Nuts & Bolts
2009 Mercury Mariner Premier I-4
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Complaints: This structural and mechanical twin of the Ford Escape uses disc brakes up front and outmoded drum brakes in the rear, same as the Escape. Here's hoping that Ford carries through with rumored plans to install the more-effective disc brakes at all four corners of successor vehicles.
Ride, acceleration and handling: The front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder Mariner Premier is great for use as a flatlands commuter wagon. But keep it off wintry mountain roads.
Head-turning quotient: It is pleasant in the way of the familiar, which is another way of saying that the Mariner has been around for nine years and is in need of a radical remake.
Body style/layout: The Mercury Mariner is a compact, front-engine sport-utility vehicle available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Go with front-wheel drive for best fuel economy and all-wheel drive for best traction. Choose the four-cylinder model for more miles per gallon and the V-6 for hauling power.
Engine/transmission: The 2.5-liter, inline four-cylinder engine develops 171 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 171 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm.
Capacities: There are seats for five people. Cargo capacity with rear seats up is 29.2 cubic feet; with rear seats down, it's 62 cubic feet. The fuel tank holds 16.5 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline.
Mileage: The four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Mariner Premier delivers 28 miles per gallon on long highway runs. We got 18 mpg in city traffic.
Safety: Standard equipment includes side and head air bags and electronic stability and traction control.
Price: The base price of the 2009 Mercury Mariner Premier with front-wheel drive and an inline four-cylinder engine is $24,765. Dealer's invoice price on that model I is $23,006. Price as tested is $30,110, including $4,620 in options (voice-activated Microsoft Sync system with onboard navigation and backup camera, dual-zone climate control and 17-inch diameter wheels) and a $725 destination charge. Dealer's price as tested is $27,660. Prices were sourced from Ford, Edmunds.com and Cars.com, an affiliate of The Washington Post.
Purse-strings note: Compare with Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Volkswagen Tiguan and Toyota Rav-4.
