2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid   by John Rhodes

I discuss the following about the 2009 Mercury Mariner hybrid. First, I discuss all the upgrades from the 2008 hybrid. Second, I talk about style and space. Third, I talk about technology such as maps and GPS. I also talk about some other fun aspects of the Mariner hybrid.

Introduction

If you’re a Ford fan and you’re looking for a good hybrid SUV, then you’re probably in luck since the 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid is now in town. This SUV vehicle may look as if it doesn’t offer much that other SUV’s of its types do. However, looks can be pretty deceiving. This car shouldn’t be underestimated, since it has a lot to offer than what you may have in mind. So, here are essentials that you need to know about this practical SUV.

Upgrade Galore

Although Ford have made a significant upgrade from the 2007 model to the 2008 model, the company makes another yet notable improvements with its 2009 model. In fact, a lot of experts believe that this model has a lot to offer from the 2008 model.

As a sneak peek, one of these improvements would have something to do with its advent of Sirius and Sync Travel Link. These two technologies are used by Ford to distinguish itself. Additionally, the 2009 Mercury Mariner hybrid doesn’t only get a new cabin tech; its engine also becomes a little bigger. Hence, you get more horsepower, without losing the advantage of fuel economy.

General Specs

This car, along with its stable mate, the Ford Escape Hybrid, are actually the only available small full hybrid SUVs. This car can accommodate to seat five people. It also has a pretty large cargo space, which is built via unibody construction. Being a hybrid, this car could be driven by the use of mere electric power if you’re travelling short distances and on low speeds.

Another great perk of the car is that its engine automatically turns off whenever you’re stuck in traffic or on a stop light. This mere feature alone can help you save a lot with your car’s gas and power consumption! Because of this car’s characteristic, full hybrids usually get better mileage rates inside the city compared to the highway. In fact, the 2009 Mercury Mariner hybrid was rated by EPA at 31 mpg highway and 34 mpg city.

Traffic Avoidance

Although hybrid systems can help you save gas when caught in traffic, you would rather not crawl at 5 mph. On such situations, you can use the car’s navigation system, so that you could see how efficiently you could avoid traffic.

This car actually has a hard-drive-based system for navigation. It utilizes high-resolution touch screen maps. The best thing here is that the Sirius Travel Link actually gives you traffic reports, which would be overlaid on your car’s navigation maps. Here, you could see how traffic is flowing on highways and freeways. Additionally, you get reports on specific incidents, whether it be vehicle accidents or road construction.

Getting To Know The Cabin

Although this car is thought to be as a mid-luxury brand, between Lincoln and Ford, this car’s cabin isn’t that dramatically nicer compared to what you could find with the Ford Escape. The cabin is generally made up of standard grade leather. However, it also has some small chrome accents. The car also comes with a steering wheel that is leather-wrapped.

Nevertheless, the cabin also has its major positive and impressive parts. For instance, its tech is actually the same for both brands. You also get full control using your touch-screen LCD over various amenities that your car provides, such as: hard-drive-based navigation, stereo and Bluetooth phone. However, what’s much better is that its Sync lets you get full control of such systems using your voice. It also gives full integration with the MP3 player.

Map Navigation

The 2009 Mercury Mariner hybrid also has a very excellent navigation system. This is probably because of its maps that are viewable in 3D or top-down. Since it’s hard-drive-based, the maps actually refresh in a quick rate. Thus, it becomes easier for you to move your map around to select various destinations by simply touching the location that you want to go to.

The system also provides you with full database of points-of-interest, along with different means of going to your destination like freeway entrance and address. If you’ll be using the car’s address entry, you’ll have to use 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid’s onscreen keyboard, which could be switched between QWERTY format and alphabetical order.

About the Author

John S. Rhodes talks more about the 2009 Mercury Mariner hybrid at Hybrid Cars, Hybrid Trucks and Hybrid Vans found at http://HybridCarsTrucksVans.com He also discusses hybrid motorcycles and hybrid minivans at that site, offering videos and advice on hybrid batteries and hybrid rental vehicles.
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