Autoblog

For 2009, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner (as well as the Mazda Tribute) are getting the powertrain updates that they missed out on when their exteriors were revamped last year. While the 2008 models had all-new looks and interiors, the engines and transmissions were carried over from 2007, including the four-speed automatic transmissions. We'll have more info on their new 2.5L four-cylinder and 3.0L V6 engines after we drive them next week, but Ford released some information on their new six-speed transmissions when we visited its Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights, MI.

The new 6F35 is a completely new six-speed automatic that will have a wider total ratio spread than the four speed it is replacing. The top gear ratio will be approximately the same as the four-speed, but the lower gears will be shorter helping off-the-line acceleration. The final drive ratio will be a little taller (numerically lower), which will help reduce the engine speed when cruising on the highway. Even with the larger first to sixth spread, the overall gap between each ratio will be smaller resulting in less engine speed drop during shifts and a quieter, smoother overall driving experience. The 6F35 uses a total of three planetary gear sets and five clutches to generate the six forward and one reverse gear.

Ford is claiming that the new transmission contributes to a 4-6% improvement in fuel efficiency depending on with which vehicle and engine it's paired. Besides the three CUVs launching shortly, the new gearboxes are also going into the revamped Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan early next year. The Van Dyke plant also builds the larger 6F50 used in the Edge, Taurus and their derivatives, as well as a smaller four-speed used in the Focus. That four-speed will also be replaced by a third smaller 6-speed in the next year or two for the Focus and Fiesta. Ford plans to double production of six-speed autoboxes by the end of 2009 to 1.4 million units and by 2012 expects 98% of all its automatics to be 6-ratio variants.

[Source: Ford]

Ford's been cranking out hybrid CUVs on the CD2 platform for four years now, and with over 40,000 produced, it's gotten to be old hat. Since it started in 2004, Ford's managed to make the Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute 30-percent cheaper to build. That cost reduction, coupled with the pending introduction of the hybrid Fusion and Milan platform-mates, will allow Ford's hybrid program to actually turn a profit for the first time in 2008. The Mariner and Escape hybrids find about 21,000 owners per year, and adding the hardware to the sedans could spur sales of Ford's hybrid system, further reducing costs. We're excited to try out the sedans with the hybrid system and the potential for a winner is there if Ford manages to deliver the goods at an attractive price.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Click on the photo for a gallery of the 2008 Mariner in action

Ford provided the journalists assembled in Dearborn the chance to drive many of their 2008 models back-to-back with their 2007 equivalents so that the new models' improvements could be experienced firsthand. Among the vehicles available to us were Ford's compact crossovers, the Escape and Mariner. AutoblogGreen recently did a full review of the 2008 Escape Hybrid that you can check to find out what it's like to live with. We'll focus here on the improvements made to the '08s in general.

Out front, the new Mariner has a much more distinct and upscale face compared to the Escape. While the Escape is styled with more of a family resemblance to the big F-Series trucks, with a bumper that stands in front of the grille, the Mariner sports the Mercury family's vertical bar grille, sharing itd DNA with the Milan and new Sable. It flows all the way down to the bottom of the bumper and definitely looks more carlike than Escape. Once you climb inside, everything else applies equally to both the Mariner and Escape the driving experience is identical, save for some color/trim differences.

Check out our impressions of the Mariners old and new along with a video after the jump.

Gallery: 2008 Mercury Mariner at the track

Gallery: 2008 Mercury Mariner

Today Ford announced pricing for both of its redesigned compact sport utility vehicles, the 2008 Ford Escape and 2008 Mercury Mariner. The Escape will start at $19,245, including $665 for destination charges, which is $740 less than the base price of the current model. The Mariner begins at $21,345, again including $665 for destination, which is $460 less than the current model. Across each lineup, Escape prices will drop an average of $1,100 and Mariner prices $1,300. The hybrid versions of each model will also see their prices drop. The Ford Escape Hybrid falls from $26,320 to $25,740, while the Mariner Hybrid drops from $28,615 to $26,430.

Obviously both the Escape and Mariner are all new for 2008, which means you're getting more for less if you've waited this long to buy either.

2008 Ford Escape: $19,245 (inc. $665 destination)
2008 Ford Escape XLT V6: $22,545
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: $25,740

2008 Mercury Mariner: $21,345
2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid: $26,430

Follow the jump for the official press releases distributed today for both vehicles.

Click here to see a gallery of the 2008 Ford Escape.
Click here to see a gallery of the 2008 Mercury Mariner.

[Source: Ford]

Not wanting to lose the momentum from 2006, Ford Motor Co. will offer some new lease deals and cut-rate financing on the Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans. The F-150 gets in on the action as well, with leasing and financing incentives on some models. The new deals that follow will run from January 3 to February 28.

Beginning yesterday, customers can lease a 2.3-liter equipped Fusion for $249/month for 39 months with zero cash out of pocket at signing. The Mercury Milan can be leased for even less, at $208/month, but requires $1,999 cash up front. If a lease doesn't suit your needs, 4.9% financing for up to 60 months is also available.

To generate some interest in the full-size truck market, the F-150 SuperCab XLT lease is available for $249/month for 36 months and the F150 SuperCrew XLT comes in at $299/month for 24 months, both requiring $1,999 cash at the time of signing.

Rearing its ugly head again is zero percent interest, now available for up to 60 months on the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner. One cool feature, however, is the no-charge "Moon and Tunes" package that adds a power moonroof with sun shade, AM-FM radio 6-disc CD changer, and a roof rack with cross bars.

[Source: Automotive News (sub req'd.]

click on image to enlarge

Loose lips sink ships, and we discovered that Mazda's got a hole in its boat big enough to drive the next generation Tribute through without being caught. Mazda shouldn't feel bad about these leaked photos and computer renderings of the 2008 Tribute and its interior (follow the jump for those), especially considering the Mercury Mariner has already been unveiled and Ford's done a terrible job so far of keeping the next Escape under wraps. So what do we have here? Pretty much what you'd expect, a virtually identical version of the Escape save for the grille, headlights, taillights, front and rear bumpers and side skirts. Unfortunately it's your basic badge engineering job on a vehicle that doesn't even need to exist in Mazda's lineup. This is the brand that's supposed to be sporty (Zoom Zoom, anyone?), so why does it need a boxy, unathletic SUV that looks like the least soulful of the three versions that will be sold to the public? It's place in the world is even more suspect when you consider that the very well-received CX-7 is a swoopy, athletic CUV with the sould of a sport compact. Common sense tells us that this next-gen Tribute probably cost next to nothing for Mazda to develop since Ford was picking up the tab on the Escape and Mariner. In our eyes, however, there are other costs involved with offering a discordant model in your lineup than the kind emblazoned with dead presidents.

Follow the jump for a rear 3/4 shot of the 2008 Tribute, along with computer renderings of the interior.

Thanks to anonymous for the tip!

Wow. One of Ford's employees made it way to easy for KGP's shooter to snap a shot of the new Escape in the buff. Seen in a parking lot in the Detroit area, Ford's redesigned soft-roader gets a more butch nose and, surprisingly, doesn't don the three-bar grille that's infecting all of Ford's recent offerings. The nose is decidedly Expedition-esque, with the rest of the body offering little departure from its big brother, the Mercury Mariner.

In other similarities to the Escape's upmarket sibling, the interior is rather unchanged, with much of the high-end trimmings being toned-down to define itself as the lesser of the two.

We expect the Escape to make its debut at this month's L.A. Auto Show and now that we've seen it, we'll probably skip the press event.

[Source: The Car Connection]

click on image to enlarge

In a late-night, clandestine move, Mercury released details and images of a thoroughly redesigned Mariner, which will go on sale in early 2007 as a 2008 model. Ford's mid-market marque has decided that the 2005 model was in need of an update to keep up with the Joneses (i.e. other small soft-roaders). The entry-level SUV, or CUV depending on your perspective, is intended to mark a major shift for Mercury's approach to design and technology.

On the aesthetics side, the Mariner's front fascia takes the brunt of the redesign, with the trademark 'waterfall' grill gaining more prominence, both in length and width. The headlamps also grow significantly in every dimension, gaining 'eyebrows' that integrate and define the newly creased hood. Altogether, the redesigned front end has more tautly drawn lines and a more upright posture that provides the Mariner with a defined road presence that will be advantageous when you flash the high beams on someone crawling along in the left lane.

Following your way along to the rear, it's easy to notice that the beltline has moved northward and is met with wraparound taillights that don a more modern design. We've always liked the Euro-style, or Altessa, lights when they come from the OEM, and Mercury seems to have utilized those elements to its advantage. The tailgate also benefits from a few well-executed tweaks the lay to rest the previous model's undefined rear-end.

The interior reveals the designer's use of nothing but a straight-rule when it comes to the center console, a la S40. Faux-aluminum also bears a striking resemblance to its Swedish stable mate, with easily read buttons and clearly defined knobs. The dash gets more of the brushed stuff, with modern numbering that glows a light blue hue, rather than the stale green of its forbearer.

On the technical end of things, the new Mariner will be the first of FoMoCo's brands to receive their newly developed Electric Power Steering (EPS), which, along with the revised suspension, will contribute to more civilized riding and handling characteristics. Along with a smoother ride, drivers will also notice a reduction in road noise, due to several sound insulating upgrades.

When buyers opt for the Hybrid option, they'll be able to choose between two-wheel drive and all-wheel-drive, whereas before, AWD was the only option. Additionally, software changes have made the switch from electric power to conventional combustion even more seamless.

In the end, Mercury's revised Mariner remains a viable contender in the small utility vehicle marketplace and will likely garner more support from consumers than the previous generation.

Click on for more images and the full press release.

During its Super Bowl marketing blitz, Ford made a big deal of its new association with Kermit the Frog, who in the course of his advertising duties experienced a change of heart, proclaiming : "I guess it is easy being green."

But Jim Henson's trademark amphibian may have had it right the first time. High profile market introductions and Muppet pitchfrogs aside, the Blue Oval is struggling with its hybrid initiative, and recently doubled its incentives on its green-tinged SUVs to $1,000. Though it remains early in the year, at its present clip, Ford is only selling about half its hybrid capacity and waiting lists have dwindled to zero -- a marked change from foreign competitors at Toyota and Honda.

[Source: Dow Jones via Morningstar.com]