![]() Key safety features on both trim levels included dual front airbags, rear-door child safety locks, and dynamic side impact protection. ![]() Handling Package equipped Grand Marquis got a 215 horsepower and 275 ft-lbs of torque version of the 4.6-liter V-8 engine. This added a dual exhaust system, upgraded shocks, and other performance enhancements. The Grand Marquis LS was also offered with a “handling package". A four-speed automatic transmission fed the engine’s output to the rear wheels. Power came from a 200-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8 producing 265 ft-lbs of torque - a ten horsepower increase over the output of the 1997 Grand Marquis engines. Mechanically, the two were virtually identical, save revised suspension and steering systems, larger brakes, and traction control. While the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis bore a slight resemblance to the model it replaced (built from 1992 – 1997), the only exterior components shared between the two were the doors and the roof. ![]() Moving up to the Grand Marquis LS made all of the GS options standard and added leather upholstery, a power-operated passenger seat, a digital instrument panel, a CD changer, an automatic climate control system, and a built-in garage door opener as optional features. Options for the 1998 Grand Marquis GS included traction control, keyless entry, ABS, a CD player, self-leveling rear suspension, and alloy wheels. Cruise control, a remote trunk release, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, automatic headlights, power actuated and heated outside rear-view mirrors, and an AM/FM/Cassette-based audio system were standard equipment. A power driver’s seat was part of the split front bench seat that permitted three abreast seating up front, giving the Grand Marquis the ability to seat six. As Mercury’s full size flagship model, the Grand Marquis came equipped with all of the expected luxury features of the day. This actually represented a significant turning point for American cars, as throughout history, nearly all American cars had employed front-engine, rear-drive powertrains.įor 1998, Mercury offered the Grand Marquis in two trim levels, GS (the base model) and LS. By 1998, the front-drive revolution had swept through the product lines of all American manufacturers, leaving only the Grand Marquis, Town Car and Crown Victoria (all of which were built on the same platform) as THE full-size rear-drive American offerings. This article picks up in the car’s third generation, with the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis.įor many years, shoppers seeking a traditional four-dour, rear-drive, full-size V8 powered American sedan had but one choice (OK, three - but they were basically the same car). From 1975 to 2011, when the last Grand Marquis rolled off the assembly line, there were but four generations of the car offered. Interestingly, even though the Mercury brand was discontinued in 2010, the last Grand Marquis was actually built in January of 2011.Īnother interesting fact about the Grand Marquis was how infrequently the model was redesigned over its lifetime. In fact, when Ford finally killed Mercury off in 2010, the last car Ford badged a Mercury to be built was the Grand Marquis. While the Mercury Marquis name ran for some 44 years, the Grand Marquis name ran for 36 years - fully half the lifetime of the Mercury nameplate, making it easily the longest running Mercury model (as well as one of the longest continually running model names in automotive history). This car eventually became known as the Crown Victoria and shared its body-on-frame, rear-drive platform with both the Lincoln Town Car and the Mercury Grand Marquis. Those of us of a certain age recall a Ford model known as the “LTD”. This lineup ran unfettered until 1983, when the bottom two trim levels were dropped and the model became known solely as the Mercury Grand Marquis. In 1975, Mercury’s Marquis was available in three states of trim Marquis, Marquis Brougham, and Grand Marquis. By then, the Mercury Monterey had been discontinued and the Mercury Marquis was granted a model range all unto itself - complete with its own trim packages. Originating as a trim package for the 1967 Mercury Monterey, the Mercury Marquis became the “Grand Marquis” in 1975. Going, as it does, all the way back to 1967, the Mercury Grand Marquis is one of the longest running model names in automotive history.
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