Mercury Mariner

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.