2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

Mercury Mariner Hybrid: Green, but not much more

Tue, Aug 8th 2006

I wanted to love this vehicle, I really, really did. And I surely loved that during the four days I had it the fuel gauge never moved from “F.” I loved the heated seats, too, or rather, my back does. (Yes, even in summer I would turn heated seats on if I had them.)

But fuel economy, warm butt and a cutey-pie appearance aside, the Mariner (and its cousin, the Ford Escape) just doesn't make the best use of its space, and that's a real problem. The vehicles are too narrow for side-by-side crates for dogs of any decent size, and all that headroom isn’t going to give you much pleasure unless you’re an NBA star. There’s not even a good place to put a dog grate.

Then there was this: The vehicle got off on the wrong tire with me by sending me spinning into a car-buyer flashback when I thought I couldn’t get the seats to fold flat (they do, but not in the most convenient way … more on that in a few lines).

Cue the flashback music …

In the early ’80s, I was looking for my first new car. I wanted a small wagon. At the Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer, I looked at their models and told the salesman “no thanks” after I observed that the seats wouldn’t fold flat, or even anything remotely close to it.

He asked me why that was important, and I told him I had dogs. He started berating me, calling me an idiot for making a car-buying decision based on my dogs.

“I’d say you should talk to your husband,” he said, “but I’m sure you don’t have one. Women like you never do.”

End of flashback.

In those days I wasn’t tough-minded enough to do what I’d do now: Call the owner of the dealership, call Ford, call the media, start a picket line, whatever. He’d rue the day, let me tell you, that he dared to suggest I couldn’t buy a car for any reason I wanted.

But back then, I just walked away and didn’t look at a Ford product for 14 years, when my brother bought a Ford Explorer that I absolutely adored. (A feeling I still have, to judge from the warm and fuzzy feelings I had for the one I just drove.)

The seats fold flat on the Mariner, after you pull out the bottom cushions and remove the headrests. It just isn’t very convenient. Not good enough to make it in the “cute ute” class for me, sorry.

Still … it did cause quite the stir at Whole Foods.

-- Gina Spadafori

Carguy Comments:The Mercury Mariner Hybrid features a 2.3 liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, mated with a 70 kw motor in front-wheel and four-wheel-drive systems. Cargo capacity is 65.9 cubic feet and the Mariner hybrid can tow up to 1,000 pounds. It’s emissions rating is PZEV.

Watch the Mercury Mariner Hybrid video

-- Keith Turner, The Family Car

Mercury Mariner Hybrid saves gas over space

Barking Lot Banter: The Mercury Mariner Hybrid, like its cousin the Ford Escape Hybrid, provides good fuel economy for a mid-size SUV, and you can’t beat the stylish look and heated seats. But cargo space for dog crates is hindered by the vehicle’s tall and narrow build.