Mercury Mariner Hybrid Review, 2006

In 2001, the Ford Escape was introduced and due to it's popularity, imitations have followed. With that in mind you get the Mazda Tribute and the Mercury Mariner (2005). In 2006, the Mercury Mariner is again following suit by imitating the Ford Escape Hybrid.

But that doesn't mean you should just run out and buy the original. While the foundation is all Escape, the trim is all Mercury. The Mariner has a distinctive front end and metallic trim on the exterior. The interior has two-tone suede, with leather seating and contrast stitching that helps it stand out from the crowd. The hybrid has a few distinctive features, including an air vent built into the driver’s side rear-quarter window, discreet road-and-leaf "HYBRID" badges, and unique 16-inch, five-spoke wheels. The luxury interior and exterior (for an SUV) fits right in with the light 4WD system (standard) and unibody construction.

The 4-door, 5 passenger Mariner is a city vehicle, no off-roading with this SUV. It's powered by a Duratec 2.3 liter, DOHC, 16 valve, Atkinson cycle I-4. The combined power of the electric and gas engine is 155 hp. The powertrain comes with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with overdrive. The EPA gives an estimate MPG of 33 city/29 highway, but you should expect real-world conditions to lower those estimates.

The Mariner is expected to meet the Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) standard for emissions. Since it's a full hybrid, the electric motor will remain in control under low speeds. But expect the gas engine to kick in when you need to accelerate quickly.

The Mercury Mariner has a MSRP of $29,840.