Get Your Ford Mariner Hybrid Online
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.14.05
Ford has started selling its second hybrid, the Mercury Mariner (which is a more luxurious cousin of the Ford Escape), on July 11th. It is available almost exclusively online at MarinerHybrid.com, but in very small quantities for the 2006 model year. To give some perspective, 2,000 Mariner hybrids will be made the first year while Toyota/Lexus sold 2,869 Highlander hybrids and 2,605 RX400h in the month of June alone (stats here). Production should grow to 4,000 annually. "The Mercury Mariner Hybrid [...] delivers [an] estimated fuel economy of 33 mpg/city and 29 mpg highway (some 7% less than the slightly lighter Escape). It also meets the stringent California Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions (AT-PZEV) Standard. The Mariner Hybrid can run in electric-only mode up to 25 miles per hour [vs. around 40 mph for the Prius]." Another thing worth noting: The Sierra Club will help Ford to promote the new hybrid.
::With Sierra Club's Help, Ford Pushes a New Hybrid, via ::Green Car Congress & ::Sustainablog
The VW Golf TDI gets better mileage and it's *not* a hybrid (it's diesel).
When did we get into this mindset that we need SUVs? Other countries don't have this need.
Hey, I'm no fan of SUVs, but if someone is going to buy one, I'd rather it was a AT-PZEV one that gets around 30 mpg and encouraged automaker to make more hybrids.
As for the Golf TDI, its emissions are worse than the mariner, and a motorcycle gets better mileage than it (since you are comparing across categories). But a bicycle has better emissions and gets better mileage than a motorcycle!
A TDI running on biodiesel would be nice though, although still not directly comparable to the Mariner (not that that's a bad thing).
As for your question as to how the US got into SUVs, it's quite well explained in the book "High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV". There's even many interviews with PR people from automakers.
Basically, they figured that you could take a $20K pickup truck that doesn't have to comply with car fuel economy and safety regulations, put seats in the back and sell it for $30K+. Incredible margins.
That's how ford made enough money to buy Volvo.
Thanks MGR - valuable stuff.
On the emissions - that's curious. On even 20% bio, I thought that the '05 Golf got some of the best emissions of any vehicle. As far as I knew, the only thing it doesn't beat the Mariner on is NOx, and that's because it's diesel - it output about 25% the CO2.
But, yes, I'll be sticking with my bicycle until a zero-emissions solution is offered that I can use.
Alrighty then here's the scoop. Partial zero emissions. All vehicles should incorporate the technology. All governments should adhear to the Kyoto accord. Our Earth is headed toward an ice age and as soon as we get our act together we can still assure our childrens children will enjoy the beauty of our great landscapes.
Some people have to be told to do something and your one of them. Pay the piper now while there's still time. And one more thing...April 13, 2029 is just around the corner.