Mercury Mariner Hybrid, 2006 Green Car of the Year

Looking at the main page for the Green Car Journal, they seem to be pretty obsessed with sports cars and expensive SUVs -- albeit using non-standard fuels or engines. Looks like an offshoot of the standard performance car magazines, like Car and Driver or Motor Trend.

Maybe that's why they didn't give the Prius the nod. Or, maybe they're trying to emphasize there are other hybrid cars besides the Prius (since much of the US seems to think "hybrid == Prius").

On the other hand, I'm willing to believe the Mariner is a well-built hybrid SUV -- Ford did a good job with the Escape, and it's a full hybrid (as opposed to Honda's mild hybrid approach).. I do think the Prius is superior to the Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Accord Hybrid, at least in regards to the Toyota HSD.

 

The Prius may have already won the award in a recent year. It was not in the running for the award that the HCH recently won because the 2006 model wasn't substantially different from the '05. I think that's often a critierion for getting a nomination in some of thses things. I think that it's great that Ford is stepping up to the plate. Let's see some passenger cars from them now...

 

Isn't the Mercury Mariner Hybrid the same vehicle as the Ford Escape Hybrid?

Wonder why they didn't pick both?

 

I thought the same thing, that the FEH and the Mercury Mariner were basically the same vehicle (except for exterior and minor interior changes). IF it is, makes you wonder about if this was this a bone thrown to American automakers. Either way, more options is good though, even if it is superficial options.

 

Yes, the system is absolutely identical... which makes the award quite insincere, since the Escape Hybrid was given a 2005 *TRUCK* award. So how can Mariner be a car?

 

Both Shelby and Andretti (two of the jurors) have had long lasting relationships with Ford Motor Company.

 

I believe that the Focus is next for the Hybrid drive.

 

Fusion was announced as Ford's next several years ago... with the hope that the hybrid version would debut shortly after the gas-guzzler. Clearly, that didn't happen.

 

Of course, the pickings are pretty slim in the hybrid arena. There just aren't that many to choose from. The Prius wins one year, they can't keep naming it as the winner even though it's a great car and the success story that made the rest of the car companies sit up and take notice. Still, since the Mariner uses the hybrid system that Toyota used to use, and it's the same vehicle that the Escape, their choice leaves something to be desired. Look to the third generation Prius to win when it comes out, though.

 

Is that really true?

If you mean that Ford uses the Prius Gen 2 system (calling the '04-'06 Gen 3), I thought that had been debunked?

 

It may have been; I read here once that the Escape uses the first generation. They are using the hybrid system that was developed for the Prius though, aren't they?

 

Well, that was what I was asking :lol:

I was under the impression that they developed their own hybrid system from the beginning, but got involved in some patient dispute with Toyota on it. At the same time Toyota got involved in some patient dispute with Ford so they swapped the rights in someway.

Now that you bring it up, I will try research this. I have been operating on hearsay so far.

 

Check this out
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/Nussb..._innovat_1.html

On the other hand, I did get a lot of google hits saying that Ford was using the early Prius hybrid system.

But the Ford spokesperson in Businessweek does seem authoratative

 

I think the only things that are quite clear in this story (of how much Toyota tech is in the Ford Escape/Mariner) is that Ford *really* wanted to be seen as an innovator, and Toyota has obliged. Beyond that, you will have to read between the lines, and decide for yourself based on available hard evidence. You also may wish to ask a Prius mechanic if they would have any problems working on a Ford hybrid

When Toyota is asked, btw, their answer is classic diplomacy: "Toyota does not directly supply hybrid related parts to Ford"

I think a reasonable objective approach to this question is to count how many Toyota patents are in a Ford hybrid vehicle, and how many Ford patents are in a Toyota hybrid vehicle.

My personal opinion: The Ford hybrid is a mixture of reverse-engineering the THS gen 1, and licensing. In particular they had to license the software algorithms.

 

There was a lot of discussion about this on PriusChat when the Escape came out, along with a fair amount of research.

The general consensus of those who investigated (I wasn't one of them) was that Ford really had come up with the Escape's hybrid system on their own; but that there were enough similarities with the Toyota system that they purchased technology rights for the 1st gen HSD from Toyota to satisfy the legal department.

One of PriusChat's technical whiz's (again, I don't qualify!) did a fairly deep dive into a technical comparison of Ford and Toyota's hybrid systems. From 1000 miles up, they're very similar; when you get up-close, though, some are some interesting (and often cool) things Ford did differently.

As many others have said on this forum: competition makes the consumer the winner. I look forward to seeing what a hybrid version of the Ford Fusion looks like -- that will make for more of an apples vs. apples full-hybrid comparison of the Prius.

 

The Fusion Hybrid will have to compete directly with a 40 MPG Camry Hybrid. Toyota's going to have at least a year head start. That's a very high bar set by Toyota.