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2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid :

Product summary

The good: The hybrid power train in the 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, derived from the Toyota Synergy system, is the best around. Route guidance and features on its navigation system are good, as is the number of sources feeding into the audio system.

The bad: The Mariner Hybrid gets pricey for the small SUV market. The maps in the navigation system have poor resolution, and Bluetooth cell phone integration isn’t available.

The bottom line: The 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid has the practical configuration of a small SUV, along with the low emissions and good fuel economy of a hybrid. Its cabin electronics are up-to-date, although not extraordinary.

Specifications: Body style: SUV; Trim levels: Base; Available Engine: Hybrid See full specs

Price range: $26,955.00

Editors’ Review :

2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

Ford Motor Company finally realized that if you want to sell a high-tech car, you need to put high-tech gadgets in the cabin. In truth, the highest tech feature about the 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid is still the hybrid power train. But the newest model gets significantly improved cabin electronics over previous generations.

The Mercury Mariner Hybrid and the Ford Escape Hybrid share the same platform, which includes body style, seating configuration, hybrid power train, and cabin electronics. The key difference between the two cars is that the Mercury presents a more refined style, sort of like the clothes you might wear out to a nice restaurant as compared to what you’ll lounge around in on a Saturday.

We’ve seen a lot of cars with a similar body style to the Mariner Hybrid recently, such as the Honda CR-V, the Mitsubishi Outlander, and the Suzuki Grand Vitara. All have a practical configuration, with four doors, easy access to the seats, and a rear cargo area that can be maximized by folding down the rear seats. The Mariner’s design is chunky, giving the car a rugged look, although the grille suggests the refinement the Mercury brand is supposed to represent.

The previous generation of Mariner/Escapes had a tiny navigation screen and a navigation system running off of CDs. The new Mariner Hybrid gets a DVD-based navigation system with a proper-size screen, plus an in-dash six-disc changer. Its hybrid power train remains the same as in previous models, using a version of Toyota’s Synergy system. This hybrid system is currently the best in the business.

Test the tech: Zero-emission driving
Because the hybrid system in the Mariner Hybrid can drive the car under electric power at low speeds, we staged a contest where CNET Car Tech editors Wayne Cunningham and Kevin Massy would see how long they each could keep the car going before the gas engine would start up. Each got their turn in the car, with a stopwatch keeping track of how long the car was under way.

We staged the contest on the east side of San Francisco’s Potrero Hill. We chose that location so each driver could take the car down the long hill of 19th Street in order to charge up the car’s hybrid battery pack before the start of each run. During the run down the hill, each driver kept the car’s regenerative brakes lightly applied, which sent electricity to the battery. A power-flow diagram on the car’s LCD showed the level of battery charge.