In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid [w/VIDEO]
06-26-2008, 03:20 AM
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In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid [w/VIDEO]
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Crossovers/CUVs, Ford, Mercury, Driving
Click the image above for more high res pics of the 2009 Mariner Hybrid
Ford took pride in being the first automaker on the planet to offer a hybrid utility vehicle when it introduced the first battery-assisted Ford Escape in mid-2004. The Escape hybrid has had mixed success over the past few years, but with gas prices hitting $4 per gallon, the Blue Oval is selling every unit it can produce. For the 2008 model year, one in eight Escape sales are hybrids, which is impressive when you consider that it averages $30,000 per vehicle. In 2006, the Escape was joined by the lower volume Mariner Hybrid, giving Ford two entries in the hybrid soft-roader market, and a green model to sell at Lincoln-Mercury dealerships.
The Escape got a thorough makeover on the outside for 2008, but most of the mechanicals remain a carryover from the previous generation. For 2009, Ford finished the job on the Escape and its sheet metal sibling from Mercury and the hybrid models followed suit. The changes include a new engine that provides more power and improved efficiency, some cosmetic tweaks, and several technological upgrades. Ford is betting that the changes will improve their footing in the green scene, so we took a loaded Mercury Mariner hybrid into the Autoblog Garage to see if the fuel-sipping CUV could win us over.
Gallery: 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
All photos Copyright (C)2008 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid [w/VIDEO]
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Click the image above for more high res pics of the 2009 Mariner Hybrid
Ford took pride in being the first automaker on the planet to offer a hybrid utility vehicle when it introduced the first battery-assisted Ford Escape in mid-2004. The Escape hybrid has had mixed success over the past few years, but with gas prices hitting $4 per gallon, the Blue Oval is selling every unit it can produce. For the 2008 model year, one in eight Escape sales are hybrids, which is impressive when you consider that it averages $30,000 per vehicle. In 2006, the Escape was joined by the lower volume Mariner Hybrid, giving Ford two entries in the hybrid soft-roader market, and a green model to sell at Lincoln-Mercury dealerships.
The Escape got a thorough makeover on the outside for 2008, but most of the mechanicals remain a carryover from the previous generation. For 2009, Ford finished the job on the Escape and its sheet metal sibling from Mercury and the hybrid models followed suit. The changes include a new engine that provides more power and improved efficiency, some cosmetic tweaks, and several technological upgrades. Ford is betting that the changes will improve their footing in the green scene, so we took a loaded Mercury Mariner hybrid into the Autoblog Garage to see if the fuel-sipping CUV could win us over.
Gallery: 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
All photos Copyright (C)2008 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid [w/VIDEO]
Permalink | Email this | Comments
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