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Excellent SUV 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid Review

The Mariner is a truly impressive Hybrid. In my opinion, it is the best Hybrid on the road. Toyota has the Prius which may offer ALLEGEDLY higher mileage(people I have spoken with are still looking for the claims to be true) but, if you want to drive a Hybrid to be proud of then, you need to buy a Mariner.

On a customer service note, North Hills Lincoln Mercury in Hurst, has the greatest sales team I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with.



I love the looks and the way the car handles. The ride is a bit rough tho. Im not crazy about the color pebble for the interior. I think a grey or 2 tone would have dressed it up more. Mine is silver with a green mist to it. I love that! The wheels also look great. Speed is a big factor with me and the Mariner has plenty of power. Most of all Im getting twice the MPG than I did from my Jeep.

Highlights 2006 Mercury Mariner

Mercurys compact SUV adds a gas/electric Hybrid model for 2006. Mariner is a luxury-trimmed version of the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute. It comes with a conventional gas engine as the Convenience model with a 153-hp 4-cyl and as the upscale Luxury and Premier with a 200-hp V6. These come with a 4-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive that lacks low-range gearing. Hybrids are AWD only and team a 4-cyl gas engine with a battery-powered electric motor. It requires no plug-in charging. It uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Mariners hybrid system automatically runs on one or both power sources.

All Mariners include ABS; Hybrids and AWD V6s have 4-wheel disc brakes. Curtain side airbags with rollover deployment are optional. Rear obstacle detection is available for Premier and Hybrid. Exclusive to the Hybrid is an optional navigation system with screen displays for power flow and fuel economy. Mariners performance and accommodations mirror those of comparably equipped Escapes and Tributes.

No low-priced model

But price for this Mariner isnt low.
In fact, starting manufacturers suggested retail price of more than $29,000 for a five-passenger Mariner Hybrid with a four-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor seems high for a compact SUV.

Its nearly $6,100 more than a base four-cylinder-powered, gas-only Mariner with four-wheel drive.

And its some $2,000 more than a base, two-wheel-drive, 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid.
Of course, all the early hybrid SUVs on the market these days are pricey.

At Toyota, the starting MSRP for a Highlander Hybrid is over $33,000. Its more than $44,000 for the Lexus RX 400h thats offered by Toyotas luxury brand. But note these Toyota hybrid SUVs have V6 engines mated to the electric power system.

Officials at the automakers blame the high prices of hybrid vehicles on the cost of developing this technology and setting up supplier networks for the components. They also say they hope prices will come down as more hybrid vehicles are produced and sold.
But this doesnt help shoppers looking to buy now.

Interior Design and Special Features

The Mariner Hybrid features a stylish interior with satin aluminum, chrome accents and a two-tone color scheme. The 60/40-split rear seat includes three-point seatbelts and head restraints for all three seating positions. There is 28 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, and you can fold them down to open up 65 cubic feet of capacity.

Safety

Four-wheel antilock disc brakes are standard. The optional Premium Package includes front-seat side-impact airbags and full-length head curtain airbags with a rollover sensor. In NHTSA tests, the 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid earned four out of five stars for driver and front-passenger protection in frontal impacts. In side-impact crash tests, it received five stars for both front- and rear-seat occupants. Less impressive is the Mariners "Acceptable" rating (the second highest) in the frontal-offset crash test conducted by the IIHS. When equipped with side airbags, the Mercury SUV merits a "Good" rating (the highest) from the IIHS for side-impact protection.

Powertrains and Performance

The Mariner Hybrid power plant consists of a 2.3-liter gasoline engine and two electric motor/generators. Mercury calls the transmission a CVT, but theres no rotating belt as is in a conventional CVT. Instead, the motors work in concert with the gas engine through a planetary gear set to provide seamless power and maximum efficiency. If youre the driver of a Mariner Hybrid, all you have to do is move the shift lever to "D" and press the gas pedal. Available only with all-wheel drive, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid is rated at 33 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, making it one of the most fuel-efficient SUVs on the market.

Body Styles, Trim Levels and Options

The compact Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV is available in one four-door body style with all-wheel drive. Standard amenities include 16-inch alloy wheels, a power driver seat, air conditioning, an in-dash CD changer, cruise control, keyless entry and power windows, mirrors and locks. An optional premium package provides heated leather seats, a reverse-sensing system, an upgraded audio system and a navigation system with a hybrid energy flow display. A moonroof is a stand-alone option.

Driving Impressions

The Mercury Mariner is a sport utility vehicle, not a car, so you should not expect anything like a boulevard cruiser ride. And you wont get one. But you will get one of the better rides in the Mariners class of compact SUVs. Drawn as it is on the foundation of the number-one selling Ford Escape, which has been around in current configuration long enough to have been thoroughly debugged in the basic elements, the Mariner accounts for itself better than most in the class.

In the power department, the V6 delivers as expected, pulling readily and cleanly through the heart of the power band, if not with an abundance of gusto; this is a consequence, no doubt, of less-than-impressive torque. Also, and as most engines in this class do, it labors at the extreme top end, but few if any Mariner drivers are likely to explore that territory.

We havent driven the Convenience model with the four-cylinder engine, but our experience in the identically powered Ford Escape showed that it delivers adequate power. Naturally, we preferred the V6 for its stronger response.

The four-speed automatic transmission works well with either engine, admirably holding the appropriate gear for extended periods when stressed by terrain or load.

Nor have we had a chance at the Mariner Hybrid, but we expect it to perform briskly due to its 155 horsepower when both the electric traction motor and gasoline engine operate together under full acceleration. Our experience in the virtually identical Ford Escape Hybrid was extremely positive, so were inclined to recommend the Mariner Hybrid highly. What we found with the Escape Hybrid is that the driver does not need to know anything or do anything differently than he or she would in a regular gas model. Its smooth and powerful and pleasant. The Mariner Hybrid rates an EPA-estimated 33 mpg City and 29 mpg Highway.

Note that the city mileage is higher than the highway mileage, the opposite of gasoline-powered vehicles and a benefit of the hybrids regenerative braking. Compare those figures to the four-cylinder all-wheel-drive Mariners EPA estimate of 21/24 City/Highway, and the potential savings become more clear. The all-wheel-drive six-cylinder Mariners EPA mileage estimate is an even more compelling argument for the Hybrid, as it manages just 19/23 mpg on the EPA test cycles. Our experience is that hybrids dont achieve the fuel economy of the EPA tests but that skilled drivers are rewarded with impressive levels of efficiency.

The Hybrids CVT transmission, which delivers power smoothly without needing to shift gears either up or down, should be a delight for commuting and stop-and-go urban traffic. CVTs take a little getting used to as under acceleration they seamlessly adjust the ratio to keep the engine operating in the optimum power band, which sometimes has the feeling of a slipping clutch or snowmobile engine. Drivers who are able to embrace this are rewarded with smooth, efficient operation.

The 4WD system available for most models operates seamlessly, smoothly rerouting power without hesitation through its computer-controlled clutch to the rear wheels almost before the front wheels begin to lose grip. It will comfortably and confidently master snow-filled parking lots at the ski lodge and muddy driveways at the weekend cabin. However, the Mariner is not designed to navigate truly rugged terrain off road.

The Mariner tracks well and rides comfortably at highway speeds for a vehicle of its size and stature. Steering is certain, with good on-center feel. The suspension is tuned to conquer all but the truly egregious pavement pockmarks. Theres little body lean in curves.

The brakes on our V6 model were responsive and the pedal feel was solid. We managed to avoid situations requiring the intervention of the ABS, but again, from experience with the Escape, should the occasion arise, youll experience a well-modulated stop telegraphed by a slight pulsating of the pedal. You wont, however, enjoy the extra degree of safety provided by electronic brake force distribution, which the Escape now offers. Front disc/rear drum brakes come on the Convenience model with its four-cylinder engine. The V6-powered Luxury and Premier models come with four-wheel disc brakes, better for extended periods of hard braking.


overall review :

I love driving the sports car like handling Mariner hybrid that didnt force me to give up an ounce of day-to- day practicality. Im public speaker that travels two large NM counties and carry a lot of audio visual and training equipment I fold the back seats down to open up 65 cubic feet of room. (The small car truck and back seats) of other Hybrids would not work. The Mariners stylish interior is great for my needs. I look forward to driving on long trips (even with gas at $2.89 plus a gallon). If you take a Mariner on a test drive, you will not want to give it back. The heck with MPG this thing is FPG - Fun Per Gallon.

Favorite Features:

Comfortable seats, nimble handling, economy (week and a half between fill-ups), sound system is great, too. Moonroof was not something I wanted - now I need it. : )