Overview & Reviews

The 2008 Mercury Mariner gets a makeover inside and out. A more aggressive attitude marks the exterior design, and the cabin is more attractive and functional. The chassis and powertrain are virtually unchanged, however, meaning this "redesigned" Mariner has the same running gear as before.

• Comfortable interior, impressive list of standard safety features.

• Lackluster performance, braking and fuel efficiency compared to rivals, folding down rear seat a multistep process.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 66.00

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  Almost great but disappointing - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By jesse - October 26 - 7:46 pm

  Very nice fit and finish as well as peppy. Engine feels fine and steering is very good. The only problem is with the transmission. It is the worst trans I have every had in a car. It shifts when it shouldnt and doesnt shift when it should. Service told me that the problems I have explained to them are normal for the car. Other than the trans, I would rate the car a ten but because of such a flaw in a major component I would give it a 7 overall.

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  Not too bad after 128k miles - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By skmcobra - January 7 - 10:58 am

  My wife bought this car in 2010 with 81k miles. She bought the extended warranty but I believe only needed it at around 115k miles for an oil pan leak. Today at 128k miles the radiator coolant fans have quit running. Ford dealer quoted me $750 parts & labor but I had done my research and found fans for $100 less at OReillys. They honored the price and dropped cost to $650. Getting it fixed today. Over all this has been a reliable and safe car. Great to drive in the snow with the all wheel drive. Gets about 22-24mpg on the highway and about 17-18 in town. I cant speak to the tranny issues many mention, but it may have been fixed before we bought it.

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  LUV IT! - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Peggy - December 27 - 5:30 am

  Its about what you need. This meets all my needs with its style, p/up, leather, sunroof, back window defrost and wiper. I am a small person so it is plenty big enough for me interior wise. It has almost zero blind spot. I luv it!

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  Love the car, but Im averaging 19 MPG - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By mko - December 19 - 8:33 am

  I drive the car on the weekends in the city, and on the highway. Took a very long road trip from Chicago to Santa Fe in August. Love the car, but I dont know how these other people are getting mid to high 20s for gas mileage. Im consistently getting 18- 20.

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  Very Poor Gas Mileage - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By missmgmnt - October 10 - 10:09 am

  I traded my 2006 Kia Sorento in for the 2008 Mariner this past July. The Mariner was very stylish and offered newer accessories like heated seats and the back up warning system. Initially when I filled my tank up the mileage meter would read "320 miles to empty". But since my first oil change at the dealer this figure has steadily decreased to the point where today it read "227 miles to empty". How on earth could the fuel efficiency drop from 320 to 227 miles like that???? When I fill the tank I generally add between 11-12 gallons so that isnt the issue. VERY disappointed! With the high cost of gas today, such poor fuel economy is just unacceptable. Wish I could get my Kia back! :-(

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  Dont Plan On Hanging Up Your Clothes !! - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Country - June 21 - 2:46 pm

  Mercury has not designed the mariner for folks who like to travel. Too much daytime glare on the instrument panels and poor lighting contrast will leave you squinting to see the temperatures and your fuel economy indicators. Mercurys engineers left out all the interior entry & exit assist handles that made our mountaineer a delight to use. They claim its the side curtain airbags, but sit in a side air bag equipped, top of the line Lincoln and youll see plenty of handles to hang a clothes travel rod on. One stinking little pull out hook that will only hold 5 shirt hangers doesnt cut it !

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  fluid leak - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Em - April 25 - 2:43 pm

  I recently purchased my mariner used at 40,000 miles, 1 month later I noticed fluid leaking. Turns out Ford sent the transmission fluid through the A/C condenser and from what I have heard its been nothing but a problem! The good news is this issue has been recalled and I was able to get everything replaced for free. Other then the leak, I love my new car!

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  4 cyl Mariner runs great - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Joe - April 15 - 11:36 am

  Took delivery in March. In mostly suburban driving we are getting 22.5 mpg. Highway 27 mpg. This in northern New Jersey with AWD. 7500 miles so far and no issues. You have to push the car to get it to perform at times. But I expect that with only 153 hp. Cruises at 85-90 no problem at all. We have the convenience package which is the not loaded version. But includes 6 cd, sunroof etc. nicley packaged.

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  My favorite car ever! - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By brooke - November 8 - 1:10 am

  I cannot say enough about this car. I have had it for about 13 months and absolutely love it. I get compliments all the time about its looks. It has power, it goes great in the snow, and it looks great. I have the silver exterior with the black leather interior, sun/moonroof, 6 cd changer, power everything. Love this vehicle!

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  Very Nice Small SUV - 2008 Mercury Mariner
  By Donna - September 19 - 10:36 am

  Our first SUV. Drove Toyota Camry XLEs for past 10 years. The Mariner is missing some of those amenities, but overall, very nice. Very happy with Mariners interior cargo room and front seat area design and features such as dual heat and air controls and seat warmers. Not so thrilled with gas mileage so far. Have 3500 miles and only averaging 19 in traffic and 22 on highway. Hoping for better as mileage increases. Exterior look is great...many compliments on that.