rides on a long and broad chassis that's stiff and stable.

It uses a suspension system that's unusual for a truck-based vehicle, as there are independent elements for rear wheels as well as front. Such enhancements to chassis and suspension revolutionize ride and handling traits.

Forceful styling for Mountaineer with a bulldog face and smooth body shapes conveys an image of strength as supported by a choice of two powerful engines. The standard V6 musters 210 hp, but an optional aluminum V8 sparks with 239 hp. A five-speed automatic links to either plant.

In the cabin, Mountaineer carries three rows of seats. Editions of 2004 contain more standard features and options, with trim designations labeled as Convenience, Luxury and Premier. Ford's AdvanceTrac dynamic stability control system - which adjusts brake and throttle automatically to correct potentially dangerous lateral skidding - is now available on Mountaineer's two-wheel-drive (2WD) models.

Optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) models employ Ford's Control Trac system to automatically channel engine torque to any wheel. A tire pressure monitoring system becomes standard equipment on Luxury and Premier issues, as an in-dash six-disc CD deck is available on the Luxury series.

Mercury Monterey
2004 Mercury Monterey

The newest nameplate in the Mercury fleet applies to a luxurious minivan that brings a stretched wheelbase for extra space in the cabin and family-friendly features.

The exterior design, adopting styling cues from Mountaineer, features Mercury's bold front grille with satin aluminum accents and monochromatic bodyside cladding. Layout of the cabin shows three rows of seats with twin buckets up front, seats on the second row folding with one-hand convenience and a third bench that drops into the floor to forge a flat cargo bay.

Power to motivate Monterey stems from a 4.2-liter V6 engine rated at 201 hp with a towing capacity up to 3500 pounds. Trim versions are labeled Convenience, Luxury and Premier. The Convenience issue brings a four-speed automatic transaxle, anti-lock brake system (ABS), twin-zone climate controls and forward and reverse park assist, with side-impact air bags optional plus Ford's Safety Canopy.

Monterey Luxury edition adds leather upholstery and a leather-wrapped steering wheel pegged with audio controls, power-adjustable pedals, dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control, power sliding side doors, side air bags and the Safety Canopy.

Deluxe Premier trim has heated and cooled front seats and perforated leather on those seats, AdvanceTrac stability controls and special aluminum wheels in a split-spoke design. A DVD-based entertainment system for rear tiers of seats appears on the list of options.

[MORE INFORMATION FROM MERCURY]