2010 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

The green, economical SUV

Joe Hollingsworth / autoMedia.com

What’s a lover of the environment and outdoor activities to do? A small car makes a lower carbon footprint, but can’t carry the gear for a backwoods adventure. And a small car certainly can’t go past where the groomed road ends. That means many outdoors enthusiasts need a sport-utility vehicle. But those tend to make big, stomping carbon footprints, which is embarrassing for the environmentally conscious. Here’s a vehicle that can carry a lot of stuff to that secluded campsite, while minimizing damage to the environment—the 2010 Mercury Mariner Hybrid.

Mileage Efficient

Since few will go where all-wheel drive is truly required, the front-wheel drive Mariner Hybrid earns ratings of an impressive 34 miles per gallon in city driving and a very respectable 31 mpg on the highway. The all-wheel drive version of the Mariner Hybrid is rated at a very respectable 29 miles per gallon in the government’s city driving cycle and 27 mpg on the highway. (Based on 2009 Model Year fuel economy ratings; 2010 EPA numbers were not available at the time this article was written.)

The Mariner Hybrid also has adequate cargo capacity if only two or three passengers are aboard. While there’s a modest 30.9 cubic feet available behind the second-row seats, some 66 cubic feet of stuff can be carried with the second row tumbled forward. The rear seat folds forward in a 60/40 split, so a third passenger won’t severely limit cargo capacity. Towing ability, when properly equipped, is limited to just 1,000 pounds (including passengers and stuff inside the vehicle), so forget the pop-up camper.

Model Year Updates

The Mariner Hybrid underwent a fairly aggressive makeover for the 2009 model year. Changes included a restyled grille, hood, liftgate, head- and taillamps and an Atkinson-cycle version of the inline four-cylinder, 155-horsepower, 2.5-liter gasoline engine found in conventional Mariners.

Differences for 2010 include an improved liftgate latch, new rear head restraints and an optional rear view camera. Another new option is Active Park Assist, which helps the driver perform a parallel parking maneuver. MyKey, a new, standard feature on all Mariner models, is a computer chip inside the key that allows parents to limit the top speed of the vehicle to 80 mph and to set a maximum volume on the audio system.

The pace of all technology moves rapidly. Not long ago, only upscale vehicles had compact disc players. Soon afterward, manufacturers began the race to see which could offer the largest capacity CD changer. Today, CDs are going the way of the eight-track tape, their place taken by MP3 and Windows Media Viewer (WMV) devices. Thus, the Mariner models will offer only single-disc players: Six-disc CD changers are eliminated from the option list. The standard sound system features MP3-compatibility and SIRIUS Satellite Radio with six-month pre-paid subscription. Standard on Mariner Hybrid is the Microsoft-developed SYNC voice-activated system for communications and entertainment.