Ford said overall fuel efficiency for the gasoline versions of the 2009 Escape and Mariner would increase by 1 mpg compared with the 2008 versions, which get between 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway depending on the engine configuration.

The fuel economy on the 2009 hybrid versions of the Escape and Mariner are not expected to change by any substantial amount, Ford said. Both the gasoline and hybrid versions of the Escape and Mariner will have a new 2.5-liter engine that will boost power 11 percent to 170 horsepower. The gasoline versions will also offer an optional 230-hp, 3.0-liter V6 engine with similar gains in fuel economy. The 2009 versions of both models will go on sale this summer.

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The VOGA Mercury concept was unveiled at the South Florida International Auto Show last year. It has been designed by Camilo Pardo – the designer of the Ford GT. It has a stainless steel roof, tasteful body kit, 20-inch wheels and a stainless blue metallic paint job.

The VOGA trim will be available on the 2008 Mercury Mariner in early 2008. Whether or not the new trim will truly take off is something that Ford will have to watch out for.

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“That was proven when Montego received the highest overall score in AutoPacific’s 2006 ‘Ideal Vehicle Award,’ which recognizes the vehicle that most closely meets its customer’s expectations. Mercury prides itself on understanding its customers and giving them everything they want and need in their vehicles, a tradition that will continue with the new Sable.”

If Montego drivers love their car, why would Ford even think about renaming the sedan? The Sable name today maintains an impressive 60 percent consumer awareness level. With the new 2008-model, Sable will offer the same differentiation that already is proving to be a success in the marketplace with the Mercury Mariner and Mercury Milan. “The Mercury Mariner attracts more new customers today to Ford and Lincoln Mercury than any other nameplate, except the Ford Mustang. And about half of Mercury Milan customers are women,” said Cisco Codina, Ford’s group vice president of North America Marketing, Sales and Service.

The new Sable comes at a time when the brand is on a roll. Mercury brand as a whole just leaped to the No. 2 spot in the JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study which surveys problems in vehicles after three years, making Mercury second only to Lexus. In addition, Mercury is seeing an increase in conquest sales, customers coming to Mercury from another brand, with these conquest sales reaching more than 40 percent depending on the model.

Sable’s modern look is inspired by the Mercury Milan mid-size sedan. All-new from the A-Pillar forward, the Sable features unique fenders, hood, Mercury-signature Satin Aluminum waterfall grille, front fascia and fog lamps. The clean, integrated front-end design centers on the waterfall grille projecting over the front fascia and sweeping into the sculpted hood. Sable’s distinctive LED tail lamps now feature a predominantly white lens with red accent stripes. A new rear fascia has a cutout for the chrome dual tip exhaust, a visual cue that the 2008 Sable packs a lot of power under the hood.

That power comes from a new powerful 260 horsepower (based on preliminary data), 3.5-liter V-6 engine and six-speed transmission that delivers nearly 30 percent more power than previous models. While Sable delivers more horses, engineers have worked to keep fuel efficiency similar to the previous model. Powerful and efficient, Sable’s powertrain also marks the company’s first application of a PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) V-6 engine. PZEV vehicles produce minimal air pollution and zero evaporative emissions, i.e. emissions that escape when gasoline evaporates.

Sable’s strong point has always been its SUV-like utility. Command Seating offers SUV visibility and provide easy ingress and egress for both front and rear seat passengers. A cavernous, 21.2 cubic feet of class-leading trunk space can swallow up to eight golf bags. The fold-flat, 60/40 split second row seats and the fold-flat front passenger seat work together to provide space to stow items up to nine-feet long. A two-tier clamshell center console, new for 2008, offers a large upper storage bin and a second, larger storage area that goes all the way to the vehicle floor.

All of this utility comes in a sophisticated sedan and for 2008 Mercury’s designers have upped the ante for interior styling. “Sable customers tend to have a more unique sense of style,” Conforzi said. “They have come to expect a different level of sophistication in the surface finishes and tailoring.” Engineers also replaced the Sable’s original all-wheel-drive (AWD) system with a new system that is similar to the one used in the Mercury Milan and Mariner. Complementing AWD is available AdvanceTrac electronic stability control system that monitors speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle to predict and correct wheel slip or loss of traction.

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The 2005 Mercury Montego is larger inside than its competitors, yet trim and tidy on the outside. Rear seat occupants will be especially happy, since the Montego boasts class-leading headroom and legroom. Plus, the Montego is blessed with high H-points, which refers to the pivot point of the human hip.

A high H-point makes it easy to get into and out of a vehicle. The trunk measures 21 cubic feet of cargo space, enough to carry three more golf bags than passengers. To enhance utility, the rear seat is a split folding design, and the front passenger’s seat also folds down to accommodate long items.

Loosely based upon the Volvo S80 luxury sedan, the 2005 Mercury Montego employs many Volvo design and engineering principles to keep occupants safe. The front architecture manages crash energy by deflecting it away from the passenger compartment, and the Montego’s side structure is modeled after the Volvo Side Impact Protection System (SIPS).

To differentiate the Montego from the Ford Five Hundred, stylists have employed the signature Mercury satin aluminum waterfall grille, unique front and rear bumpers, and chrome taillight bezels. High-intensity discharge (HID) headlights are standard, as are light-emitting diode (LED) taillights.

Mercury offers the 2005 Montego in Luxury and Premier trim levels. Both include two-tone interior décor with fake wood trim, a power driver’s seat, a tilt steering wheel, heated power side mirrors, remote keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, premium sound with a CD player and power windows with driver’s side one-touch up and down.

True enough, the 2005 Mercury Montego is a badge-engineered version of the Ford Five Hundred and selecting it over the car wearing the blue oval literally comes down to a matter of subjective taste. But the bottom line is that either serves as a benchmark in the family sedan class.

If the Mercury Montego proves durable over time and passes crash testing with flying colors, it could be the most formidable competitor for the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry to emerge from a domestic automaker in a very long time.

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Mercury is Ford’s entry-level luxury brand. Its products, upgraded versions of Ford vehicles, are sold alongside Ford’s luxury-level Lincoln cars and SUVs in Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. The Mariner is closely related to the Ford Escape. Ordinarily, related Ford and Mercury vehicles are revealed together. The Escape redesign will not be publicly revealed until the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

“We’ve really upped the urban clean sophisticated look of the vehicle,” said Irwin in an interview Friday. The new Mariner retains the truck-like lines of the current version, but adds harder creases and sharper lines. Headlights and taillights have a more “technological” appearance. “The 2008 Mariner is the first product to truly deliver 100 percent of the design DNA for Mercury as a brand,” said Irwin in a corporate announcement.

“Every surface was changed to make the vehicle look more substantial than the previous model,” said Doyle Letson, chief designer for the Mariner, in a corporate statement. “We wanted the new Mariner to have a presence, sophistication and attention to detail that would be more appealing to the customer.

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