Hi everyone! Our Saab 9-5 Wagon is a lemon, so we are in need of a new car. The 9-5 gets 20/25 and I refuse to get worse gas mileage from a new car. So ... I have been test driving lots of cars in the past 3 weeks, including the Escape (2WD and AWD) and the Mariner. I drove the 2007 AWD Escape and 2006 Mariner back-to-back today and I thought the Mariner was much quieter. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just my imagination? Does the Mariner have more sound-proofing?

Thanks!

 

I've never been in a Mariner so I have no idea, but I'm assuming your test drives were in the same general area in the same general traffic conditions? Traffic noise accounts for a lot and if they weren't test driven in similar conditions that could account for the perceived difference.

 

My wife and I just bought a MMH this week. We both agreed that it seemed quieter and the ride seemed smoother/softer than the Escape. I also prefer the interior and exterior styling....with the exception of the two-tone seats. I'm guessing that Ford Motor Co probably puts a softer set of shocks on the Mercury versions of its vehicles (and probably Lincoln as well) to make them seem smoother. Don't know about soundproofing though.

 

Yes, it was the exact same course. First the Escape then the Mariner as it was a combined dealership. The road noise was especially noticable in the Escape going over repaired cracks in the road. The Mariner took the same cracks more smoothly with less noise. I also did not hear as much engine noise from the Mariner. I am going to give both cars another try tomorrow with my husband who needs to drive the cars.

 

I dont ever really hear the road noise in my FEH. Then again i always have some sort of music on, so it drowns out most everything else. So is it worth spending the extra money for less road noise?

 

Same tires?

 

I've driven both, and I don't remember much of a sound or ride difference. The Mercury dealer said the drive train and suspension were the same between the models. You might check to see if the tires were inflated to the same pressure. They are supposed to be significantly higher than normal tires (my FEH tires were at 37.5 psi from the dealer. Many posters have theirs above 40 psi) and that can make a difference in the ride. There might be a difference in the sound-proofing, but I don't remember the noise levels being a factor. We went with the Ford because the dark gray leather looked like it would be much easier to keep clean than the pebble interior in the Mercury.

 

I'll check the tires when I drive them today. I know that I thought there was more humming tire noise on the Mariner, but I chalked that up to being able to *hear* it instead of the road bumps.

 

Keep in mind the Mariner Hybrid is only available in an AWD model whereas the Ford Escape Hybrid is available in either a FWD (2WD) or AWD model.

I found the Ford Escape Limited 4x4 (non-hybrid) louder and "stiffer handling" (too stiff/tight for me) than the Ford Escape Hybrid FWD we test drove and purchased. I assume that's due to the AWD and perhaps different tires on the non-hybrid.

Needless to say, every vehicle has a personality even among the same make/model with slightly different options.

 

Both cars I drove yesterday were AWD. I think we'll drive a FWD Escape today, then a AWD Escape and then a Mariner.