Excellent choice of Hybrid SUV

Well, the lease on our Nissan Murano was coming due and the price of fuel has driven our increasing interest in Hybrid technology. We had considered a Ford Escape Hybrid, but demo cars are non-existent where we live. I happened to call a local dealer to see if they had a Mercury Mariner hybrid on the lot and struck paydirt. I did a lot of research on comparing the 2 vehicles and decided to test-drive the Mercury. We ended up buying it. Since we have only had the vehicle for about a week, I cannot remark on long-term fuel economy, but I will keep updating this review for the benefit of readers.

The Ford Escape and the Mercury Mariner hybrids are essentially the same – the only difference is that the Mercury vehicles are about $1,000 more expensive, and the optional packages are configured differently. After checking the dealer price on this Mercury and comparing it to buying a Ford Escape by custom order, this was a reasonable deal. Please bear in mind – when buying hybrids (especially during these times with skyrocketing fuel prices) there is very little wiggle-room for negotiations on the sticker price. Dealers are sitting with lots FULL of SUVS and luxury vehicles that have horrible mileage that they just cannot move. I had a long discussion with the general manager of the dealership and he confirmed that buyers are moving towards the more economical and hybrid cars and trucks, so the demand is high. This was confirmed by a car salesman who is a personal friend (known him for over 25 years). We ended up buying the Mariner for $500 under sticker price.

Now for the preliminary review:

EXTERIOR
The style of the 2008 Mariner hybrid is very close to the Ford Explorer and Expedition. The Mercury seems to look a little more “upscale” from the Ford Escape, but they are all basically the same ‘utilitarian’ look. It’s nothing fancy, but that is not an extreme priority for us. We don’t get excited about cars in general – we just want reliable transportation that looks relatively good.

There is plenty of visibility with very few blind spots. Our 2004 Murano had a terrible blind spot at the right-rear passenger side. This is not a problem with the Mariner. The side mirrors are nice and large giving the driver a great view of vehicles approaching on either side.

As with many Ford and Mercury cars and SUV’s, there is a keypad on the driver’s door which allows you to program a 5-digit code to unlock the doors if your key is misplaced or accidentally locked in the vehicle.

Our Mariner was equipped with optional backup sensing which has sensors in the rear bumper. If you are backing up and getting too close to any object, a tone sounds inside of the car to warn you. It is relatively sensitive and warned me the day I picked it up when backing into the driveway and getting close to a tree planted at the edge of the driveway.

Three things that I would have preferred (two that were on our Murano) were the fuel door and the hood. The Murano had a locking fuel door preventing access when the vehicle was locked. This is absent on the Mariner. Though we have never been the victims of fuel being stolen from our cars, I would imagine that this could become a problem with rising fuel prices. The other thing that I find annoying is that the hood has the “prop rod”. One would think that a $30,000+ vehicle would have a hood that has hinges that hold it up without a rod. The final problem is with the rear door – the salesman was careful to point this out because obviously, it has already been a problem. The rear door is “split” meaning that you can open just the glass or the entire door. Unfortunately, the design of this rear door is such that if the glass is already open and you attempt to open the door, the angle can cause the glass to crack or shatter because it will hit the roof rack assembly. These are relatively minor problems but I felt it important to point them out.

INTERIOR
Our model has the upgrade leather interior- after having both leather and cloth seating, we vowed never to have cloth seats again. The leather is much more durable and doesn’t retain odors like cloth seats would. The appearance of the interior is pleasant enough, but I wish that it didn’t have as much plastic as it has – the dash assembly is completely plastic. It would have been nice to have had a leather dash and passenger airbag door. Unfortunately, it gives a “cheap” look to the vehicle.

All of the driver controls are very nicely laid out – everything is easily visible and is logically laid out. At night, the backlight for the driver display is a very pleasant and soothing blue. The controls for the audio system as well as the cruise control are located on the steering wheel which is a plus. The display gives the driver a plethora of information including fuel economy, external temperature, and time/date. Our vehicle is equipped with the navigation system which includes a screen which provides all of the energy utilization of the vehicle. You can visually see when the electric and/or gas is driving the vehicle as well as when the on-board battery is being recharged.

Although past models have had complaints about the navigation system, I found it to be very easy to figure out even without a manual. I was able to program our home address in the address book and configure step-by-step navigation which includes a voice which guides you heard through the interior speakers. The touch-screen display is very logical (in my opinion) and provides tons of information about the vehicle. The system is CD-based (it’s so cool to watch the display tilt out and open up to access the navigation CD), so I assume that it’s able to be updated by ordering a new CD every so often (I sure hope that it can be downloaded from the Internet and burned on a new CD).

Our vehicle came equipped with the upgraded sound system. We were used to the Bose system in the Murano. I’m a musician but not an audiophile freak, so I was impressed with this sound system. Sound is clear and crisp with a great balance of low, mid and high range. The CD player holds 6 CDs and the radio is programmable for a multiple of stations AND preferences for different styles of music (i.e., classical, adult hits, etc.).

The A/C system cools the vehicle down very quickly. Our vehicle is equipped with dual-zone temperature controls so the passenger doesn’t have to freeze if the driver loves cold temperatures. Unfortunately, there are no vents for the rear passengers – it would have been nice to have those available in either the center console or the pillars between front and rear seats. One interesting feature with the hybrid: if you push the “economy” button for the A/C, the air-conditioning works in tandem with the hybrid system. When stopped at a traffic light (unless the battery needs charging), the compressor disengages and the engine stops. If the temperature gets too warm inside the vehicle or you start to accelerate, the engine engages and the compressor clicks on to cool the interior. I tried using the “economy” setting today with an outside temperature at about 89 degrees and the vehicle stayed comfortable inside. If the “economy” button is not used, then the compressor stays engaged and the engine runs – of course lowering fuel economy.

DRIVING/COMFORT
Driving this vehicle is a pleasure. The ride is very comfortable. The driver has a great sense of the road and great feeling of command of the vehicle. The electric-assisted power steering is responsive, although less sensitive than our Murano. I assume that this can be adjusted by computer; my VW Jetta is adjustable. The next time we take it in for service we are going to check with the mechanic.

The engine is nimble enough to get you onto the freeway, but if you’re looking for a muscle car, then a hybrid is NOT the car for you. Remember that you are trading power for economy. When accelerating, the electric motor brings you up to about 30MPH unless you need immediate speed. Afterwards, the 4-cylinder gasoline engine kicks in. The transition is VERY smooth. The only description that I can give is that it feels like a conventional transmission shifting from one gear to another. This is thanks to the Toyota drive-train. I applaud Ford for using a tried-and-true Hybrid drive-train instead of trying to engineer something themselves.

The hybrid is equipped with a CVT (Continuous Velocity Transmission) which adds to the fuel economy. If you are moving from a traditional transmission, it takes a little getting used to – a CVT doesn’t “shift” – you will notice the tachometer slowly moving in tandem with the acceleration pedal. As an aside, the hybrid is equipped with a tachometer which is helpful when trying to optimize fuel economy although, it is weird to start accelerating and see the tach sit at ZERO when the electric motor is engaged!

The brakes feel a little different from traditional brakes – though it doesn’t take long to acclimate yourself to the feel. I think that this has to do with the hybrid system – remember that the brakes help to recharge the system’s 330 volt battery.

The seating is very supportive – especially the driver’s seat. It is a 6-way adjustable with very firm lumbar support. As someone who has had 4 back operations, it is critical that I have a car that has supportive seats.

EYE CANDY: Our vehicle came with the “ambient lighting package”. For an additional $150, the rear passengers are treated to ambient lighting. The really cool feature is a little button that is in the center console which changes the color of the LED’s to a range of different colors depending on the mood you want to set in the car. Though I don’t think it’s something that I would order on a vehicle, it was a pleasant surprise to find it!

HYBRID QUIRKS
Driving a hybrid vehicle is truly a different experience. There is a host of weird sounds that you don’t hear on conventional vehicles. Starting with turning the key to “on” you hear bunch of clicks throughout the car: these are all of the relays engaging the 330 volt system from the NiMH batteries to the electrical hybrid system. Also, if the hybrid batteries are discharged, the engine will engage to recharge them. When stopping, there is a high-pitched sound from the brakes. Even after the vehicle has come to a complete stop, you can hear the gyros continue to rotate to recharge the batteries.

There is also a system of fans at the rear of the vehicle which are connected to a venting system to the outside. If the temperature of the NiMH batteries rises beyond a setpoint, the fans will engage to cool the batteries – remember that heat is the worst enemy of any rechargeable battery. The various sounds are not annoying, but the driver should be aware of them beforehand to realize that they are completely normal and part of the operating system.

ECONOMY
We have only had this vehicle for less than a week, so I can't comment accurately on the economy. I will update this review frequently as we continue to use the Mariner. I have to say that after only using a 1/4 of a tank, the economy already is reading 18.5 for ONLY city driving. I expect this number to skyrocket based on past model performance (Ford Escape).

OVERALL OPINION
We are very pleased with our choice of vehicle. After a year of research on the different options and vehicles available, the Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner hybrids have great ratings for safety, performance and economy. Were we faced with the choice between the Ford and Mercury, we would choose the latter because it has an “upscale” set of appointments that are worth the extra grand.

Though I hope that Florida will eventually follow in the footsteps of California with hydrogen vehicles, the best option at this point is the gasoline hybrid. At least we are doing something positive towards helping the environment while saving some $$$ in the meantime.

I recommend this vehicle hands-down for anyone looking at a small SUV which is economical. It has the safety, comfort and economy that should satisfy most drivers while keeping a reasonable price.

UPDATE 6/11/08
We have gone through a little over 1/2 tank of fuel and the economy is already reading 23.5 MPG in city driving only. I have read that you need to give a vehicle at least 1-2 tankfuls of gasoline to obtain a really accurate reading. So far, we are very impressed with the comfort, quality and economy of this SUV. Ford/Mercury has done a credible job in developing a solid vehicle and borrowing "tried and tested" technology from Toyota on the hybrid drivetrain rather than reinvent the wheel (so to speak).

UPDATE 6/15/08
We took a short trip on the Interstate and there's a couple of thoughts that I would like to add to this review. First, as with all hybrids, we didn't see an increase in MPG at expressway speeds. This is because hybrids are most efficient with stop-and-go traffic when the electric motor(s) drive the vehicle. At speeds of 50MPH and higher, it is basically the traditional internal combustion engine that is working 100% of the time.

We live in South Florida which is basically flat. At 65-70MPH, the engine stayed at around 2200RPM. However, when approaching an overpass, the engine revved up to 3-4,000RPM. I believe that this is probably due to the fact that it's a 4-cylinder and has to increase RPMs to get enough power. A 6-cylinder would not have to struggle with the same, but then, you lose efficiency. Again, it's a fine balance between MPG or power. Personally, with fuel upwards of $4.00/gallon, I would rather lose some power than have my wallet empty.

Since we've had the vehicle for almost 2 weeks now, there are some VERY MINOR design items that I would like to comment on - please remember that I consider these minor:

* The radio antenna is the old-fashioned springy wire sticking out of the hood. It would have been nice to have it embedded into the windshield like most GM cars.

* Only the driver's window has auto down power window. AND it is only auto (not having to hold the button) in the down mode. My VW Jetta has auto modes in both directions on all windows which is a nice convenience.

* Our Murano had a feature that holding the unlock button on the key fob would roll down the driver and passenger windows. My Jetta lowers all 4 windows when the key is inserted into the driver's lock and turned to unlock. This is great especially in a hot climate when you want to evacuate the 100 degree+ air in the car when it has been parked. The Mariner has neither of these features.

* The navigation software only announces the street name when you are ready to make a turn. Before that, it only directs you to make a turn in a specific distance. We have GPS navigation on our Verizon phones and the software announces the street at least 1 mile before the turn. This is helpful when you are looking for street signs. This may eventualy be changed with a software DVD update - I will be checking with the company that provides the DVDs for Ford/Mercury to see what updates are available.

* The light for cruise control only illuminates on the information center once you are actually in "cruise mode". There is no light to indicate if the cruise control system is on or off until then.

* The display on top of the middle dash which shows current time, compass direction, date and outdoor/indoor temps is hard to read on a really bright day. This is because there is too much reflection from the plastic below it on the dash. Either the display should have been brighter or the angle should have been changed.

* The control center touch pad always defaults to the navigation warning message (ie., info may not be up-to-date, etc) and you have to accept or reject the message in order to clear the display. You can also press any of the buttons for other features override, this but I find it annoying that the display doesn't remember the last setting and automatically open to that display.

NOW ON THE PLUS SIDE:

* Road noise was relatively quiet even at speeds of 70MPH. I am comparing this to our Murano and the VW Jetta. A normal conversation can still be held in the Mariner at these speeds.

* We have kept the A/C on the "economy" mode (see info above on hybrid drive and A/Cmodes) and the cabin has remained very comfortable. Living in South Florida is a constant battle with the heat and I'm fussy about keeping cool. I was afraid that the economy mode would leave the cabin too warm in order to keep the engine off, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

* The ride and suspension are consistently comfortable. It is "tight" enough to be able to maneuver easily, but "soft" enough to handle bumps in the road without jarring your teeth out of your mouth. Ford/Mercury has stuck a nice balance between performance and comfort.

UPDATE 6/26/08
One very important item that I didn't mention in the original review is that, according to my research, this vehicle qualifies for a Hybrid Tax Credit on the Federal Income Taxes. As of the time of this writing, the credit is $3,000 and comes directly out of taxes owed. This is a tremendous saving and could influence the decision to buy a hybrid over a traditional gasoline engine. For further information consult your tax accountant or go to http://www.irs.gov