Car and Driver...TL and Marauder

woaface

woaface

Ford is in my Mazda's blood.
I could scream that I just lost all of this and have to type it all again.

OK!

How in the world did Car and Driver get the 4900-5100lb Aviator to 60 in 7.4 and 7.6 seconds in two tests they did? It has the same engine as the Marauder but with 18 less pound feet of twist. Different transmission? Blah, that's not it. And whats that about it being hard to smoke tires in the Marauder? I do it ALL THE TIME in the Marquis, which has 58 less lb-ft or torque and 102 less equestrians motivating it. This bothers me and I think that Car and Driver needs to start esplanin'. How about ya'll? I see what most of you get 1/4 mile wise, but how about those 0-60 runs?

HOWEVER! While I love the Marauder dearly, and I think it has more soul than almost any car on the road today, I believe that it is a little more expensive than it should be for the options it offers, and could use a bit more power from the factory. Almost all of you have done something to get better performance from it, and while even if it was better you'd do it anyways, you hafta admit, it seems a little weak for 34 grand. The 2004 Acura TL (almost the exact same price and targets almost the same group of men) matches or beats the Marauder spacial wise with a few exceptions such as trunk space, wheelbase, ect in aspects of space....(hip room, head room, blah blah blah). The TL has more performance bang for it's buck, has a lot more in the way of creature comforts, has a cheaper destination charge, sucks up less gas, is built a whole lot more nicely, weighs less and offers a 6-speed stick. That may not matter to most of you, but it should, because the Marauder is not viewed as seriously as it should be by the general population of automotive buyers. This is the doom of the Marauder, this is why it isn't selling as well as expected. Ford should be more serious about how badly they want to sell this vehicle. I don't see how this would be a problem to Marauder guys like all of yous, for if Mercury and Ford were expound on the massive amount of potential the Marauder has, you guys have the very real chance of getting an even greater American beauty right from the signature of purchase. I'm only 16, so I'm not sure if I can really be taken seriously, but I really want to know what you all think of this. Thanks a bunch! -James



Sorry if something isn't spelled right, I'm in a hurry and the spell check isn't workin for me at the moment.
 
woaface said:
I could scream that I just lost all of this and have to type it all again.

OK!

How in the world did Car and Driver get the 4900-5100lb Aviator to 60 in 7.4 and 7.6 seconds in two tests they did?

The 2004 Acura TL (almost the exact same price and targets almost the same group of men) matches or beats ... with a few exceptions such as trunk space, wheelbase, ect in aspects of space....(hip room, head room, blah blah blah).

The TL has mor performance bang for it's buck

This is the doom of the Marauder, this is why it isn't selling as well as expected.

Ford should be more serious about how badly they want to sell this vehicle. I don't see how this would be a problem to Marauder guys like all of yous, for if Mercury and Ford were expound on the massive amount of potential the Marauder has, you guys have the very real chance of getting an even greater American beauty right from the signature of purchase.
Click to expand...

Check the rear end ratio. I'll bet is shorter, in the 4.00's.

Yes, the Acura TL is a similar car, but it ain't built here. We wanted big, V8 - Rear wheel drive monsters. How much modding can you do with an Acura TL as compared to the Marauder after 1 year?

We also knew going in that buying a one-off test platform special limited production car would have disadvantages, but when someone who we just smoked asks "WTF is that?" it makes up for it.

Some have been saying for more than a year now that Ford should have hyped the Marauder more - but do we really want the Marauder to be another "Sunfire" or Focus?

If I want Japanese, I'll go order sushi. No disrespect, just that isn't what I was looking for when I found the Marauder.

If I hadn't read some of your earlier posts Woaface, I'd have taken you for a troll. But as you say, you're 16, so I take that into account.
 
Well, Woa, I guess I have to reply as follows to a few of your points:

1. The Acura TL is aimed at the same buyers as the MM. Totally wrong as far as I'm concerned. I buy American cars, period. Acura could gold plate its cars and give them away and I wouldn't own one. Acuras aren't aimed at buyers like me. I buy full size cars, and Acura isn't even close. I know, I know, nowadays, cars the size of Acuras and Tauruses are considered "full size." I remember the days of real cars when an Acura or Taurus would be at best a mid sized car.

2. Why isn't the MM selling like it should? Is it because it's underpowered, as you say? I think a more realistic reason is that no one has ever heard of the thing. I have not met one person who has ever seen even one advertisement for this car. After the car has been out for going on two years, most people who see my car still say "What is it?" No one can expect a car to sell if the buying public doesn't know that it exists.

You make some good points in your post, but I had to disagree with a couple of the things you said. Yes, I want more power out of my MM, too. That doesn't mean it's underpowered, just that those of us who buy a performance car always want more out of it than the factory puts in.
 
Lol, thanks Dr Caleb...but if the Marauder isn't enough competition for all of these imports (the TL was developed and is manufactured in America), then don't you think that they might soon be an even greater threat to the livelyhood of the great American automobiles we love? I would absolutly hate to see the Marauder go, but I guess I hafta give it too ya on the Modifications part.
 
Ross said:
That doesn't mean it's underpowered, just that those of us who buy a performance car always want more out of it than the factory puts in.
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I see a LOT of guys putting performance mods into '03 Cobras...you hit the nail on the head Ross.
 
Yo, Ross, yeah, I don't think that TLs or Tarauses are full-sized either, and I never knew that they were considered such...that's pretty stupid of people to say that they would be, but the TL makes great use of it's interior space and has some bigger spaces here and there. www.edmunds.com Lol well I guess I got my arse schooled! But I guess I did forget to mention that Mercury does need to work on it's advertising department a little bit more. I've known about the Marauder since the 2001 SEMA show, but I don't know anyone except for my sister and her cop friend that know about it either.
 
Oh, and what the hell is a troll? Some jargon I don't know or what? Damn I hate to keep askin questions. And I hope no one thinks I'm a trader or part of a sleeper cell within the site. I really do love the Marauder. There's no question as to whether I'd take a TL over a Marauder...it wouldn't happen, I'm just concerned about the future of the car I guess. -Me
 
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woaface said:
then don't you think that they might soon be an even greater threat to the livelyhood of the great American automobiles we love?
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Yes, but not for the reasons you list. Poor quality. Skimping where they shouldn't. Those will be why Toyota will be the #2 automaker next year, and Ford will be #3, Dailmer Chrysler #4.

Ask anyone about Paint on their Black MM's. Not the place that should be skimped on.
 
woaface said:
Oh, and what the hell is a troll?
Click to expand...

Troll - kind of like fishing. You bait a hook, toss it in the water, see what bites.

Only on message boards, like MM.net, we get ricers or wannabes that log on and try to get us angry and defend our Marauders. They bait the hook, we bite.

And don't quit asking questions! Questions are good! If ya dont ask 'em, ya dont lern nothin :)
 
One more response to the whole Acura/Marauder deal to think about, get on the freeway, pass a big scary truck at 85 or so, while along side, let go with one hand, then say," Thank you Ford, I love 2+ tons of steel!"
 
Aviator does well 0-60 because of it's 5 speed auto tranny, it's alot lower geared than marauder's.
 
A family member owns an Acura Tl and it is one of the best buys on the market. I have borrowed it on many an occasion. I have also owned several SHO's.

You cannot compare the Acura TL to the Marauder. The Marauder is right wheel drive and a much larger car.

The SHO and Acura TL are very comparable. One could make the same argument about why pay the extra for an Acura TL when you can get a comparable car for much less than the Acura Tl in a Taurus SEL?

Also the actual selling price of the MArauder is over $7K less than the Acura TL.

For $7k you can almost put on a supercharger, then you cannot compare them period!
 
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The NEW 2004 Acura TL (from SEMA)...
wake me up when you can make the argument that this thing looks as good as my Marauder cruising down the road...:sleepy:
04.acura.tl.aspec.f34.500.jpg
 
Well, as far as I'm concerned, you can keep your Acura TL. no matter how good the specs make it.

I think we all agree the MSRP of the Marauder could have been lower. But just how much lower compared to the rest of the CV/GM line? A full dress GM is close to the same MSRP, if not even more, and still doesn't come close.

The Marauder has few options because it is actually fully optioned as is. It has a better quality leather, better front seats, forged aluminum wheels, unique mechanical components, and of course the DOHC all aluminum engine. It really does not compare to the rest of the CV/GM line.
 
Was this thread put here to piss me off? first off I would never consider anything other than an American car. Second, I have never had an Acura or and Honda product beat me. True the Acura may be a best buy, it is not a best buy for an American. I remember when the first Acura TL came out it was under powered too. Three or four generations later it has the power it should have had. Believe me, if the MM comes back to life in a couple of years as they say it may, it too will have the power that it shoulld have too. Back in the 70's and 80's when sales went down the imports were getting vandalized. I would not be surprised to see it again. Would I do it, NO. Would I feel sorry for the import owner, HELL NO!
 
Guys i traded ina 2003 tls for my wifes mm the tls ran very well handled good got good gas mileage and also ate 3 transmissions in 15k and was not as quick as the mm, its front wheel drive gets alott of torque steer , had a lott more interior noise , the back seat waskinda cramped for the kids on long trips, did not have the safety rating that the mm,has and is a unibody , the mm has no timing belts to change , oh and yes i had aproblem with the paint as well give me enough time and iammmmm sure i will rember alott more
mike
 
Sailsmen..."over $7K less" The base price of a Marauder (MSRP) is $34,645 where as the TL starts at $32,650. Both prices from their websites.

And yeah, I always heard in drivers ed that Trucks can suck you in, and I never feel that in the Marquis, I've done 70 beside a truck without feeling anything.

And look at that SEMA TL. It's nothing special, it's got an areo package and the sports rims. That color is pretty slick though.
 
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