14th Jun 2012, 10:57

I agree with some of the things you say in that the Grand Marquis (and its identical twin the Crown Vic) did get somewhat of a bad rap. But that said, the car was ancient. My Grandad had one of these in the early 90's, and one of my buddies has one. Personally I don't find anything terribly wrong with the car, but it's pretty old-school. It definitely pitches and rolls in the turns. The interior was almost a throwback. The ride was floaty.

That said, I can see some of what you say in that yes - comparing it to a Bimmer or a Toyota isn't exactly fair. The Crown Vic was what it was: an American car on an aged platform. Anyone buying one of these knew it and anyone who works for the automotive press should not have been surprised by it in the least: They were essentially a holdover from another era, that in some ways has sadly disappeared as now many American cars are built off of platforms developed overseas, or in some cases from entirely different brands.

The Crown Vic was in essence one of the last truly "American" cars. It was made back when that was what people wanted to drive: Big floaty cars. What it did, it did well. It was rugged and reliable. Reliable because they'd had decades to work out all the kinks. But times and tastes change. It was still a aged model sheathed in an updated skin. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of it, I will miss them.