Originally Posted by mmarshall

If you want to get serious for a minute, the Mariner is actually a pretty nice-driving small SUV ...just like its twins the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute. Several years ago Car and Driver actually ranked the Escape first in a 9-small SUV comparison test....other magazines also ranked the Escape highly. Unfortunately, while it drives nicely, it has not had the build quality of, say, a RAV4, CRV, or Forester.....and has also been subject to numerous recalls ( typical Ford ). Consumer Reports, which generally places a higher emphasis on reliability than the enthusist magazines, did not give it a recommended rating until last year, when its repair record finally improved to average. The Escape also had an annoying column-mounted shifter that blocked several controls...but that is has since been relocated to the console.
A hybrid Mariner should shortly be available...just like its brother the Escape Hybrid....but the Escape hybrid had been extremely difficult to buy. Like the Toyota Prius, there have been long waiting lines and price mark-ups for it......and it basically uses Toyota-developed technology under license.