Any Mercury Mariner Owners?

wingnut4772

Any one on the forum own this car? I am thinking of downsizing into one..

Marty913

Here are some comments from Consumer Reports (April 2009) Car Guide.

A twin of the Ford Escape. Spacious interior, & good cargo space. Unimpressive fit & finish. Both engines (4 & 6) are loud. The 4-cylinder is only adequate but the 6-cylinder has strong acceleration. Braking performance is better that 2008. Hybrid model's ride is unsettled and handling is imprecise.Crash tests were good, good, good (good = 3 on a 5-point scale). Both the Escape & Mariner had a "recommended" check mark in the small SUV category. In the recommended list of 20 cars, the Mariner hybrid model was 10th in the list, the 6-cylinder was 13th, and the 4-cylinder was 16th.

Hope this helps. I'm sure you've researched all this anyway. I have no personal experience with them. I'm just reading & typing.

mhardy6647

we have an 05 Escape Hybrid. The "fit" is pretty good, but the "finish" is generally fairly cheezy.
Mrs. H likes it, though, and it's been good so far (86k miles).

wingnut4772

Thanks. I'm also looking at the Malibu.

Sherardp

What would you be downsizing from Darla?

disneyjoe7

Look into ****

They are built here also.

Sherardp

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

Look into ****

They are built here also.

lol, funny.

wingnut4772

Sherardp wrote: »

What would you be downsizing from Darla?

A Hummer H3 - end of my lease

oifvet0608

I just bought a Honda Jazz for my wife in Germany, I think they are called "Fit" in the states. Great car, is it for you or your wife.

My father has a Escape, 2006 I think. He loves it, has the nicer version (hybrid) it drives nice but looks like a base model. The car is good, the trim is horrible.

On the other hand, the Malibu's have been best in class for the last few years.

rdb2001

My wife has the new 08 LTZ version of the malibu. 260 V6 great gas mileage, very stylish. The ltz has two toned leather, heated seats. Rides very smooth. I love it and so does she. It also gets great reports. I think chevy has finally hit something with the redesign of this car.

wingnut4772

rdb2001 wrote: »

My wife has the new 08 LTZ version of the malibu. 260 V6 great gas mileage, very stylish. The ltz has two toned leather, heated seats. Rides very smooth. I love it and so does she. It also gets great reports. I think chevy has finally hit something with the redesign of this car.

I am seriously considering it. I test drove one today but t was the four cylinder. Gonna try the 6 on Thursday. I am looking at the 1LT I think it is.

mhardy6647

oifvet0608 wrote: »

My father has a Escape, 2006 I think. He loves it, has the nicer version (hybrid) it drives nice but looks like a base model. The car is good, the trim is horrible.

Yup. I think the 06 is like our 05, and the 07 model year was a fairly major redesign(?) I don't know how the current ones are inside; one might also expect the Mercury to be a bit nicer(?)

FWIW, I actually drove my wife to the airport this AM in hers (and thence on to my work). As of this morning, there's over 87k miles on it, and the running average gas mileage (mostly highway/backroads driving) is at 30.5. It gets up to about 35 mpg in the summer, and drops to about 29 mpg in the winter (hybrids don't like cold weather).

Jstas

Got an 05 Escape and Consumer Reports, as usual, is off their rocker. What the hell are the expecting for an SUV that starts around 17-18K?

As far as the Escape/Mariner goes, it's a nice ride. Not nearly as bumpy as I thought it would be. It's surprisingly capable off-road with the 4WD option. The V6 has 200 ponies and is plenty stout but the gearing in the 4WD axles stifles that a bit. But it's a torque monster and probably more engine than that little runt needs. But it is a Duratec 30 and they have gotten great reliability reviews as well as winning engine of teh year as the Duratec 25 in the Contour/Mystique twins when they came out. The 4WD Escape/Mariner is a bit of a porker weighing in at about 4600 pounds which is as much as my Lightning which is a much larger vehicle.

As far as the fit and finish goes, again, the fit is fine. Looks good, things line up and work the way they are supposed to. None of the controls feel cheap, chintzy or cheezy either. The dash materials on the other hand, they do seem a bit off but they are a cinch to clean and I LOVE that! The seats are also a tight weave cloth or a heavy gauge. Doesn't make they very soft to the touch but the seats are typical Ford. soft enough that you sink in nicely but supportive. I don't feel tired or worn down after sitting in it for hours. The nice thing about the cloth style is that it is more durable and won't wear out very quick. The one I got is used and it was a dealer loaner and the seats look like they are new except for a stubborn stain in the back seat.

It has plenty of cargo room inside and the seats fold flat. That gives it as much room as her Xterra had before it got wrecked. The Escape will hold about 700 pounds in the back and yank 4500 or 5000 pounds down the road in a trailer. I don't remember for sure on that one but it was more than I was expecting.

If you are looking at the Mariner, that's a nicer appointed ride than the Escape but mechanically identical. I wouldn't hesitate to get in one of them.

I've driven the Malibu too but I'm very glad my girl chose the Escape over the Malibu. My only disappointment in the Escape is that we didn't pick one with a sunroof. Overall, I'm glad she got it and she loves it! Hers is white and it looks sharp in white. Looks good in black too. The Mariners look real sharp in black or dark red.

reeltrouble1

i just see you in one of those cadillac's, you know that one the woman says turns you on when you turn it on.

RT1

ohskigod

if your looking at the Malibu, might want to gander at the Fusion. a great and often underrated car. picked up one for the wife and am happy as heck. above average reliability ratings too

venomclan

Honda

wingnut4772

The Malibu has a ton of great write ups . I have to go with GMAC financing and my budget right now is a Malibu budget. The Fusions are nice. I haven't ridden in one but I like the looks. If I had my druthers right now I would get an H2 but that's just me.

Cadillacs are nice but for that $$$$ I would go Hummer again if I could.What color Malibu? I'm steering (ha ha steering. Get it?) toward black.

bruss

my wife has a escape. it has held up very nicely.

disneyjoe7

I see Darla in a BMW 540i


Don't worry it's a Chevy underneath.

oifvet0608

Sorry Disney...I have lived in Germany for 4 years now and no Chevy made now (classics aside) will ever live up to a BMW.

Silver is always a great color, looks good with the chrome accents like the grille on the Malibu's. Also you don't have to wash them every day like you do black cars.

wingnut4772

I may or may not have test driven a HUmmer HT3 last nite. :D

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wingnut4772

Well my new Mariner looks an awful lot like a Hummer H3T... My current situation made it a bit difficult to get but my old dealership actually had the best rate for me considering...so WTH.

Kex

wingnut4772 wrote: »

Well my new Mariner looks an awful lot like a Hummer H3T...

It looks real cool (and I liked the YouTube in the previous post too) so hearty congratulations are in order young lady! Well done, I say, and enjoy it without reserve! I actually think that was a clever marketing move for Hummer.

P.S. we could do with a few more pix, though, IMHO ... if you don't mind, of course !

wingnut4772

Kex wrote: »

It looks real cool (and I liked the YouTube in the previous post too) so hearty congratulations are in order young lady! Well done, I say, and enjoy it without reserve! I actually think that was a clever marketing move for Hummer.

P.S. we could do with a few more pix, though, IMHO ... if you don't mind, of course !

Thanks. It's more expensive but I got the wheels and sunroof at no cost and I got a credit union discount so it ended up being less than my last one.

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I need to save $$ to get the steps. I didn't want to finance them so it looks a bit nekkid.

tonyb

Tell me,just for giggles,why a little girl like you drives a big honkin' truck.Just curious is all.

wingnut4772

Cause I'm badass that's why

sucks2beme

Sigh. Both me and my truck look like we're still working down on the farm.
Best years are behind us. If business ever turns around, a new truck is
high on the list.