King of the Road is how I’d describe the 2004 Mercury Marauder. This is one mean machine. Black on black, and just plain vicious looking, it’s a true American-made, 21st Century muscle car. The minute I saw it I fell in love with it. Not bad for a car morphed from something your Dad might drive.

The 2004 Mercury Marauder has been updated — or perhaps refined is a better word — from last year when it debuted as a revamped, hot rod version of Mercury’s flagship Grand Marquis sedan. This is a vehicle company marketeers have pinned their hopes on to start the process of giving Mercury the sexier, youthful image it needs to appeal to younger buyers. And at just a shade over $33,000, this car is pointed directly at them.

It’s no secret that youth is in the rear view mirror of most Mercury owners — and younger buyers are required for the brand to remain viable. As a case in point, my late father’s very last car was a Mercury Grand Marquis. He bought it at age 68.

The Marauder is a throwback to the celebrated 1960s muscle car — when fast cars had big V-8s, rear-wheel drive and body-on-frame construction. Today, those are called police cars.

Mercury tore a page off a 1960s calendar when it made the Marauder into a hot, limited production version of the Grand Marquis. It’s deja vu time as it replaces the last big, old-style American muscle car made — Chevy’s 1994-96 Impala SS sedan. Despite a serious lack of marketing and being derived from the unpopular, butt-ugly Caprice, the Impala SS is already a cult and collectors item.

The Impala drew on Chevy’s high performance legacy, which began in 1955. However, Mercury has serious, high-performance bona fides that go back to 1939. James Dean legitimized Mercury’s hot rod pedigree in the classic 1950s film, Rebel Without a Cause, driving a customized ‘49 Merc coupe that defined “cool” for most of a decade.

But the real action happened in the 1960s, when Ford got serious about racing at both its Ford and Mercury divisions. Mercury was a major high-player with its S-55s, Comet Cyclones and Cyclone GT, There were also several high-performance versions of the 1967-69 Cougar.

The gargantuan Marauder coupes and sedans of the early 60s helped usher in the muscle car era, featuring V8s boasting up to 425 horses. The huge 1969-70 Marauder X-100 ushered it back out thanks to stiff federal emissions standards and high muscle car insurance premiums.

So Mercury began focusing on conservative, mainstream family cars that were basically upscale Fords — competing mainly for Oldsmobile and Buick buyers before the import invasion.

Not any more.

The new Marauder benefits from changes made to the Grand Marquis last year, including improved suspension, better brakes, more accurate rack-and-pinion steering and a stronger frame. Cosmetically, there’s been some minor front and rear restyling to define its more aggressive look.

The Marauder boasts a 281 cubic-inch, 302-horsepower, DOHC, 32-valve, V8 that delivers 310 lb-ft of torque. It’s a refined version of the Grand Marquis’ 4.6-liter, single-overhead-cam V8, which offers 220 or 235 horses.

While impressive, the 4,165-pound Marauder won’t pin you to the seat off the line because of its weight, size and relatively small engine. But it’s certainly no slouch. But in my view, the 335-horse supercharged V8 shown in the concept Marauder convertible at last year’s auto shows would turn this car into a genuine monster.

Behind the wheel, the speed-sensitive variable-assist steering is quick, and the firm sport suspension produces a generally comfortable, quiet ride. It did seem a little squirrelly to me at times on wet, irregular road surfaces though.

Although the Marauder shares the conservative styling of the Grand Marquis and sibling Ford Crown Vic, it’s subtly distinctive. The Marauder has large 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels and oversized chromed dual exhaust tips. It only comes in black and has a threatening, monochromatic look.

The estimated fuel economy is 17 mpg in the city and 23 on highway. Not excellent, but this is a big machine. Premium fuel is required due to the high compression ratio of the V8.

Inside, the Marauder comfortably seats four tall adults. The black leather interior is quiet and comfortable, has a businesslike look and features special gauges, front bucket seats, a large console with cupholders and a floor shifter. The back seat is large enough to comfortably do what we did back there in the 60s — if you’re still so inclined.

The trunk is large with some extra storage compartments in the floor — although the full-size spare tire does take up a fair amount of cargo space.

The Marauder comes pretty well equipped. The only options are a trunk-mounted, 6-disc CD player and a trunk organizer. An optional leather coat with the Marauder logo is offered for the passenger to go with the leather jacket that comes standard for the driver.

Whines: Most of the controls and instrumentation are well placed, easy to read and use, but the special secondary gauges positioned low on the console and behind the shift lever are hard to read. The modified transmission is generally responsive but upshifts too soon for high-performance driving during part-throttle acceleration.

Bottom Line: The one-of-a-kind Marauder is genuinely fun to drive. It offers good acceleration above 35 mph, athletic handling and short stopping distances as well as a comfortable, quiet ride. This is genuinely exciting — and practical car. I hope they won’t overlook marketing it to the boomers that came of age in the muscle car era as well as the youth market, because this car definitely fills that niche too. It fits those boomers working on their second families like a glove — big, powerful and American with way more room than a Camry or Accord at a better price. And it isn’t a minivan — which no self-respecting boomer would be caught dead driving anyway. But best of all, this definitely isn’t your father’s Mercury either.