2003 Mercury Marauder - the interior
Not your typical big car interior. But this isn't a typical big car, either. The first thing
one notices, besides the dark leather seats, is the console and floor-mounted shifter for the
automatic transmission. Then your eyes catch the console-mounted Autometer gages. Then eventually you
spot the rest of the analog instrument panel, white-faced with black markings that radiate green and
red in night-time driving.
This is what the driver sees... the only drawback being the typical Ford generic temperature gage
which doesn't read in absolute temperatures - only a H/C for Hot/Cold. Steering wheel buttons control
the sound system, the automatic climate control, and the cruise control.
Moving to the center console area, we note the Audiophile sound system (sourced from Alpine)
with 4 channels and an additional rear mounted subwoofer. Probably one of the cleanest factory systems
I've heard, and puts the 500W Monsoon in my 1998 WS6 to shame. Below that is the automatic climate control
system, and further below we have the console-mounted oil pressure and voltmeter gages, sourced from
Autometer.
The carbon-fiber-look accents are visible throughout the cabin. In this case, we see the
bar running across the entire width of the instrument panel, and the trim on the inside door panels.
Had the car been equipped with heated seats, the controls would have been visible by the seat
adjustment buttons on the door panels. The perforated leather seats with "french seam" stitching
offer great comfort but not as much side support support as those found in my GTA or WS6. I'm not
complaining, the seats are plenty comfortable as they are.
Speaking of the seats, the traditional Mercury "God's head" logo is embossed in the seat
backs. Discrete, and very tasteful.
The rear bench seats can accomodate three adults with great ease... another great feature
of a full size body-on-frame automobile! Or, in this case, 2 adults and a baby seat!
And throughout the car, little touches such as these personalized floor mats complete
the overall package.