|
Where
success has led, opportunity is sure to follow.
Sayings like that make sense when you consider the expansion
of the hottest selling compact sport utility, the five-passenger
Escape, beyond the Ford logo. Ford's companion Mercury Division
launches its own, more upscale compact ute for '05, making
the trio -- all on the same foundation -- complete. Ford
handles the mainstream market, Mazda's Tribute captures
the sporty, performance mood and the new Mercury Mariner
goes grille to exhaust against tonier, upmarket competitors.
Mariner
models, with more elite styling cues, come in three iterations,
including Premier. All have four-speed auto trans for I-4
or V-6 engines, front- or all-wheel drive, more standard
and optional amenities (rear-obstacle warning system) and
a slightly higher price tag, starting in the low to mid
20s.
On
the Mazda side, there's a spicier, more performance-boosted
Tribute thanks to a new larger 2.3-liter base engine it
shares with the Escape, now designated "I," and
optional Active Torque Control Coupling full-time four-wheel
drive. Horsepower is boosted to 153, with better middle-range
torque checking in at 152 lb-ft. Both Escape and Tribute
offer manual or auto trans with that Inline four. New across
the spectrum are optional side-curtain airbags for rollover
protection.
|
