page_title: Mercury Marauder
section_title: Revival (2003–2004)
hierarchical_section_title: Mercury Marauder / Revival (2003–2004)
caption_attribution_description: 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder photographed in USA.
context_page_description: The Mercury Marauder is an automobile nameplate that was used by three distinct full-size cars produced by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from the most powerful engines available to the Mercury line, the Marauder was marketed as the highest-performance version of the full-size product range.
  During its first production run, the Mercury Marauder was a trim option on standard Mercury coupes; the equivalent of the Ford Galaxie 500 and 500/XL, the Marauder was given a "fastback" rear roofline. For 1966, the Marauder was replaced by the similar Mercury S-55; remaining the counterpart of the 500XL, the S-55 transitioned the Marauder from a trim option to a distinct model.
  For its second production run, the Mercury Marauder returned for 1969 as a fastback version of the Mercury Marquis. Designed to bridge the gap between the Mercury Cougar and Continental Mark III, the Mercury Marauder was repackaged as a personal luxury car. After the 1970 model year, the Mercury Marauder was discontinued.
  For the 2003 model year, the Mercury Marauder nameplate was revived as a high-performance variant of the full-size Grand Marquis.
context_section_description: For 2003, Mercury revived the Marauder nameplate after a 33-year hiatus, becoming a performance-oriented version of the Grand Marquis four-door sedan.  Offering upgraded chassis, suspension, and powertrain components over its Grand Marquis counterpart, the Marauder was similar in concept to both its 1960s namesake (and the 1990s Chevrolet Impala SS).  
  For the first time since 1960, Mercury offered a full-size vehicle without a Ford counterpart.  The 2003 Marauder launched a near-complete replacement of the Mercury model line; while the Grand Marquis and Mountaineer SUV remained in production, from 2004 to 2006, the division introduced the Monterey minivan (2004),  Mariner SUV (2005), Montego sedan (2005) and Milan sedans (2006); the latter two replaced the Sable.      
  After the end of the 2004 model year, the Marauder was discontinued with no direct Mercury or Ford replacement.  Initially predicted for sales of 18,000 vehicles per year, the revived Marauder sold slowly, with only 11,052 sold over its two-year production (compared to nearly 180,000 Grand Marquis sold in the same time).  In a key marketing success, the Marauder attracted younger buyers into Lincoln-Mercury showrooms; the average age of its buyer (51) was 18 years younger than that of the Grand Marquis (69).
caption: 2003–2004 Mercury Marauder
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