Awsome SUV!

My wife and I looked all over for a well rounded 4WD SUV. We narrowed our selection down to the Honda Pilot, Nissan Xtera, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The Xtera didn't have really nice amenities, the mpg under par, and the ride was kinda rough so we decided to scratch that one. The Pilot and the Mariner are the top two mid-sized SUVs out there in my opinion. They both had great advantages and very few cons. It was tough narrowing it down between the two. However, we finally decided to go with the Mariner Hybrid. The vehicle gets really good mpg, being a hybrid and all. The amenities were great and we got a really good deal.

I get 29 mpg on average going back and forth to work. For a 4WD SUV, that is exceptional these days. However, you won't get the savings if you drive with a lead foot or run the AC all the time. The AC will cut into your savings by about 3mpg. I did some testing, while driving around with the AC on, the average always seemed to stick around 26 mpg. However, I've rarely seen my avg drop below 26 mpg; that seems to be the bottom avg and 30 mpg seemed to be the highest I've sustained on a trip.

We pretty much decked out the Hybrid with all amenities. Our hybrid has the moon roof, heated mirrors, heated seats, premium sound with the nav. The key-pad is great for hiking and camping. The head room in this vehicle is great. There is a lot of open space in the vehicle.

The speakers that come with the audio system have a great sound and are capable of putting out a lot of base. The nav part of the audio system has a little less to desire though, especially when compared with the nav in the Pilot. It's an odd navigation unit; it almost seems like a military nav system with the rugged design, small screen, bulky buttons, and unfriendly user interface.

Despite that, the nav does guide and direct surprisingly well. Whoever programmed the device, put a lot of thought into the guidance portion and made well with the resources. The nav unit has always guided us to the desired destination and still has an intuitive way of guiding you despite the user interface.

The one thing that upset me the most with our purchase is that Mercury advertised the nav audio system is MP3 capable. This is 'NOT' true and misleading to the consumer. The nav unit doesn't support MP3 playback and will not play MP3 CDs.

The 4WD in this vehicle is very nimble. I test this out every chance I get :) I've driven on numerous off road trails and the 4wd seemed to kick in fine and works surprisingly well for a mid-sized SUV with limited power, being a hybrid. I have taken this vehicle through rough terrain and other muddy situations and it seemed to plow right through without any problems.

The Mariner drives really well on-road as well. The rides are very smooth, the seats are extremely comfortable, and the head room is great. Switching on the heated seats in the cold morning is great and they warm up very quickly.

I love the way the seats fold down in the back. I can slide my mountain bike right in without issues. The seats fold down flush with the rest of the floor in the back so it's real easy to get things in and out of the Mariner.

The deal we got on this vehicle was awesome. We bought it near the end of the year and got $3000 off, $2000 tax saving (hybrid), and 0% financing for the life of the loan! On top of that, they gave me 9500 on 2001 mustang GT. I know, I'll miss the GT:( but we really needed the bigger vehicle.

I definitely recommend the Mercury Mariner. I am extremely happy with this purchase and look forward to driving it every chance I get. If you're looking for a nimble SUV that doesn't guzzle gas and has a smooth ride, this is the choice!!