Mercury Mariner

clarios

The Escape Hybrid has an available full screen color navigation system. I would assume that it will also be available on the Mariner.

jpjames

Tweeter installed the Alpine head unit with the iPod adapter. It works great! It did require an adapter for sizing down the slimmer Alpine unit. The look was rather nice when installed.

jpjames

7,200 miles and no problems. It's a Premier AWD. There's been no vibration at 70+ mph; Avg mpg is about 20 and slightly better when taking longer trips. The tires, Continental, are noisy and will be coming off long before the tread wears down. My wish list for this vehicle includes an AWD indicator, an outside thermometer, reachable heated seat controls and and a CVT transmission. However, it's OK as is; I'm satisfied so far. I know of no indcator light for AWD. It did drive like a tank snow.

jpjames

ald1

I'm looking to purchase a Mercury Mariner but was wondering what type of navigation system was included and how good it really is. Does it compare to other GPS systems? Is there an aftermarket GPS that I can have installed for the Mariner? Thanks.

clarios

The Mariner does not offer a navigation system (Ford/Mercury needs to get with the program). The only time I saw an after-market GPS (found it on a Ford web site), it was one like the one offered on the Land Rover Freelander. It is a simple GPS with one line of text telling you where to turn, but no map. I opted to keep my Garmin GPS V instead. I think it's way better.

tidester

You might be interested in this discussion: Navigation / GPS Systems

tidester, host

flasvt

Isn't there a navigation system offered in the hybrid?

ANT14

In the Hybrid, yes it's available.

flasvt

Why is it that the media is not giving to much coverage to Ford's hybrid and they are crazy about Toyotas. Everywhere you can read about the Prius, Highlander and RX-hybrid but they hardly remember that there is an Escape hybrid that there is a Mariner hybrid a few weeks away from us. Is a little bit frustrating to say the least.

I find amazing that a brand that just last year was fighting for its life like Mercury, now markets its own hybrid crossover SUV The Mariner Hybrid and has a midsize on the way the Milan Hybrid. Isn't Ford doing enough PR? Toyota certainly is.

ANT14

I could go on and on, even provide links to articles where media bianess is certainly evident, it's an every day issue I must deal with... But why run the topic into such a sour note...

BTW, in relation to your correct assessment of the situation, would like to add that for years Ford offered "alternative fuel vehicles" (either gas powered, electric, ethanol). Toyota introduces the Prius, and everything prior is forgotten...and that's just how life has been the past few years hehe

stever

Today's Inside Line hybrid related news:

Dodge Previews Gas-Saving Ram Pickup

Yesterday's:

Ford to Begin Taking Orders for Mercury Mariner Hybrid Next Month

Last Thursday:

DaimlerChrysler Announces its First Hybrid and Major North American Investment

I thought I saw a recent Toyota hydrogen article today, but it must have been on Google News or somewhere. I don't see any Toyota hybrid news on Inside Line dating back to the 1st. Maybe that's Karl's influence?

Steve, Host

navigator89

Anyone know where I can find a road test of the Mercury Mariner? It's a 2005 model, and yet I can't find any road tests on it.

It's like it doesn't exist. Or maybe no one bothers to test it because its nothing but a "gussied Escape".

stever

I don't see a road test here either. There's this Buyer's Guide.

Steve, Host

theman123

I don't think Edmunds did a Road test on the Mariner. I'm a little raw about that myself. It's a new SUV, dressed up escape or not I think it deserves a road test. Well anyway here's the Edmunds full review of it. For what it's worth they gave it a very positive review on it.

2005 Mercury Mariner Review

theman123

That leads to a good question? the Mercury Mariner is a brand new 05 model and there's no Road test on it. Did Edmunds even bother to do a Road Test ?? If not why didn't you ??

stever

The person to ask would be Karl, the Editor in Chief, over in Karl's Daily Log Book.

It sounds like he's still trying to get one to test:

editor_karl, "Karl's Daily Log Book" #295, 18 Apr 2005 1:15 pm

Steve, Host

theman123

OK, But how hard can it be to get a Mercury Mariner, I don't think there's a shortage of them is it ? Well anyway that's good news and look forward to the Road Test.

stever

Well, I'm not in the home office (lol, I'm barely in any office) and don't have ready access to the editorial schedule. For all I know the test may be completed and the story is being written. Or maybe not - best ask Karl.

Steve, Host

stever

Not a road test but the Mariner Hybrid is the New Vehicle Spotlight ad right now on the main Edmunds.com page.

And in the news, Mercury Mariner Hybrid to Start at $29,840 (Inside Line)

Steve, Host

jason330i

just picked up a mariner premier, fwd under the ford family plan. pretty good deal and pretty happy with the suv. so far so good.

cxvargas

Is the warranty on the hybrid the same 3/36 as the regular model? Regardless, Mercury should follow Buick example and increase the warranty to 4/50.

stever

"The 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid sport utility vehicle, which starts at $29,840, will be sold almost exclusively online"

Ford Rushes New Mariner Hybrid Into Marketplace (TheDay.com)

Steve, Host

wayngo

My sister purchased a 2005 Mariner Premier 4WD, the same day the vehicle was purchased we had noticed while turning on uneven pavement/bumps the front end would clunk (like a bad ball joint); we brought it to the dealership and they were able to replicate it, but not diagnose it; the dealership test drove all the mariners on the lot (2 out of the 3 times we brought the vehicle in for service) and half of them did the same thing; we were advised to call the ford hot line (which told my sister the vehicle was operating in "the normal parameters" and that they dont know what is wrong, but "rest assured it is not a safety issue") to schedule a field engineer to diagnose it; the field engineer advised us it was a strut bushing after taking a ride and "it is not a safety issue"; to make a long story kind of short it was not the strut busing, it was the steering rack binding which was making the clunk; I would consider that a safety issue and want all mariner owners to be aware of this issue; also, has anyone had/noticed their mariner 4WD engage and disengage during hill descent around 20 - 25 mph, the ford engineer advised us that is normal, i think otherwise. except for those issues, gas mileage 17mpg is all we are able to achieve and rattles in the top door speakers mach300 sound system it is a great vehicle.

brian211

Test drove a 2005 mariner premier 4wd, with moon roof, side canopy and rear cargo. Ride smooth and quiet enough. Did notice when I gave it gas there was a slight delay before car would respond. Also a tended to veer when brake applied. Anyone also notice this? Thought the power windows noisy and slow. Those who have purchased this vehicle, are you happy with it? I was looking at larger suvs ie. 4runner, envoy, pathfinder, but here in new york gas is 280 a gallon. So I'm loking at this mariner. Btw, what grade of gas works well in it. Your input is appreciated. This demo, msrp 29645 was offered to me for 23603. What you think? It has 1700 miles. Didn't like the escape. Not as nice. Is quality satisfactory? Doors seem light.

explorerx4

what kind of gas mileage are you expecting? braking can be affected by the crown of the road and tire pressure. it uses regular gas, just like the escape. did you look at an escape limited? i do like the front view of the mariner.

nortsr1

I have a 2005 Mariner, V6, auto, FWD, and my average MPG has "NEVER" been less than 20 mpg in the city and on my trips to Florida and back to NJ I always average about 25 to 26 mpg and that is with the A/C on and I do not drive slow.

rbudn83510

Hi, just got my Luxury FWD V-6 mariner. I already have a mountaineeer that is AWD so i figured id save a bit on gas and go FWD on this one. Anyway, does anyone know a source for rear cargo liners...i was curious if anybody got one and if they were pleased with it. The carpet seems so thin on this truck..at least half the thickness of my mounty..so id like to cover it up now while new. By the way, I was going to buy the pontiac vibe, i really needed one fuel efficient vehicle in the household, but this mariner is far superior for the exact same money. You are getting so much more. With all discounts, I paid $18,600.00 before sales tax. What a bargain!! Even though the Mercury line is just gussied up fords...mercury adds just enough xtras and sound deadening and cosmetics to make it feel that much nicer....

forza

Pick up an issue of Car and Driver or Motor Trend to find ads or try a local hardware store, Canadian Tire, etc.

Or try autoanything.com

rdowney

I bought the cargo liner from Weathertech. I'm reasonably satisfied. It fits well and has a raised edge to confine spills. The tan doesn't match the interior color, but that's a lot to expect. The price seemed high, but it was the best product that I could find.

dankney

Hi- Was promised by my dealer to get "molded flaps" with purchase - I waited for one month and never recevied them - call numerous times to salesman who said they were
order - found out from after market supplier that only flat fit the Mariner - the molded which
fits the Escape are a poor fit. Settled for the flat - they look ok - but I think you get
better protection with molded>

flasvt

I got the same one in black and since I have the black/tan interior it matches great. I alwys buy the Weathertech cargo liners.

jason330i

Anyway, does anyone know a source for rear cargo liners...

www.autowebaccessories.com

wayngo

trylink titleweathertech.com
great products

clarios

I actually got mine from the Mercury dealer. I searched a LOT on the internet for the different ones available. I decided on the Cargo Logic. This one is a carpeted cargo mat, that is still weather-proof (raised edges to contain liquids). The color is an excellent match to the tan/beige Mariner interior. It comes with L shaped plastic cargo locks, which are secured to the mat with velcro, so you can re-position them to fit whatever you have in the cargo area. Back when I got mine, the Mariner was fairly new (last November). Internet vendors had the one for the Ford Escape, but not the one for the Mariner. Since the mat is monogrammed, I did not want to buy one that said "Escape" on it. So I opted to pay a little extra for the one from the dealer that said "Mariner". I think it was worth it because it is quite nice. Now, you can probably get the Mariner version from an internet vendor, for less than what I paid at the dealer. But I do recommend the Cargo Logic. This site has a good description of it (http://www.everythingsuv.com/cargo_logic_cargo_liner-esuv.asp). However, it does not allow you to choose the vehicle make and model for a perfect fit. So search google/yahoo/other for other internet vendors that have the one for the Mariner. If not, then you always have the dealer.

clarios

I am quite happy with my 4WD Mariner Premier. But if you decide to buy one, make sure you test the radio. It took many trips to the service department to get mine fixed. You can search for some of my earlier posts to get the details about this issue. Bottom line, there is a nation-wide bulletin that was issued by the manufacturere of the MACH system. The Ford/Mercury dealers were never notified. So if your mariner has the problem, but you don't know about this particular bulleting, you will not get your sound system fixed.

clarios

Has anyone gotten the satellite radio kit for the Mariner's MACH system? How much did it cost? Installation info? etc. Thanks

clarios

I have been wondering about how good a deal the family plan is. Can you post what the MSRP (sticker) price and the family plan price were? Thanks

nesa_ofc

We bought our Mariner Premier FWD (virtually every option) for 23K+++. I think the sticker price was 28,9K. Overall, we're very happy with it. We were debating on the Mariner vs. the Mountaineer and decided that we wouldn't need something as big as the mountaineer for another 5 or so years. We're planning on keeping it for 6-7. The vibration that I've seen some complain about on this site isn't a big deal to me. My ford focus had a vibration similar to what I feel on the Mariner, but the mariner's is far less. I'm not very picky, and I didn't notice the vibration until reading this and being far more critical than I was when I fell in love with this awesome machine. My only complaint: my gas mileage has been roughly 16-17mpg. I expected more, but I'm still very happy.

cmuniz

If you go to fordvehicles.com and check the dealer inventories at dealers in your area they will list both prices plus rebates on the window sticker prices. It's very easy and you can price the vehicle that are available in your area without going to the dealer.

jpjames

My Mariner has 13000 miles on it; it's the Premier with AWD. It averages about 20 mpg here in Eastern PA. Highway mileage is higher; around 22/23.
I put a K&N air filter soon after pick up from the dealer. Also, the actual miles attained per gallon is about 2 mpg better than what shows on the computer.

jason330i

like the post above said, you can go to www.mercuryvehicles.com and check the inventory to see the actual window sticker and the discounts you get.

the price is fixed under the plan, but make sure you fight for that finance rate.

steenaz

Has anyone tried to have the factory satellite equipment put on you "Satellite Ready: radio? Turns out it does not exist yet. I call this false advertising on the part of Ford and Mercury. I am quite ticked off with the dealership for not explaning this before they glued a frquency modulated head unit to my dash. I am having it uninstalled ASAP.

nesa_ofc

A friend of mine bought an Escape with the same unit that I have in my Mariner. He got the Sirius kit installed and it works great. Sounds like your dealer doesn't know what they're doing.

steenaz

I even called another dealer, the Ford dealer that services my other car, and they told me the same thing. I also called the Lincoln Mercury customer service line and they were not sure what to do. I was give a number for the audio component maker and they might have answers.

donbaron

Bumper to Bumper 3yrs/36,000. Drive train and Batteries on the Hybrid 8 yrs/80,000 miles. My Hybrid will be No. 29 rolling off the line in Kansas City. Wasn't sure about the purchase initially, however, with discounts, tax incentives, resale value and fuel efficiency my return on the hybrid technology is about 2 years. Don

nesa_ofc

Dunno man. I just know that my friend's works great. I can't say I'd get one myself...I'm an XM fan, as they are cheaper. I DO know that to install and all, my friend paid about 450. To me, that's not worth it. I can stick 6 CD's in my player and still be happy, as I've never had a CD changer in any of the vehicles I've had (02 Chevy S-10, 01 Ford Focus, 90 Dodge Dynasty).

mqnyc

Does anybody know if the 6-CD stereo that comes with the Mariner Premier 4x4 can play MP3's?

mqnyc

Will be purchasing a Mariner 4x4 premier soon and want to find out what the break-in period is for the Mariner.

Do any existing owners have details of the break-in period?

rdowney

This answer may vary by vehicle. The one that I purchased in late March (built in February, I think) does not play MP3s. However, the manual refers to units that do play MP3s and describes them as "late availability." Don't count on playing MP3s unless you check the specific Mariner that you are planning to buy.