Click here for the new Mercury forum
Not all that long ago, I tried starting a Mercury message board / community. The site looked like this (click here). It had absolutely no response at all (see the forum here). Nothing. It was completely dead. At the same time, I'd started several other communities for automobile brands I had an interest in. They all flourished to some extent. Back then, Mercury didn't have a very impressive lineup. There was the new Cougar sport coupe (which was probably the shortest-lived of all the sport coupes like it), the Grand Marquis (which was pretty boring at the time), the Mountaineer (the only impressive vehicle in the lineup), the Sable and the Villager. All have been discontinued with the exception of the Grand Marquis and the Mountaineer. The lineup today consists of the Grand Marquis (which has been refreshed enough to actually look pretty nice), the Mariner (an affordable compact SUV), The Mariner Hybrid, The Milan (a new mid-sized sedan), the Montego (a luxurious, roomy sedan) and the Mountaineer (a luxurious, well-appointed replacement for the Lincoln Aviator). The Mercury Grand Marquis shares it's platform with the Lincoln Town Car. The differences between the two have become almost difficult to distinguish. Besides looks and a few minor luxury features, they're basically the same car. The Mercury Mariner shares it's platform with the Ford Escape and is known for it's responsive handling and smooth road manners. The Mercury Milan is considered by some to be the best car Mercury has offered in many years. It shares it's platform with the Mazda 6 and competes directly with the Toyota Camry. Mercury's entry-level vehicle is very similar to the Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ. The Mercury Montego is on the larger side of the mid-size sedan category and has a very roomy and luxurious interior. Safety engineers from Volvo worked directly on this vehicle. The Mercury Mountaineer shares it's platform with the Ford Explorer and replaces the Lincoln Aviator as Ford's luxurious 7 passenger mid-size SUV. It boasts an excellent ride and handling characteristics for a truck-based SUV. Personally, I don't think Buick makes for a very good "inexpensive" Cadillac. Oldsmobile did a pretty good job - but they're gone.. However, I do think that Mercury is becoming a pretty good alternative to Lincoln. That's the main reason I decided to re-start this website. I find it very interesting how Mercury has made such an impressive turn-around during the past few years. This website and it's message board will serve as an information portal for myself - and anyone else who wants to read it or contribue to it. If it ever becomes a busy community like most other brands have, then that'll just be an added bonus... Sal Collaziano |