Rusty Wallace Lincoln Mercury Mazda

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Driving Impressions

The redesigned Mercury Mariner still seems a bit more like a real truck than competitors such as the Honda CR-V or Saturn Vue. That's partly due to Mariner's squarer, upright styling, but mostly because its ride height and seating position are higher than other small, unitbody (sedan style) sport-utilities. The difference is a character issue more than a genuine, functional phenomenon, and it's not bad at all. The 2008 Mariner never feels tippy on the road and it's quite pleasant to drive. Both the four- and six-cylinder engine deliver good response and adequate acceleration, and the high seating position simply offers a better view when scooting through traffic, which can be accomplished with the same confidence you might have in a standard sedan.

All Mariners, from front-drive four-cylinders to all-wheel-drive V6s to the Hybrid, have some of the best EPA mileage ratings in the class. All have a firm, comfortable ride, without the roly-poly mush quality or the jarring clanks that can characterize conventional truck-based SUVs with tall, off-road tires and long-travel suspensions. Improvements for 2008, including increased air-conditioning power, an electric power steering system, better noise management and changes in suspension tuning, raise the level of refinement above previous Mariners.

The Mariner Hybrid delivers essentially the same performance as the gasoline V6, with very little except improved mileage to give away its hybrid powertrain. Few drivers will notice any substantial, functional differences with the Hybrid in day-to-day use. This is a full hybrid, meaning it can run exclusively on electric power, but there's no power cord needed. The battery pack is automatically recharged by the gasoline engine and by regenerative braking, which captures energy that is otherwise wasted when a vehicle looses momentum, then sends it to the batteries for storage.

By combining a four-cylinder gasoline engine with the boost from an electric motor, the Hybrid can deliver a significant fuel-economy improvement and reduce emissions. The Mariner Hybrid can operate on the electric motor up to about 25 mph to maximize in-city fuel economy, and for 2008 it's available with all-wheel drive. .

The Mariner Hybrid's primary source of power remains its gasoline engine. It's nearly identical to the 2.3-liter four in gasoline-only models, except that it runs on something called the Atkinson cycle, which improves its fuel efficiency but reduces horsepower by 20 (to 133). The companion, 70-kilowatt electric motor will kick in when a driver demands full acceleration and deliver more torque to the wheels, or it can power the Mariner Hybrid by itself in certain circumstances, such as creeping along in a traffic jam or rolling through a parking lot. Bottom line, the Hybrid model delivers acceleration times comparable to the gas-only V6, with a 55 percent improvement over gas-only four-cylinder models in city mpg, according to the EPA (34 city, 30 highway for the Hybrid 2WD).

The Hybrid delivers excellent acceleration at lower speeds. Floor it at 20 mph, and it will snap heads back toward head rests. Floor the Hybrid 2WD at a stop sign, and it can squeal its front tires like a hot rod. To be sure, its tires are harder than those on other Mariners and designed for maximum efficiency, which means less rolling resistance, and less grip. The only real performance issue compared to gasoline-only Mariners is a reduction in maximum towing capacity from 3,500 pounds for the V6 4WD (best in class) to 1000 pounds for the Hybrid (still enough for a personal watercraft or dirt bikes)

Few will notice a significant difference between the Hybrid and a conventional Mariner, except when the Hybrid shuts itself off at stop lights or glides quietly through a parking lot on electric power. Indeed, the Hybrid is a bit quieter, probably smoother, in all circumstances. In order to minimize the power lost as it transfe

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