For 2008, its fourth year in production, the Mercury Mariner compact SUV received a major overhaul, both inside and out. Exterior features include a more prominent satin-aluminum grille, a revamped front end, new headlights and taillights, new side panels, and a redesigned rear bumper.

Interior improvements include a new dash and console, as well as ice blue interior lighting, satin-pewter and chrome trim, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, available two-toned leather-trimmed seats, and an MP3 audio input jack for the stereo system. Also new is Electric Power Assisted steering.

The 2008 Mercury Mariner is available with a choice of engines and trim packages, as well as with available all-wheel-drive. The standard powerplant is a 2.3-liter inline-four engine that produces 153 horsepower, though for only about $1,000 more you can have the 3.0-liter V6 that produces a more respectable 200 horsepower. A Mariner hybrid is also available. A four-speed electronic automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

Mercury's optional Intelligent 4WD System monitors traction 200 times per second and automatically determines exactly how much torque to send to the rear wheels to minimize slip, according to the automaker.