2008 Mercury Mariner Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Owner Pros and Cons by jrg94732

Cargo capacity

We needed a small SUV and the Mariner or Escort seemed to be one of the best, and it was the only true hybrid of any of the small SUVs.

Reliability & durability

It got good ratings from most evaluation agencies. I also had previous experience with a Mazda Tribute, an Escape/Mariner clone.

Past personal experience

We owned a Mazda Tribute for 2-1/2 years before giving it over to my daughter, and we found the truck to be very versatile and reliable. Since we were in the market for a small SUV/wagon hybrid, it was a natural.

Exterior styling

Somewhat bland and boxy, and its a SUV.

Price or payments

Truck was not cheap, no choices to delete options, dealer did not negotiate, and the only way to get below MSRP was by using CostCo discount buying service. Many dealers charging $2K-$3K market fees because of demand. Demand far exceeds supply.