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Mariner Receives Upgrade for 2008 Model Year
By Glady Reign
In the competitive world of the automotive industry, car manufacturers have to be on their toes all the time. They always have to come up with helpful and really cool innovations for their vehicles so as to keep the attention of the consumers focused on them. Year after year, different car models receive upgrades to help them be the best in their class.
The Mercury Mariner is no exception to that. Mercury has good reasons to upgrade the Mariner. In fact, last year, they only managed to produce 168,000 units of this vehicle. This shows that the demand for the Mariner is not as high as the demand for its cousin, the Ford Escape.
The first appearance of the 2008 Mariner was during the Miami Auto Show where the new look of the Mariner was shown to the public. The newest edition of the Mariner looks different than its predecessor thanks to its newly designed front fascia. The new styling makes the mariner look much wider than it really is. Headlamps of the Mariner were also redesigned to give it a more sophisticated look although it looks much smaller than the design of the headlamps of its predecessor. The grille is also different than the previous Mariners. To match the redesigned front fascia, the rear is also given attention. The tail lamps, just like the headlamps are also revised to make it look more sophisticated. With all the exterior styling, the Mercury Mariner has become a better looking vehicle.
The windshield of the Mercury Mariner is also made thicker and given additional noise-absorbing laminate to a much quieter ride. The side windows likewise were made thicker for the protection of the occupants and also so as to reduce outside noise for the comfort of the passengers and the driver as well. Noise reduction seems to be the focus of the redesigning of the interior of the Mariner. Aside from the thicker windshield and side windows, it also boasts of sound insulated doors, thicker carpeting, and a headliner which has an acoustic barrier. All these add to the level of comfort of the vehicle's occupants.
The interior of the car aside from the acoustic padding installed is also refined. The new Mariner also has new seat designs, door panels, and a new center stack. The main display of the center stack is raised to help the driver to always have an eye on the road even while glancing on the dials and gauges. These are bathed in blue light which makes it a great help for the color blind driver. With the blue backlight the red LED will be easily visible when it lights up. The center console is also made larger this is convenient for those who wish to stuff more things into the console.
Mercury Mariner buyers have a choice between a 2.3 liter four-cylinder engine, a 3.0-liter V6, and a hybrid version of the vehicle. The conventional engines were left unchanged while the hybrid version received some revisions.
The electronic module of the hybrid was refined to facilitate the different parts of the drivetrain which were made as tough as Volvo V40 parts. The hybrid version of the Mariner employs a four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine, and a 70 kW electric motor to drive the SUV. To transfer the power from either the engine or the electric motor, the continuously variable automatic transmission is called upon. The effect of the refinement in the controller is a smoother transfer of power from engine to electric motor and vice versa. Gear changes are also made smoother thanks to the refinement. Another notable refinement in the Mariner is the use of electricity to power the rack-and-pinion steering system instead of the conventional hydraulic pump.
About the Author
Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit, Mi. she is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field. You can visit Volvo S40 parts for more information.
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