Henry Curtis Ford

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Driving Impressions

The Mariner seems a bit more like a real truck than competitors such as the Honda CR-V. That's partly due to the Mariner's more upright styling, but mostly because its ride height and seating position are higher than other small, unitbody (sedan-style) sport-utilities. The difference is a character issue more than a genuine, functional phenomenon, and it's not bad at all. The Mariner never feels tippy on the road and it's quite pleasant to drive. Both the four- and six-cylinder engines deliver good response and adequate acceleration, and the high seating position offers a good view when scooting through traffic, which can be accomplished with the same confidence you might have in a standard sedan.

All Mariners, from front-drive four-cylinders to all-wheel-drive V6s to the Hybrid, have some of the best EPA mileage ratings in the class. All have a firm, comfortable ride, without the roly-poly mush quality or the jarring clanks that can characterize conventional truck-based SUVs with tall, off-road tires.

The Mariner Hybrid delivers essentially the same performance as the gasoline V6, with very little except improved mileage to give away its hybrid powertrain. Few drivers will notice any substantial, functional differences with the Hybrid in day-to-day use. This is a full hybrid, meaning it can run exclusively on electric power. The battery pack is automatically recharged by the gasoline engine and by regenerative braking, which captures energy that is otherwise wasted when a vehicle looses momentum, then sends it to the batteries for storage.

By combining a four-cylinder gasoline engine with the boost from an electric motor, the Hybrid can deliver a significant fuel-economy improvement and reduce emissions. The Mariner Hybrid can operate on the electric motor up to about 25 mph to maximize in-city fuel economy.

The Mariner Hybrid's primary source of power remains its gasoline engine. It's nearly identical to the 2.5-liter four in gasoline-only models, except that it runs on something called the Atkinson cycle, which enhances fuel efficiency. The companion, 70-kilowatt electric motor will kick in when a driver demands full acceleration and deliver more torque to the wheels, or it can power the Mariner Hybrid by itself in certain circumstances, such as creeping along in a traffic jam or rolling through a parking lot. Bottom line, the Hybrid model delivers acceleration times comparable to the gas-only V6, with a 55 percent improvement over gas-only four-cylinder models in city mpg, according to the EPA (34 city, 31 highway for the Hybrid 2WD).

The Hybrid delivers excellent acceleration at lower speeds. Floor it at 20 mph, and it will snap heads back toward the head rests. Floor the Hybrid 2WD at a stop sign, and it can squeal its front tires like a hot rod. To be sure, its tires are harder than those on other Mariners and designed for maximum efficiency, which means less rolling resistance, and less grip. The only real performance issue compared to gasoline-only Mariners is a reduction in maximum towing capacity from 3,500 pounds for the V6 4WD to 1,000 pounds for the Hybrid (still enough for a personal watercraft or dirt bikes).

Few will notice a significant difference between the Hybrid and a conventional Mariner, except when the Hybrid shuts itself off at stop lights or glides quietly through a parking lot on electric power. Indeed, the Hybrid is a bit quieter, probably smoother, in all circumstances. In order to minimize the power lost as it transfers to the drive wheels, the Mariner Hybrid has a continuously variable transmission, which has no conventional gears. Instead, it has metal bands that adjust to best match the engine's rpm to vehicle speed. In typical driving, there's no hesitation as ?gear? ratios shift, no uneven surges of speed and less variance in the noise coming from under the hood as the Mariner picks up speed. There's just smooth, even acceleration.

With the stereo cranked up to cover ambient noise, a driver will have a hard time knowing when the gas engine starts or shuts off at stop lights, or when the Hybrid is rolling along on electric power alone. The transitions are generally seamless.

We're not sure what protocol determines when the Mariner Hybrid operates on electric power. In fact, it seemed to operate in electric mode less frequently than we might have expected. At times the gas engine ran when we thought it might not have to, and at times it didn't even shut off at a stop light. For the most part, we drove the Hybrid as we would any other test car, which is fairly aggressively, using the accelerator as if someone else was buying the gas, and we still saw some improvement in fuel economy.

Just not an incredible improvement. Our normal rounds include more city than highway driving, though rarely in true rush-hour traffic, plus a few extracurricular, test-specific maneuvers. In this routine, by our best calculation, we found an improvement of 10 to 12 percent over what we've seen with a conventional four-cylinder. We expect most consumers will do better, or at least those with long, traffic-laden commutes. Still, the real-world fuel savings with a hybrid will depend heavily on how, where and when you drive. For guestimation, EPA mileage numbers may be the best tool.

To get the best fuel economy, Hybrid drivers will want to be gentle on the gas pedal. That will maximize the instances when the Mariner travels only on electric power. Dip the pedal quickly, or much past a quarter of its travel, and the gas engine restarts immediately to satisfy what the control electronics determine to be a demand for serious acceleration. Even if a driver is not going to exceed 20 mph, which is well within the limit of electric-only speed, the gas engine will start if the pedal application is too strong. It probably helps to stop slowly, too. Long, steady, coast-down stops, using more engine compression than wheel brakes, are best for charging the batteries. We surmise that short, quick stops from road speeds may keep the engine from shutting off at a red light. The control system may sense aggressive stops as emergencies, or just sporting, aggressive driving, and leave the engine running for more action.

For the best economy, we also recommend the optional navigation system, which on the Hybrid includes an energy-meter function that graphically illustrates how well you're doing at saving fuel. It includes instantaneous and average fuel economy readouts, and tells you when the gas engine is running, when the electric motor is doing the work and when the batteries are charging. It's a good tool to learn how to maximize economy with the Mariner Hybrid.

The other engines are both decent performers. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder delivers good power at high revs for those who like to wind it up, and adequate torque at any speed. With a balance shaft to offset vibration, it's also smoother than some of Ford's previous four-cylinder engines.

The 240-hp, 3.0-liter V6 engine delivers stronger acceleration, and about as much torque as any small SUV is likely to need. It has no obvious torque peak, or accompanying burst of thrilling acceleration, but its power band is broad. In day-to-day driving, it never lugs, strains or feels as if it's out of breath. It is also flexible-fuel capable, so it can operate on E85.

Both the four-cylinder and the V6 engines are matched with a very smooth, electronically controlled six-speed automatic, which offers ideal ratios for all speeds and contributes to the Mariner?s exceptional fuel economy.

In general, the Mariner handles well, with a refined feel. Part of the credit goes to the electric power-assisted steering system (EPS), which operates with an electric motor rather than a hydraulic pump driven by the engine. One of the advantages is increased efficiency, because a conventional, belt-driven steering pump takes a bit of the engine's power just to operate. That's power that's not being used to move the vehicle.

In the Mariner's case, the electric power steering also improves steering feel. With EPS, there's a nice balance between steering assist at parking-lot speeds and decent feel on the highway. The steering tracks more steadily than before, with less adjustment or correction required over uneven surfaces. It's direct and accurate with no dead spot in the center, and there's enough feeling when you turn the wheel to impart a sense of control.

In all, the Mariner delivers a ride and handling balance that comes closer to a sedan than a truck. Its ride is comfortable, but never wobbly or floaty, over a variety of road surfaces, including expansion joints and shallow potholes. Transient response is surprisingly good, meaning the Mariner maintains reasonable composure in a series of left-right-left lane-change maneuvers.

The Mariner?s brakes are discs in front, with drums in the rear, and ABS is standard. The Mariner stops in plenty of time, with no brake fade in any typical on-road driving circumstances. The ABS system is well tuned, keeping the brakes right at the threshold between maximum stopping force and wheel lock, and allowing the driver to maintain steering control in a full-panic stop.

Hybrid or coventional, Mariner makes a good all-season vehicle in all climates. It does not make a good off-road vehicle, despite a bit more ground clearance than some competitors. The optional all-wheel drive (AWD) system is tuned for driving more on slippery pavement than dirt or gravel. It delivers engine power to the appropriate wheels, and can switch power front to rear or side to side, and theoretically can send 100 percent of the engine's power to either the front or rear wheels.

The system takes a lot of the stress out of driving on wet, slushy or snowy roads. It helps maximize forward progress on slippery surfaces, and its transfer of power to wheels with the best traction is rarely noticed by the driver, who can focus simply on using the gas smoothly and steering between the lines.

Of course, the Mariner is built on a front-wheel-drive platform developed primarily for sedans, and like most small SUVs, the 2WD models are front-wheel drive. With caution, it can handle reasonably level gravel or dirt trails. But if there is no graded path, forget about it, and if the way is much steeper than you'd attempt in a car, forget about that, too. Shoppers seeking a small SUV with real off-road potential should consider a competitor like the Jeep Liberty.

For everyday driving and travel on the road, the Mariner is one of the best.

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