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The 2008 Mercury Mountaineer shares the same platform as the Ford Explorer, but is distinguished from the Ford by its luxurious interior and elegant vertical line style and polished chrome accented exterior. This mid size SUV features all wheel drive capability and seating for up to 7 passengers. Due to their gas guzzling nature, larger SUV’s have lost potential owners to more fuel efficient vehicles, but for those who have the need for a great deal of passenger and cargo space combined with all wheel drive and towing capabilities, the Mountaineer is very nicely equipped and priced right. Changes for the 2008 model year include taking a few of the features that were previously included on the standard equipment list and moving them over to the list of options. A few new optional features are now available, including 20 inch wheels and the ‘Mercury Sync’ system which was designed in conjunction with Microsoft and enables centralized operation of iPods, cell phones, and other electronic devices either by voice or manually.

The Mountaineer is available in base and Premier trim levels and both come standard with rear wheel drive, while all wheel drive is optional. The Base model has two rows of seats and accommodates 5 passengers. A long list of standard equipment includes 17-inch wheels, a six-way power driver seat, cruise control, full power accessories, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel with audio controls and a CD player stereo with auxiliary audio jack. Options include is a 3rd Row Seat Package that bundles a 50/50-split fold flat rear bench seat and auxiliary climate control. A Comfort Options Package is also available and will add heated leather seats, dual zone climate control and power adjustable front seats.

The Premier trim comes standard with the third-row seat and most of the equipment from the Comfort Package. Options for this model include a Third-Row Seat Elite Package that allows for power operated folding of the 3rd row seat. Many a la carte options are also available and include upgraded premium sound systems; power operated running boards, a towing package, a navigation system, a rear seat DVD entertainment system and rear park assist.

Power is provided by either the standard 4.0 liter V6 engine or the optional 4.6 liter V8, which is only available for the Premier trim. The V6 is mated to a 5 speed automatic transmission and delivers 210 horsepower. The V8 comes with a 6 speed automatic and produces 292 horsepower. Both engines can be outfitted with either rear wheel drive or all wheel drive and the maximum towing capacity is 7220 pounds. The Mountaineer received EPA estimates of 13 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway, regardless of drivetrain configuration. The 0 to 60 speed is respectable at 8.3 seconds.

The 2008 Mercury Mountaineer will appeal to consumers who need ample passenger space and a reliable vehicle with towing capabilities but want a smooth riding, agile handling, plush, well equipped cabin. With below average fuel economy and a resale value that is expected to be poor, the purchase of a Mountaineer should be based on the need for its practical functionality, with the upscale look and feel being a really nice bonus.

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Mercury chose October??™s Miami auto show to launch its updated Mariner SUV, knowing that it would not make much news at either Detroit??™s NAIAS in January or at the newly repositioned Los Angeles auto show in November. Not that this makes the Mariner??™s update any more newsworthy, but there are nonetheless many changes of note for the interior and exterior, if not for the powertrain.

Wearing all-new sheetmetal, the Mariner now features a much more prominent waterfall grill that apes the single-frame grille treatment found on VW and Audi products. It also has more faceted head- and taillamps with ???eyebrow??? designs running around the lenses, as well as new wheels, more prominently flared fenders and a higher beltline. The cladding of the former model has been removed, thankfully, for a cleaner look, though brightwork was added in equal measure. ???The 2008 Mariner is the first product to truly deliver 100 percent of the design DNA for Mercury as a brand,??? says Kim Irwin, Mercury brand manager. Sure.

Inside, changes include a new mix of materials with ???satin pewter??? trim, chrome, and tone-on-tone plastics. The instrument cluster and center stack designs are all new. Suede inserts are available for the upholstery, and a nav system will be available. The cargo area now features a separate ???wet??? area under the floor, while the center console storage area has three levels, the lower being large enough to hold a laptop. Perhaps most welcome, however, is the new ???ice blue??? interior lighting and IP illumination, which replaces that nauseating Ford green. In all, the new interior d?©cor and features put the Mariner in a whole separate league compared with the current model.

That said, the carryover powertrains bring it right back. The standard engine remains a 2.3-liter, 16-valve four-cylinder that produces 153 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 152 lb-ft of torque at 4250 rpm. An optional 3.0-liter, 24-valve V-6 produces 200 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 193 lb-ft of torque at 4850 rpm. Both engines come with a standard four-speed-automatic transaxle. The Mariner Hybrid comes with the 2.3-liter DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine detuned to 133 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 124 lb-ft of torque at 4250 rpm paired with a 94-hp electric motor. A Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), licensed from Toyota, is the only available transmission on the hybrid model. The on-road-biased optional all-wheel drive system is also carryover.

Some mechanical changes were made, however: speed-sensitive electric power steering is new, as is low-dust brake lining and additional sound-deadening material. Unfortunately, save the hybrid, the Mariner remains one of the few vehicles on the market to retain a disc/drum setup (the hybrid gets four-wheel discs). So how much has really changed? Scroll through the photo gallery and you??™ll know all you need to know.

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