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Comments
So the Mariner's next.. Here's what I don't like: I feel like i am forced to buy the premier. On the luxury, I want leather and an autodimming mirror. Well, you can't get them together. I find that very annoying. Or you can't get more than 4 speakers unless you opt for a premier. Another annoyance. Don't get me wrong, i can live without these. But a simple autodimming mirror should be offered as a Dealer installed option.
You don't hear the engine on your Mazda6i ? DO you rev past 4000RPM, that's when I hear it when I'm driving my friends 6. Or downshifting around 65-95MPH also brings it out. Although around 90-100 it gets a bit drowned out by the wind noise, but I can still make it out.
http://www.automfg.com/driven/1004dri16.html
Mercury dives into compact SUVs
Steve, Host
I hope i can really convince the dealersship to give me a good trade in on my 02 Altima S with Convenience package.. if I can, I may buy it. I'm all financed and ready to buy. Now it's just a matter of getting a good deal. ANT14, out of curiosity, what do you think my chances are that I can get 12,5 for my Altima.. It's listed under NADA at 12,5 and 10,5 under Kelly? Since I am an X-Plan member, the price is pretty much Set for me:
MSRP: 27940 (includes Side A/B and Hitch)
XPlan: 26134
Rebate 2000
---------------
Total: 24134
Trade in of 12,500 - Payoff gives me the car out the door under 24k..
I'll keep you posted on my experience. Since I really don't need a car, it's not gonna kill me.
The car that i drove was the Silver Premier with Black / Parchment interior. Optional equipment was side step and roof rack. This is long-winded, but since I've driven all three Escape-likes, i think it is worth it...
EXTERIOR - I have to admit, from the outside, it is a very nice vehicle. I did a walk around, and i am thoroughly impressed by the exterior styling. I always liked the escape and tribute, and this just adds that touch of class. My favorite SUV if my pockets were filled with gold would be the Lexus RX330. I think the closest SUV that emulates that external style is the Kia Sorento (if it were anything but a Kia). I would have to rank the mariner up there. But I digress.. I actually like the chrome trim. I heard complaints about how it would look after a couple years, so I'd probably get a bra for the front if they exist to protect the front fascia.. I wouldn't want all that tar / bugs from the driving i do to ruin the appearance. I love the taillights. The silver accents just make it that much nicer. If you truly step back from the vehicle, you can see the "escape" in it. But the extra touches will make heads turn, no doubt.
INTERIOR - Going into this test drive with my researching, I convinced myself i did not like the black / parchment. I like the pebble beige because it seemed to go together. But when I saw the interior in person and how it was done, I'm not so sure anymore. It's really distinct and attractive. There was a luxury model done in beige, and it is Very nice, but i do now like the black too. if it came down to choice, I'd choose the beige. but i wouldn't be disappointed with either. The front dash controls are almost identical to the escape. I really wish there was Auto Climate. Also, where's the steering wheel audio controls? To make this more of a mercury than a ford / mazda, they should have at least had audio controls from the wheel. I don't know of any SUV's other than the "Escape family" that don't have this. It's especially important for me who drive 120 miles a day. Love the message center. I'm the kind of person that keeps a log of my gas mileage. A nice added touch to have that built in . My Altima has it, and I love that feature. Glad to see it exists in the Mariner.
AUDIO - The only cd i had was a billy joel in my car, and I asked to bring it along. I was majorly impressed by the audio. It was crystal clear. I didn't realize how good the Mach stereo system was. (ANT14 - Who Manufactures this system?) I thought the tribute had the same system, but i am pretty certain it doesn't.
BACK SEAT - No real different than the other two vehicles i drove. It will fit 4 people and a car seat.. That's good enough for me. Same thing with the Cargo. I don't the actual measurements, but again I don't see much of a difference.
THE DRIVE - I asked if we could do a little bit of City/Highway, and he took me on a nice 8 mile test drive. When I turned the engine on, it was nice and quiet in the cabin. I thought the tribute seemed a little noisy on my test drive, but the mariner seems to deaden the sound better. Not sure if that's a direct result to the interior quality. When I got up to highway speed, there is slight noticeable windnoise / tire noise. The engine is barely heard though. Which is what i like. It handles awesome too. The brakes are a perfect touch. I felt like when I needed to stop suddenly, I knew the exact amount of pressure to apply. The throttle is not as "peppy" as I originally thought. It's decent, but I can say my altima as more pickup and that's only 4 cyl.. Overall, I can see my self driving this day in and day out.
BOTTOM LINE - There's some things i don't like Auto Climate, Steering wheel audio, non-distinct console.. But overall, if I had to choose between a Tribute / Escape / Mariner, it definitely a Mariner. I think the 2300 price difference definitely comes from teh inside, where you can clearly see the upgrades. I wish the Mariner would just add one more year of warranty. Is that too much to ask
You should hear Sting's-"Englishman in NY"
There's a trick manufacturer's use to make a vehicle feel fast (one of which the Altima uses)...The degree of touch you place on the pedal is heightened to produce much more noticable trust upon launch.
This is quite evident in the Altima SL I-4. I had to borrow my aunts car and she was blocking my vehicles so I took hers. At every launch I was burning rubber because my foot wasn't adjusting to the accelerator being so sensitive.
This weekend if I find the right deal for the right car I will probably close a deal. I guess it will all depend on how much I can get for my trade in. I will report next week.
I too hate the AC controls, for the lack of ability to use recirculating air through floor vents or without the AC on. Really bad error. Mazda already fixed on the Tribute but I hate the styling in the Tribute. I guess it would cost an arm and a leg to retrofit the Mariner with the Tribute AC unit. The other big Mariner error is the warranty, but that one isn’t as expensive to fix and supposedly the Lincoln Mercury ownership experience is top notch.
Good luck to me and Happy Thaksgiving to everybody.
500/1000 is the total watts that system puts out. The link I gave you showed the "Overkilled" version of the Mach. Each Ford model available with a Mach, might have a different (a bit toned down) system, ranging anywhere from 390Watts, to 1000Watts. Ford just uses the highest version of the Mach of the Mustang because they figure the consumer is the kind to blast the music loudly. On other vehicles such as Escape, and Expy, it might be rated at another power wattage.
Lincoln's optional system is the THX system which itself is quite phenomenel, I've received goose-bumps on a few opera CD's I've heard on it. Volvo has "Dolby Pro-Logic" system which is highly rated as well.
And even for bargain basement standard systems, are quite improved from years past as I remembered...
Steve, Host
Pros
1. Ride was smooth.
2. Backseat was comfortable, and fit a car seat well.
3. Looks very sharp.
4. Leather stiching looks great.
Cons
1. The chrome seemed a little cheap, especially the interior door handles.
2. The door grip on the interior seemed very poorly designed.
3. It wasn't as quiet as I was expecting.
4. With black leather trim, there is not parchment inserts available, either cloth or black leather.
Overall, I liked it, except for the minor issues above. I am still on the fence, but hope to make a decision soon.
From the blurb at the bottom of the intro page to the article:
"Only 2005 models were eligible and at least one member of our editorial team had to have driven the vehicle prior to our voting deadline of October 1, 2004."
Timing is everything :-)
Steve, Host
What I want to say at this point is what an excellent customer service my local Lincoln Mercury provided. Courteous and respectful all the way. They went out of their way to find the exact car I wanted and flatbeded it from 100 miles away. They can count on my loyalty if they deliver the right product. The dealer was certainly the surprise of the deal. Not that the Mariner isn't a pretty surprising car itself but I'll get to that latter or rather in the users review section.
Do you mind if I ask your demographic? The reason is I told my brother that i was getting a mercury mariner, and he said, "You're buying an old person vehicle?" Being 27, i don't want people to perceive that of course..
I really like the car that is for sure, so I am not concerned what he thinks. I'm just curious as to what audience Mercury is targeting with this SUV.
I feel like all my pricing was done with that incentive and if it truly is gone, I probably won't even consider this vehicle if it never has another incentive.
I consider myself to be still young -but who doesn't-. This is my third automatic and a series of 14 cars, and yes I miss the stick sift. This is my second SUV. I think that for the price there is nothing better. Strong engine and an unparalleled interior. I don't think that the Mariner makes me look old, but rather it makes me feel I made the right choice. I am not the one with a Billy Joel CD on his car, though
About the incentives. The Escape has always sold well without major discounts, and the factory has capacity limitations. So in the case of the 500/Montego/Freestyle, if there's not much demand for the Mariner, a flick of the switch will allow more Escapes to be built, and vice versa if need be. Because the method is flexible, it allows the Ford to control the incentives/discounts to a decent level.
1. With Black leather/Black leather inserts, is the door panels trimmed in black leather or black cloth?? I like the maintenance of all leather, but it sure makes a black exterior with black interior very very dark.
2. What does everyone think of the suede inserts? It seems very light in color and a potential for getting really dirty, especially in the door panels?? It does look really good though.
I still don't care for the door handle and grip design. But that seems to be my only issues. Other than those, I really like what the car has to offer, especially for the price.
All comments are greatly appreciated.
As for the suede inserts (which is what I bought) I like them a lot, makes the cars looks very good and different. I got the black/beige combination and it took a lot of searching and a dealer trade to find one.
I got the exterior in black since I think that this family of car looks much better in dark colors. I have always liked the dark Escapes and Tributes. And I like the contrast of the metallic trim against a darker color and not how it gets lost against metallic and lighter colors.
My two cents.
I agree with the exterior comments. With all the metallic trim, dark colors enhance the effect.
A couple of days ago we took it on the interstate and our love started to fade. With only about a 10 knot cross wind, we were experiencing excessive drift. For example, when I was in the right lane cruising at about 70 MPH I would let go of the steering wheel and by the time I counted to three, I would be nearly off the road and into the median strip. I had to fight with the steering the entire trip.
We took it back to the dealer and they played with the alignment and rotated the tires, but I fear they haven't fixed the problem.
My next move is to take one of the Mariners on the lot for a ride and see if it does the same thing.
Has anyone else had this type of problem.
Thanks for your help.
If you've seen the suede in the mariner, it's almost like a plush cloth. Suede when it gets dirty can usually be brushed out.. I wouldn't recommend sitting on it drenched or after you've just finished an oil change. But mostly, it's not going to get any dirtier than cloth gets.
The biggest drawback with the suede is that if it does get dirty, you should get it professionally cleaned, which will cost a little extra money. I plan on keeping some seat covers in the rear cargo just in case.
I went with the suede and I have a 1 yr. old. I will just be cautious with the baby and him throwing his juice across the cabin
PS.. In Pennsylvania, I asked the dealer to do a search for beige leather in a premier style and in a 300 mile radius, 1 car came back. I opted not to go for that car since it didn't have side curtain airbags. So suede was really my only choice with beige..
Damn, I can't wait till Saturday
I was hoping you could pass along some details on the Mach 300 in my Mariner.
First on the stereo, I noticed that you can select CD vs. Aux.. What type of connection can I use to connect the Auxiliary input to the stereo. I have an iPod i'd like to connect.
Second, there's a Sat button on the receiver. is this unit satellite ready, and with what service?
Finally for the first two questions above: Will I be able to connect a satellite service and my iPod up at the same time?
So far on my first tank, I am averaging about 20 MPG's. I've gone through a 1/2 tanks so far.
Not sure how iPod's work, or if it's possible to do what your wanting to do. I'm not tech friendly with Mac factors in.
Page #23 in your manual. If that's your system, then SAT/CAT will allow you to havge Sirius radio capability. Provided your dealership takes care of setting you up. Not sure how that system configures it's AUX, could be a "port" for something, I would say you ask the dealership technician.
I don't believe the computer display of your vehicles has a temp. Ford is using that same computer throughout a few vehicles, but some functions can vary. What I did for my Mustang many years ago, is buy one of those "all in one" rear view mirrors. Had temp display, maplights, andcompass integrated. Was around $295 back then, aftermarket.
To make the Satellite Ready stereo unit work with Sirius, my dealership quoted $395, basically for installing a tuner and an antenna which is all what this satellite ready unit is missing. I found a guy in NJ that sales this items on eBay for $265. My dealer would have no problem installing that eBay unit buy labor would be $100 which leaves me in about the same ball park. All of this has been thoroughly discussed in the XM & Sirius Satellite radio discussion in the Audio forums.
How do you like the car so far? I am averaging 18.9 mpg so far. I wonder what am I doing wrong?
WHAT A JOKE. I expected to pay SIRIUS $175. for a year of their excellent programing. What I didn't expect was BEFORE I could even do that I will be required to pay the dealer $500. to install the rest of the hardware that will then make the radio SIRIUS radio capable. I checked with another dealer and two aftermarket auto radio stores.......same story....you must install the 'special' Ford tuner. So, get $700. ready if you want Sat. radio in your Mariner
In contrast my Acura TL had Sat radio as standard equip. with programming @ $110. per year
As for the gas mileage. I am on 19.8 right now. Keep in mind all i do is highway travel. 110 miles a day.