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Compare between Torrent, Liberty, Escape and Mariner

7 messages,  Last post on Nov 26, 2006 at 4:10 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty, Mercury Mariner, Pontiac Torrent, SUV

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#2 of 7 I picked the Mariner by flasvt Dec 04, 2005 (8:44 am)
I bought a Mariner Premier V6 back in November 2004. It has the black leather tan suede combo and the Mach300 sound system which I understand has been replaced by an Audiophile unit. Satellite radio (Sirius) is available and I recommend it highly.   Why I picked the Mariner about all the others? Lets see:   1. The Torrent wasn't available but its twin the Equinox was and I checked it out. The interior felt a little bit too Japanese but not genuine Japanese. The V6 felt trashy and finding out that GM makes it in China was a big turn off. I also wasn't impressed by the round design. I will add though that the Torrent in my opinion is a really ugly car, the Chevy looks much better.   2. The Jeep Liberty was much tougher to discard than the Equinox. This is a very nice compact SUV. My problem with this one was about the minor details. The front facia looked a bit froggy and the instruments felt toyish and the ride felt harsh. I wasn't looking for a compact SUV to go off-roading but to handle cargo while having comfort a some style. The comfort part came short with the Jeep.   3. The Ford Escape and the Mercury Mariner are basically the same car in the same way the Equinox and the Torrent are. My big turn off with this vehicle was the steering column mounted gear lever was addressed by 2005 with a really neat looking center mounted lever which looks exactly like the one in the Volvo XC90. This is a very nice urban crossover (more than an SUV) with car like ride and handling. The V6 feels powerful but can feel a bit trashy at high revs. It is at least made in America though. There is plenty of space and looks sharp on the inside without that robot transformer look that kept me away from the GM twins, but this is a very subjective opinion.   What made me choose the Mariner over the Escape was the interior appointments, value and the fact that shortly before I purchased my car JD Powers rated Lincoln Mercury dealerships as the best, even over Lexus or Mercedes and after a year I can testify that it is the truth.   After 13 months and 18,000 miles of ownership I have zero problems to report.   I hope this helped.
#3 of 7 Really by scape2 Dec 15, 2005 (4:31 pm)
depends on what your going to use the vehicle for. If you are going to do some tough offroading, hauling and towing I would say the Liberty is your choice. For medium towing, offroading the Torrent, Mariner or Escape will do just fine. Just as a suggestion. Since you are including the Escape/Mariner, may want to throw in the Mazda Tribute. Mariner has nicer interior than Escape hands down. Also adds some nice touches here and there for asthetics. I own and Escape XLT V6, wife owns a Tribute ES V6 both 4WD. Her Tribute has a more sporty feel to it, the Escape is more truck like. Test drive! its free!.. let us know what you choose...
#4 of 7 were is the battery? by buickboy92 Nov 11, 2006 (1:21 am)
hay everyone i have a 2006 pontiac torrent and i do not kown were the battey is can any one help me? Replies to this message: m4825 (Nov 12, 2006 11:03 am) buickboy92 (Nov 25, 2006 8:20 pm)
#5 of 7 Re: were is the battery? [buickboy92] by m4825 Nov 12, 2006 (11:03 am)
Replying to: buickboy92 (Nov 11, 2006 1:21 am) It is totally enclosed in a black plastic cover on the driver's side of the engine compartment near the fender well. There is a control module mounted on top of it for the ABS that is easily moved out of the way to access the battery.... hope this helps............... Replies to this message: buickboy92 (Nov 25, 2006 8:20 pm)
#6 of 7 Re: were is the battery? [m4825] by buickboy92 Nov 25, 2006 (8:20 pm)
Replying to: m4825 (Nov 12, 2006 11:03 am) thanks that did help!!! see ya.
#7 of 7 Ball Joint Problem - Forget Liberty by siberia Nov 26, 2006 (4:10 am)
I own a Liberty CRD. It is rock solid, tows our 5,000 lb trailer quite well and gets excellent fuel economy (28.7 mpg on recent 350 mile trip home).   However, the ball joints are installed upside down. Haven't you all been paying attention? There are already 2 ball joint recalls on some Libertys. The problem is two fold. The ball joints are undersized and they are inverted so that when the ball joint wears out the joint pops apart and the vehicle drops to the pavement. If you are going 75 mph when it happens - too bad!   Maybe this is a hangover from my aircraft maintenance days, but if the Liberty were an airplane all units would be grounded until they were either inspected or redesigned. So, take the Liberty off your list. Don't test drive one and don't ride in one unless it has recently had the ball joint recall done or it is new.   This is a monumental problem for the Liberty and any other vehicle out there that uses "tension" (inverted) ball joints to support the vehicle. This design must go away.   I recently went to a large used car lot and looked at a lot of front suspensions. I was shocked to see inverted ball joints on a number of vehicles and even some Toyota pickup trucks.   If any of the other vehicles in this comparison have tension ball joints get them off your list too. Learn how to recognize this design and get down on you hands and knees an look before you buy. Or, take the vehicle to a mechanic that can tell you whether the vehicle has tension or pressure ball joints.   At 28,000 miles one of my front lower ball joints on my Liberty was already out of specification - 1.5 mm is the limit. I can live with this because I can do my own inspections - probably at each oil change. Can you?

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