The Mercury Mariner is a
compact
Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to:
* Interstate compact
* Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines
* Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in Briti ...
crossover SUV that was introduced in 2005. It is a sibling of the
Mazda Tribute
The (''Code J14'') is a compact SUV made by Japanese automaker Mazda from 2000 to 2011. It was jointly developed with Ford Motor Company and based on the front-wheel drive Mazda 626 platform, which was in turn the basis for the similar Ford Esc ...
and
Ford Escape
The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV sold by Ford since 2000 over four generations. The first generation was jointly developed with Mazda which also created the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner as the twin model. Second generations of t ...
, although it is more upmarket than the other two. The Mariner is Mercury's first car-based SUV, and is slotted below the
Mountaineer
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...
in the lineup. When Ford eliminated the Mercury brand, the Mariner ended production in October 2010.
The Mariner was officially offered in the U.S., Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the U.A.E.
First generation
Introduced during the 2005 refresh of the Ford Escape, the Mercury Mariner was positioned above both it and the Mazda Tribute in the compact sport utility vehicle group. It also includes stylistic differences, such as a two-tone interior, turn signal repeaters borrowed from the European-market
Ford Maverick, monotone cladding, and the signature
Mercury "waterfall" front grille.
Unlike its counterparts, a manual transmission was not part of the powertrain lineup. The Mariner was the first Mercury with a
four-cylinder
The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized.
Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
since the
Mercury Cougar
Mercury Cougar is a nameplate applied to a diverse series of automobiles sold by the Mercury division of Ford from 1967 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2002. While the nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various times duri ...
was dropped in 2002. For 2006, the lineup was expanded with the introduction of the Mariner Hybrid.
Second generation
For the second generation for the Mariner, the 2008 model year boasted a thorough redesign, despite remaining on the
Ford CD2 platform
The Ford CD2 platform (for " C/D-class" and called ''U204'' internally) is an automobile platform for crossover SUVs. It is the basis for the Mazda Tribute, Ford Escape, and Mercury Mariner, and was jointly developed by Mazda and Ford. The desi ...
used by the outgoing generation.
The exterior changes included new seats, headlights, taillights, a new liftgate, a higher beltline, new doors, and new wheels. The interior was also significantly updated with higher quality materials and included more features. The engines remained the same but the 3.0 L Duratec
V6 has been modified to reduce fuel consumption by 10%.
Mariner and its
Ford Escape
The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV sold by Ford since 2000 over four generations. The first generation was jointly developed with Mazda which also created the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner as the twin model. Second generations of t ...
sibling were the first vehicles to feature Ford's pull-drift steering compensation, an enhancement made possible by applying
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consists o ...
control to the
Electric Power Steering
A power steering is a mechanical device equipped on a motor vehicle that helps drivers steer the vehicle by reducing steering effort needed to turn the steering wheel, making it easier for the vehicle to turn or maneuver at lower speeds.
Hydraulic ...
(EPS) system.
The first 2008 Mercury Mariner was unveiled at the South Florida International Auto Show on October 6, 2006, and was touted as a new direction for the Mercury brand.
2009 changes
The 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner were unveiled at the 2008 Washington Auto Show. Sporting a 2.5-liter engine and 6-speed automatic transmission that replaced the
four-speed automatic transmission, the new powertrain improved the EPA fuel economy by 1 mile per gallon and increased power by 11% to . The existing 3.0-liter Duratec V6 was bumped from to .
The new 4-cylinder engine was also used in Ford's Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. “For every eight Escape and Mariner vehicles we sell, one of them is a hybrid, and the appeal is growing,” says Sue Ciscke, Ford senior vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.
2010 changes
For the 2010 model year, the Mariner added Ford's MyKey and trailer sway controls as standard on all trim levels. The Mariner also saw the addition of
Flex-Fuel
A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (colloquially called a flex-fuel vehicle) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or ...
, the ability to run using
E85 fuel
E85 is an abbreviation typically referring to an ethanol fuel blend of 85% ethanol fuel and 15% gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume.
In the United States, the exact ratio of fuel ethanol to hydrocarbon may vary according to ASTM 5798 ...
or regular unleaded gasoline with the V6 engine. Mercury removed the Euro-style turn signal repeaters for this model year.
2011 changes
For the 2011 model year, the Mariner featured
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used p ...
as a standard, but continued with the same features as the 2010 models. This version of the Mariner was its last, as Ford discontinued the Mercury brand due to declining sales. Ford ended production of the Mariner in October 2010.
The last Mariner rolled off the assembly line on October 5, 2010.
Variants
Hybrid
The Mariner Hybrid
powertrain
A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...
was identical to its
sibling
A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child.
While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separat ...
, the ''
Ford Escape Hybrid
The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV sold by Ford since 2000 over four generations. The first generation was jointly developed with Mazda which also created the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner as the twin model. Second generations of t ...
.'' It was launched to the U.S. market in 2006 and was discontinued in 2010 with the rest of the brand. The Mariner hybrid sold a total of 12,300 units.
Like the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Mariner Hybrid is a "full" hybrid electric system, meaning the system can switch automatically between pure electric power, pure gasoline engine power, or a combination of electric battery and gasoline engine operating together, for maximum performance and efficiency at all speeds and loads. When braking or decelerating, the Mariner's hybrid system uses regenerative braking, where the electric drive motor becomes a generator, converting the vehicle's momentum back to electricity for storage in the batteries. With , the Mariner Hybrid has nearly the same acceleration performance as the conventional
V6 Mariner. Again, just like the Escape Hybrid, it gets a respectable average of and is sometimes said to be the most fuel efficient
sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definition ...
on the road.
Presidential Edition
On September 7, 2006, Ford delivered a special "Presidential Edition" Mercury Mariner Hybrid to former President
Bill Clinton. Its custom features include:
* LED lighting
* A 120V outlet
* Rear bucket seats
* Center console & rear seat fold-out writing desks
* Personal DVD players for each seat
* Refrigerator
* Increased rear seat legroom
There have also been several undisclosed security modifications made to the vehicle.
Awards
*
Consumers Digest
Founded in 1959 and published by Consumers Digest Communications, LLC, ''Consumers Digest'' was an American magazine. It was based in Chicago. The last issue was published in February 2019.
The magazine had no subscribers and did not test the pro ...
best buy for 2005, 2006, 2007.
*Mercury Mariner Hybrid was awarded 2006 Green Car of the Year.
Sales
See also
List of hybrid vehicles
Notes
External links
Mercury Vehicles.com
{{Mercury Timeline
Mariner
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
Compact sport utility vehicles
Luxury sport utility vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars introduced in 2005
2010s cars
Hybrid electric vehicles
Partial zero-emissions vehicles
Hybrid sport utility vehicles
Ford CD2 platform