Mariner Hybrid Impressions at 5000 miles

[65fairlane]

(Edits made June 3, 2008. I will post other additions as I find them.)

 

I have the Mariner Hybrid '08 and now have 5000 miles on it. (10,000 as of the latest edit.) I got it loaded, with the premium package, sunroof, and navigation. I've had some time to use it in different weather conditions, and try everything out. Here are my impressions so far. I assume someone at Ford will get them to the right place if they are helpful.

 

The overall impression is that I love the vehicle. It has a great ride, is quiet enough and comfortable. Mileage for me has been good. I have the 4wd version and got around 33 mpg in the early fall and lately 29 in the winter. The main reasons for buying it were to have a vehicle with good ground clearance, all-wheel drive, and the best possible mileage. It has delivered admirably on those things. Most objections are minor and are listed below. They mostly fall into the category of "this is a $30,000 vehicle, and it should have these!" Fix them and no one short of Lexus should be able to come close.

 

First, the windshield cracked from a rock impact after having the car only two weeks! I could have been unlucky but I suspect the glass isn't as strong as it could be. I notice that it's sound-absorbing glass, so I don't want to put in an aftermarket replacement since it might add to road noise. The wipers work well; I'm impressed compared to most other cars I've driven.

 

Please use a switch for front seat map & cargo area lights that has positive on/off indication. With the various dimming delays, it's very hard to tell if I've turned a light off if I had it on and then try to exit the vehicle without waiting 20 seconds to see what happens after I hit the lock button. I want to know if a switch is on, off, or door activated by a visual indication.

 

The headlight switch could use a lighted tip that shows when dark what setting the lights are on. The switch design and location makes it difficult to communicate with a driver whose lights are off by flashing them off/on. By the time my hand gets down to the switch and figures out where it is, the other driver's long gone.

 

Get rid of the navigation "nag" screen that asks me to agree to the rules every time I start the car. I signed my life away to own it, there shouldn't be any more questions from the lawyers. I'd love a software update to fix it. The nav screen changes to dim mode when the headlights are on, but this feature should be coupled with an ambient light sensor so that on cloudy days with rain the screen does not dim. When the headlights are on during a rainstorm in the day, the screen is nearly impossible to read.

 

On the Mariner as I wanted it equipped, the only choice was the "stone" dash material, which is too light and creates distracting reflections on the windshield. More color choices would be better. I bought a custom dash cover to remedy this.

 

There's something not quite right about the "give" of the material used to wrap the steering wheel or the shape of the grip surface. On long trips I find that my hands hurt a bit on the palm side of my fingers and my previous car never had the problem. I know the grip area is fatter than the previous car and the leather feels good to the touch, but for some reason it's not comfortable after a couple of hours. I wonder if anyone else notices this or it's just me and I'll get used to it eventually. As I've used the vehicle more, I believe the issue is the profile of the wheel rim cross-section. It's not round--more of an elliptical shape so it creates more pressure on the palm side of the fingers, especially if one is sitting further away as recommended for airbags. A tilt/telescope column would help to reduce fatigue as well. It's less needed with the adjustable seat height, but still desirable.

 

There are no red courtesy lights in the doors for safety when exiting at night. My 1985 Nissan Maxima had those. I plan to put some red reflector tape on them so it's more visible to drivers passing by that a door is open.

 

Brakes are spongy. I know regenerative braking is different, but from a safety perspective the only way to deal with the problem is to maintain a longer following distance, and the result is that other drivers jump into it constantly. I think Kermit's first quote before Ford rescripted him was right: "It isn't easy being green." Look at ultracapacitors to store braking energy if it can't be sent to the batteries fast enough.

 

Rear cargo area tie-downs are absent. Groceries have a habit of overturning without them.

 

I'd like larger rear floor mats, preferably one piece that covers the entire rear floor area. I got the luxury mats from Drivingcomfort.com and they are much better, and reduce noise a bit inside. The 2008 is quieter than previous years, but going one more notch down on interior noise still would help. I rode in a Toyota 4Runner yesterday, and it's quieter than the Mariner.

 

The climate control works great for automatic temperature control but it won't let the fan run with the temperature control off for simple outside ventilation. I know I can open a window, but I like to have outdoor air and quiet at the same time. Electronically this should be an easy fix. Right now, turning the fan knob with the climate control off turns the climate control on. Instead, the control should go on only when the "On" button is pressed or the temperature knobs are turned. Just turning the fan knob with the control off should vent exterior air with no heating or cooling.

 

The nav unit needs a bigger font for the average mileage display for the hybrid and easier to read colors in daylight. I'd also like to see a number for the instantaneous mileage readout instead of just the bar graph. While driving, the instantaneous bar graph is difficult to read and I now ignore it because I think it's dangerous to try to estimate the mileage from it. If a number was displayed it would only take a short glance to figure out the mileage. Hybrid drivers want to know instantaneous mileage, so make this easy and useful. When wearing polarized sunglasses, the display goes dark with just a small turn of my head. This may be tough to fix, but if possible test the screen with polarized sunglasses and get the viewing angle just right.

 

A useful feature on the hybrid mileage display would be a notification about equipment settings that are reducing fuel economy. For instance, if the defroster is turned on, a warning could flash saying "Defrost disables EV operation." Sometimes I forget to turn off defrost and miles later notice that fuel economy is low, and realize the problem. The ECON light is helpful, but so far out of the way that it's hard to notice it's turned off.

 

While not a fault of this particular vehicle, a great feature for those of us using it for business would be a mileage log. It would be integrated into the nav system and would store date, time, and miles traveled for each ignition on/off cycle. The GPS location from the address book or map could also be noted at each time the engine was turned off or on. Recording mileage for tax purposes is a pain and with the nav system, it's now just a software problem to vastly simplify the process.

 

GSM cell phones create a buzz on the radio. This is common with lots of electronics and not a particular fault of Ford's audio system. But strategic shielding of some components should eliminate the buzz.

 

While visibility overall is good, a backup camera is still a nice option. The reverse sensing system works well, but having it plus the ability to see behind the vehicle would add to ease of parallel parking. Rear gate window tinted glass makes it hard to see behind the vehicle when parking at night. Brighter backup lights might help, but I think reducing the tint or going to clear glass with a roll-down window shade for hot climates would be better.

 

A coolant temperature gauge is something I've always had as it comes in handy on trips to remote places in the desert. I'll need to order an aftermarket scan tool to fix this. It shouldn't be too difficult to configure a custom screen in the nav system that lets a driver show gauge readings of interest. That way the designers don't have to sweat trading off which gauges to put in the dash.

 

Improve the fit of inside door trim near mirrors (outside body color is visible) and deflash the plastic interior components better, such as door armrests. The glovebox is tiny. I like the large center console, but more hidden places to store items would help reduce the chance of break-ins. The large size of the mirrors is great. Usually car makers skimp on mirror size but not here.

 

The stock Continental Ecoplus tires are very jumpy when driving on metal-grate bridges. We have lots of them and they are narrow. It's very disconcerting to have the vehicle jump two inches toward an oncoming car that's only a foot away. Handling on snow and ice has been good though.

 

I live in a rainy climate. There is a drip from the top of the front driver or passenger doors onto the seats when opening the doors. It's not a leak, just a drip from water that's sitting above the door somewhere. The official Mercury mud/splash guards for the wheels are cheesy, flat rubber and not contour molded.

 

The screws to hold the roof rack crossbars are very difficult to remove. They were nearly frozen and I had to loosen them with an offset screwdriver through the plastic loop and keep them lubricated so they won't break.

 

These last two are likely well known: no locking fuel door (now a necessity with $4-plus gasoline) and a one-note horn.

Edited June 13, 2008 by 65fairlane

[Walt]

Get rid of the navigation "nag" screen that asks me to agree to the rules every time I start the car. I signed my life away to own it, there shouldn't be any more questions from the lawyers. I'd love a software update to fix it.

 

I guess you didn't read the story about the guy who drove straight in front of a moving train, because his NAV system didn't warn him about the train and the need to stop.

[fomocona]

I monitor webpages on behalf of Ford and I hope you don't mind me posting here. We appreciate your Mariner Hybrid purchase and the time you took to write your comments. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any plans to remove the navigation system disclaimer. However, I have forwarded this link to the appropriate departments for review of your feedback. In the future, if it's convenient, you can send your comments or questions directly to Ford at Contact Ford.

[billyk24]

The addition of a scanguage unit (www.scanguage.com) significantly improves the hybrid experience. It provides a ton of features that is missing--exterior temperature, radiator temperature, hybrid battery state of charge reading, engine cylinder head temperature, hybrid battery voltage., etc.

 

The EcoPlus tires are low rolling resistance tires that improve fuel economy. However in other areas, these are not highly rated. I actually have a second set of tires for winter conditions.

 

For groceries, get one of the reusable grocery bags stores are selling and hook one end of the loop handle around the headrest of the rear seat. This holds everything in place.

 

Get aftermarket floor/cargo mats to better cover the carpeting.

 

I have a backup camera in my 2005 Escape Hybrid. I pulled the stock headunit and replaced it with a kenwood DNX7100 double din display. I added an amplifier and all new speakers. The backup camera is tied into the kenwood DNX7100.

 

Hope this helps.

[betaiota]

Another way to think about the 'nag' screen- YOU may have signed your life away to own it, but not the others who may drive your car. Ever see how many warning labels are on the side of a step ladder these days!

 

A reputable auto glass company would be able to get you a perfect replacement for your windshield. All windshields are laminated for strength and sound absorbtion. I don't see how Merc could get away with putting in a "not as strong as it could be" windshield and I don't see how a replacement windshield would raise your db levels???

 

A mileage log is a great idea- it wouldn't be too hard to do and could be very useful.

[gocargo]

I too have the 08 MMH, Loaded with all options. If I had to do it again, I would not have paid extra for the NAV and would rather have an aftermarket NAV that would include Bluetooth, Ipod integration & Backup Cam. Because for the cost of adding Bluetooth, Reverse Cam and the Ipod integration kit, I could have bought a nice aftermarket all in one unit. But, I love my MMH. I have the Prius too.