Overview & Reviews

Hybrid SUVs like the Mercury Mariner Hybrid are aimed primarily at green-thinking car buyers who want it all. By sport-utility standards, fuel economy is high and tailpipe emissions are low. At the same time, the Mariner Hybrid allows one to live the hybrid car lifestyle without losing the everyday versatility provided by all-wheel drive and a decent-sized cargo area.

As part of Mercury's demise, the Mariner Hybrid will only be produced through 2011. Mechanically, it's identical to the Ford Escape Hybrid. Differentiation comes about mostly through altered exterior styling and the Mariner's higher-quality interior.

Most Recent Mercury Mariner Hybrid
The Mercury Mariner Hybrid compact SUV was produced in two generations. The more recent ran from 2008-'11.

This Mariner was available in one well-equipped trim level. Standard amenities included full power accessories, dual-zone automatic climate control, the Sync phone/MP3 player interface and an in-dash CD changer with MP3 audio input. Options included heated leather seats, an upgraded seven-speaker audio system, a navigation system, a sunroof, a rearview camera, MyKey (which allows parents/owners to limit speed and audio volume) and an automated parallel-parking assist feature.

A two-wheel-drive Mariner Hybrid should be able to deliver close to 30 mpg in real-world city and highway driving. Its powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, a pair of electric motors and an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Under full acceleration, both power sources work together to provide maximum oomph, but under lighter load conditions, such as stop-and-go traffic, the Mariner Hybrid alternates between the two, oftentimes running purely on battery power alone. A regenerative braking system converts energy normally lost as heat into electricity to recharge the vehicle's batteries.

Although the cumulative horsepower rating of 177 doesn't sound very impressive, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid was quicker than the regular four-cylinder Mainer. Two-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive models were offered.

The Mariner Hybrid's cabin was tastefully accented with faux aluminum, chrome and wood-grain trim. The backseat was roomy and comfortable enough to keep a pair of adults content on road trips, and there was almost 28 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats with up to 66 cubic feet when folded.

With its gas engine and electric motors working in concert, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid returned outstanding fuel mileage. Unfortunately, its engine made a lot of noise under hard acceleration. Ride quality was acceptable for a small SUV, but handling was unimpressive because of the additional weight of the hybrid components. Braking performance was poor due to the Mariner's lackluster front disc/rear drum setup.

There were only a few changes during this model's time. For 2010, the Mariner Hybrid benefited from a few more high-tech features including the "Auto Park" automatic parallel-parking option and MyKey (which allowed parents to limit speed and audio volume for their teen drivers). Most importantly, a new electrically driven air-conditioning compressor arrived as well. Previously, the A/C would shut down with the engine when the vehicle stopped at a light or was stuck in traffic. You could override this, but then you wouldn't get the fuel economy savings auto stop/start provides.

Past Mercury Mariner Hybrids
The first-generation Mercury Mariner hybrid was produced for 2006-'07. These earlier Mariners had a hybrid powertrain similar to that of the second-gen version, albeit with a slightly smaller, 2.3-liter 155-hp engine. All-wheel drive was standard. Also, they lacked the newer Mariner's updated styling and features.

User Reviews:

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  Mariner Hybrid is great SPG (smug/gal) - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By David Lloyd - April 13 - 6:13 pm

  This is my 5th SUV/truck, and it is great to drive, hard to believe it is made by Ford. The only problem...being too quiet driving in a parking lot. No one hears you coming.

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  Mercury Mariner Hybrid - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By j mueller - March 29 - 11:53 pm

  I owned a Lincoln Aviator before this.There is no comparison. This car is cheaply built!It has uncomfortable seats with paper thin leather, poor sound system, you can hear the outside air through the windows, it has a rough ride. Overall it is just a cheap, uncomfortable car that was definitely not worth 30-some thousand dollars!

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  Love this car! - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Ann - March 29 - 5:16 pm

  This has been one of my favorite cars and I traded down from a Lexus GX to buy this.The gas mileage is much better and I love the car for my short trips about town. I have the Kiwi green with white interior with plenty of room for family, dogs and everything else. Fun car.

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  Road Trip - 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Daymon Doss - March 29 - 11:43 am

  My wife and I recently completed a 4800 mile road trip in our new Mariner hybrid, From Northern California through Nev., Idaho, Wyoming, S.D., Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, N.M., Ari z. and back to Ca. The vehicle ran great with excellent performance and we got 31.6 MPG. Actually were doing much better but on the way back the desert of N.M.,Ariz and Ca, really brought it down. Very good ride with good handling and no problems.

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  11 months Still love it! - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Karen - February 11 - 4:20 pm

  I bought my Mercury Mariner Hybrid 11 months ago and have 13,000 miles on it. We live in Colorado and Ive driven over mountain passes, in snow storms and snow packed roads numerous times with no problems. I traded in a Yukon Denali for better gas mileage. The Mariner was the closest vehicle that I could find that had all the "doo dads" like the Denali: leather seats, nav system, satellite radio, heated seats, sunroof, etc. I average 31 hwy and 34 mpg in town. It is much easier to park than the Denali and has a wonderful ride. Ive not had any problems with the engine, electronics or anything. If you are looking for an AWD hybrid, this is the best one on the road and its American.

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  SkimpyRider - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Works4me - January 18 - 8:16 pm

  Pros: Excellent vehicle with surprisingly good stability-very close to Hondas roadability. Tight turning radius a big plus. Lots of fun to drive. Cons: Center led display of time, temperatures etc. cannot be see in bright sunlight. GPS/radio screen could be brighter and crisper (higher resolution).

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  Sage Mariner w/o all the optional stuff. - 2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Whirl-E-Brid Man - November 25 - 11:06 pm

  Not too big and not to small. Its just right says me. Cloth seats. Solid ride. Quiet. Fun to Drive. The standard equipment is just fine. The gas mileage averages about 30.5 mpg overall in my driving situation which includes about 16 miles of some what rural 2 lane roads that are not congested.

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  Going Hybrid is Easy! - 2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Y. Mangum - October 22 - 9:06 am

  I just bought a Mercury Mariner last week and I love it so far. I had been looking for a Prius, and when I finally found one on a dealer lot, they were so rude and wouldnt even let me test drive it. I left their lot and found a BETTER hybrid the very same day -- my Mercury Mariner. Its beautiful compared to a Prius. Now, I dont even know why I even considered the Prius! The Mariner has SO much more room and is much more stylish. Ive never owned a Mercury before, but Ive owned the Ford brand and have been happy with those vehicles. Im looking forward to being in my new Hybrid vehicle for a long time to come!

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  6 months and 12k miles after purchase... - 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By Joshua Lowe - October 12 - 10:03 pm

  I have owned my hybrid for 6 months now and driven over 12k miles so far. Most driving I do is highway mileage, and I average around 31. When I do drive in the city for periods of time, I average around 34. The engine is loud at times, and seems somewhat underpowered. However, when I accelerate to pass someone on a two-lane highway, the pickup is there. I am disappointed that I have several areas that make noise. The left of the dash rattles on bumps, and a spot in the middle of the dash has started to rattle softly. Recently the tailgate seems to rattle as well. After 12k miles, this is unexpected. Outside of that, I love the car and have enjoyed my infrequent gas stops.

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  Overpriced - 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
  By JM - September 13 - 8:03 pm

  Good, safe, quality car way overpriced due to dealers ordering with every possible ridiculous option. For example-"ambient lighting" which I thought cheap/cheesy-something I might have liked when I was 16 rather than an adult. Nav. system is $2000-buy garmin instead or plug laptop into included outlet and use mapquest on the 3+ yrs of wireless you could buy w/ $2k you save. Nav. system includes dvd player that of course only works if you are in park because you cant be trusted that only passengers and not the driver will watch. 10Gig hard drive to hold all your music but only transfer is one CD at a time (no ipod/MP3 xfer), about 10 min/CD. No backup when hard drive fails! Bargain hard!