Mercury Mariner Hybrid

The Mercury Mariner Hybrid, launched in 2006, is really a Luxurious Ford Escape Hybrid. This vehicle is the second variation of a Hybrid trio, between it, the Escape Hybrid and the Mazda Tribute Hybrid, which will be sold by Mazda starting in 2006.

The Mariner Hybrid's powertrain is among the most advanced available. It is a "full" hybrid electric system — meaning the system can switch automatically between pure electric power, pure gasoline engine power, or a combination of electric battery and gasoline engine operating together, for maximum performance and efficiency at all speeds and loads. When braking or decelerating, the Escape's hybrid system uses regenerative braking — where the electric drive motor becomes a generator, converting the vehicle's momentum back to electricity for storage in the batteries. The Hybrid powertrain gives 155 HP has nearly the same acceleration performance as the conventional 200 HP V6 Escape, thanks to the abundance of torque.

Ford Motor Company plans to produce 4,000 Mariner Hybrids in 2006. A number of Mazda Tribute Hybrids will also be produced.

See WikiCars' comprehensive Mercury Mariner Hybrid Review

Recent Changes
The 2008 Mariner Hybrid is significantly Restyled with a new look.

The changes will include a new grille, headlights, taillights a new liftgate a higher beltline and new doors and wheels.

The interior was also significantly updated with higher quality materials and more refined features.

The Engine will remain the same but has been modified to reduce fuel consumption by 14%.

The 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid is in Mercury showrooms now.

Styles and Major Options
The Mercury Mariner Hybrid has one four-door body style and four wheel drive.

Standard Equipment Safety Package - $595 Premium Package - $3,795 Optional Equipment
 * 6-way power adjustable driver's seat
 * Air conditioning
 * AM/FM stereo with in-dash 6-CD changer
 * Leather wrapped steering wheel
 * Rearview mirror with automatic dimming
 * Keyless entry keypad on driver's door
 * 16" 5 spoke aluminum wheels
 * Safety Canopy™ System with side-curtain airbags and rollover sensor
 * Front-seat side-impact airbags
 * Heated leather seating surfaces with perforated leather inserts
 * Reverse-sensing system
 * Upgraded audio system
 * Navigation system with Hybrid energy flow display, 7-speakers & MP3 capability (Premium Package)
 * Safety Canopy™ System with side-curtain airbags and rollover sensor
 * Front-seat side-impact airbags
 * Reverse sensing system
 * Power sunroof (requires Premium Package) - $585
 * Audiophile 6-disc in-dash CD changer with 7-speakers & MP3 capability - $595
 * Navigation system with Hybrid energy flow display, 7-speakers & MP3 capability - $1,995

Pricing
2008 Base MSRP The U.S. Federal Income Tax Credit is $1,950 for models purchased prior to December 31, 2010.

Reliability
Ford Motor Company set durability and reliability objectives for the Mariner Hybrid. Field tests continued until the objectives were acheived. The Mariner Hybrid's power system is the product of 170 prototype test mule vehicles, tested in five climate extremes on three continents.

Safety

 * 
 * Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
 * Dual front airbags (SRS) (Dual-stage driver and single-stage front passenger)
 * Front and rear crumple zones
 * Front passenger occupancy sensor
 * Front 3-Point safety belts with automatic tensioning system
 * SecuriLock® passive anti-theft system with ignition immobilizer
 * Remote keyless-entry system with illuminating feature
 * Optional side-impact airbags (Premium Package)
 * Tire pressure monitoring system
 * 3-point safety belts for all seat positions
 * Lower Anchors, tether anchors for children (LATCH) on rear outboard seat
 * Optional overhead side-curtain airbags (Ford's Safety Canopy™ System)

Colors




Warranty
Bumper to Bumper: 36 months/36,000 miles

Major Components: 60 months/60,000 miles Rust Through: 60 months/unlimited miles

Roadside Assistance: 60 months/60,000 miles

Main Competitors

 * Jeep Liberty
 * Toyota Highlander Hybrid
 * Saturn VUE Green Line
 * Ford Escape Hybrid

Unique Attributes
The Mariner Hybrid, along with it's sister model Ford Escape Hybrid and cousin Mazda Tribute Hybrid, are known as full hybrids. They can run purely on electric power in many urban driving conditions. This is reflected in their higher city MPG rating (compared to highway).

Resale Values
Kelley Blue Book offers a range of resale value information, with mileage and equipment levels factored in.

What's Best About Mariner Hybrid

 * "Loaded models...sell for less than $35,000." — Cars.com


 * "...A hybrid that doesn't force you to give up an ounce of day-to-day practicality." — Edmunds.com


 * "The battery pack is located under the cargo floor and doesn't materially reduce the cargo capacity." — Cars.com

Criticisms

 * Four-cylinder engine feels unrefined at high rpm." — Edmunds.com

First Generation: 2006–2007


The Mercury Mariner debuted in late 2004 as a 2005 Luxury compact SUV, which is based on the Ford Escape with enhancements and more luxury touches and features. The Ford Escape was jointly developed with Mazda, in which Ford owns a controlling interest, and was released a few months after the nearly-identical Mazda Tribute. The Escape is sold in Europe as the Ford Maverick while the Mariner is not.

It is built on the Ford CD2 platform, which is in turn based on the Mazda GF platform, which was used by the Mazda6.

The Mariner offers a 3.0L V6 engine, all wheel drive system, four wheel disc brakes with ABS and color keyed exterior styling. No low range gearing is offered. A back-up obstacle detection system is available for Premier and Hybrid variants. Mercury Mariner Hybrid models have an optional navigation system with screen displays for power flow and fuel economy.

Second Generation: 2008-Present


For 2008 The Mercury Mariner Hybrid is significantly restyled.

Customers told Mercury the changes should focus on styling, the reduction of noise and vibration, and the addition of navigation and MP3 compatibility. Accordingly, there's a new exterior design that raises the Mariner's beltline while tweaking its front and rear fascias, headlights and taillights, liftgate and hood.

Inside there are new seats, which are quite comfortable. The seat's leather looks and feels like quality, as do most of the plastics lining the pillars, doors and dash. Overall, the interior design and materials are a substantial improvement.

The 2008 Mariners ride quality has also been improved significantly also. It often uses its full-electric mode in stop-and-go driving, and it's virtually silent with the exception of a few unobtrusive, yet exclusively hybrid-style clicks and whines. Even at freeway speeds, tire and wind noise are significantly damped.

It's also safer. All Mariners come standard with side-impact airbags that deploy from the seats, plus curtain-type head protection airbags.

Dual knobs for driver and passenger climate controls are found on either side of the dash, and the temperature display is high on the dashboard above the audio and navigation system. Mercury says this design makes the information easier to read while driving

After flipping up the seat bottoms and removing the headrests — a lengthy process relative to its competition — the Mariner's rear seats fold flat to accommodate 66.2 cubic feet of cargo space, some 7.6 cubic feet more than the Mazda CX-7.

Design quirks and oddities
Visually, there are small Hybrid badges just behind the front wheels and also on the rear hatch. The hybrid has a vent built into its left rear quarter-panel glass which helps to cool the battery pack located under the luggage bay. The biggest difference can be noted on the tachometer. The Mariner Hybrid, has it's tachometer needle equipped with a sub-zero setting. This setting is used to indicate that the vehicle is running only on electric power, such as while sitting at a stop or even while traveling on the road in certain conditions.

The Mariner Hybrid's gasoline engine is a 2.3-liter, inline four-cylinder that operates under the Atkinson cycle, which is a technology designed to reduce the level of fuel combustion. The Atkinson cycle makes somewhat less horsepower, but keeps intake valves open longer and operates under a higher compression ratio.

Awards

 * Mercury Mariner Hybrid was named 2006 "Green Car of the Year*" by Green Car                    Journal.


 * Mariner Hybrid named a Consumers Digest Best Buy. Mariner Hybrid, the most fuel-efficient SUV on the road has been named a Consumers Digest Best Buy for 2008. It's easy to see why Consumers Digest was impressed. Its strong acceleration is combined with fuel economy that delivers 34 mpg on the highway and 30 mpg in the city. The magazine was also impressed with the Mariner Hybrid's "seamless" transition between electric and gasoline power, as well as the smooth, powerful performance of the CVT (continuously variable transmission).

Specifications

 * 2.3L four-cylinder atkinson-cycle gasoline engine with 133 HP and 124 lb-ft of torque
 * 94 HP electric traction motor
 * 38 HP generator motor (for battery pack)
 * Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
 * Nickel-metal hydride battery pack with DC converter
 * Digital fuel mileage indicator
 * Remote entry system
 * Immobilizer theft-deterrent system
 * Electrically assisted rack-and-pinion steering
 * 16" 5-spoke alloy wheels
 * 1000 lbs. towing capacity