Why you should buy this car:
You want a luxury SUV that isn't blinged out or foreign. Your expectation of what luxury entails is fairly low. You don't like driving but you're too lazy to ride a bicycle. You give money to groups that support eco-friendly candidates but you don't actually vote.
Why you shouldn't buy this car:
You live by the motto "between here and there is better than either here or there." You spent $30,000 on your last five cars, combined. You're holding out for a diesel version. You realize it ain't this easy being green; making a meaningful reduction in your own environmental impact requires the kind of sacrifice and commitment that can't be achieved by driving a luxury SUV. You couldn't give a damn about the previous sentence.
Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: No
Fashion Victims: Yes
Treehuggers: Yes
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: No
Hairdressers: Yes
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: Yes
Soccer Moms: Yes
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: Yes
Also Consider:
• Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Toyota Prius
• Lexus RX400h
• Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
• Saturn VUE Green Line
• Visiting New Orleans to help rebuild houses for lower-middle-class white people
Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Mercury
• Model tested: Mariner Hybrid
• Model year: 2008
• Base Price: $25,765
• Price as Tested: $31,000
• Engine type: 2.3-Liter I4 Electric Hybrid
• Horsepower: 133 (gas) + 94 (electric)
• Torque: 152lb/ft @ 4,250 RPM
• Transmission: Electronic CVT
• Curb Weight: 3,638 lbs
• LxWxH: 174.7" x 71.1" x 68.0"
• Wheelbase: 103.1"
• Tires: P235/70R16
• Drive type: FWD
• 0 - 60 mph: 10.7 Seconds
• 1/4-mile: 17.8 seconds
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 34/30
* Jalopnik Average: 26.1
• NHTSA crash test rating: N/A
Also see:
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