2008 Mercury Mariner Base

The 2008 model's drivetrain is mechanically identical to that of the first-generation Mariner Hybrid. A high-efficiency 2.3-liter four-cylinder teams with a 70-killowatt electric motor which draws power from a 330-volt battery pack under the rear cargo floor. Combined output is 155 horsepower. Thanks in part to the motor's prodigious torque — available entirely from a standing start — Ford estimates its zero-to-60 mph acceleration time will match that of the V-6 Mariner. A continuously variable automatic transmission is standard. The Mariner Hybrid can run solely on electric or gasoline power or on a combination of the two. You can drive up to 25 mph in electric mode; as in most hybrids that happens in relative silence. In urban traffic there's actually enough power to move from one stoplight to the next in electric mode without slowing all the cars behind you. Long stretches of open road demand faster acceleration than the electric motor can manage so don't try to milk it for too long. Mercury says the hybrid software has been retooled for smoother transitions between electric and gasoline power. Indeed there is seldom the telltale whump that some hybrids incur when making the transition though at times the engine can drone loudly as it springs to life. The engine doesn't start only when you've exceeded the electric motor's acceleration limits; it also kicks in during cold starts and whenever the battery needs to be recharged which it will after a half-mile or so of puttering around in electric mode. Air conditioning too requires engine power though a nifty 'econ' button on the dashboard prevents the engine from running solely to cool your brow.