Compact sport utility vehicles are popular because they are smaller and easier to park than midsize SUVs like the Ford Explorer. They're also lighter and have more fuel-efficient engines and, of course, they're less expensive. Yet they offer the utility of cargo space with fold-down back seats and that commanding view of the road that comes with a higher seating position.The new 2005 Mercury Mariner is based on the Ford Escape, hailed for its responsive handling, smooth road manners and available V6 engine. Mariner comes standard with front-wheel drive (2WD) and a four-cylinder engine. It's easily and affordably upgraded with all-wheel drive (4WD) for stable traction in the snow and a powerful V6 for more responsive performance. The 2005 Mercury Mariner boasts a slick and clean design, with avant-garde styling cues. Inside is a pleasant and calming cabin with room enough for the kind of stuff people who are moving up from the Sable or retreating from the more truck-like Mountaineer need to haul around. As part of a carefully scripted, and enormously expensive, re-birth and rejuvenation of the Mercury brand, the Mariner is intended to offer a step up in status over the Ford Escape. It's a nice package. The size and basics are right. Fuel economy is respectable, and it's affordable even when fully optioned.
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