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Because of consumer interest, Mercury’s Mariner Hybrid SUV is going on sale a year earlier than planned. It is rated at 33 miles per gallon in the city and 29 on the highway.

Built in Ford’s assembly plant in Claycomo, the gas/electric hybrid’s price starts at $29,840. Loaded models will sell for less than $35,000. Only 2,000 will be built for 2006, but output will grow to 4,000 annually. Except for discreet Hybrid badging, it is difficult to distinguish the Mariner Hybrid from the regular model.

The Claycomo plant also builds about 20,000 Ford Escape Hybrids each year. The Escape Hybrid was named the 2005 North American Truck of the Year.

The Mariner Hybrid is equipped with all-wheel drive, four-wheel disc brakes, power driver seat and AM/FM/CD player. Options include a navigation system, heated leather seats, power sunroof, upgraded stereo and side-curtain airbags.

Mechanically, the Mariner and Escape hybrids are basically identical. The powertrain consists of a 2.3-liter, Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder gasoline engine with a 70-kilowatt permanent-magnet traction electric motor, regenerative braking and a 330-volt battery pack. Working together, the gas engine and electric motor provide performance on par with a V-6. The hybrid never has to be plugged in. Its batteries are recharged by the engine, by the electric motor and by heat recovered as energy during braking.

The battery pack is located under the cargo floor and doesn’t materially reduce the cargo capacity. It contains 250 small batteries roughly the size of D cells mounted in series. The pack is designed to last for the life of the vehicle, or about 150,000 miles.

Ford’s approach to the gas-electric hybrid system is unique. Company engineers developed all of the software, or “intelligence,” to manage the complicated flow of power from engine to motor to brakes to battery. The software and computerized controllers that make everything work effectively are the key to a hybrid.

The Mariner is a full hybrid because it can move solely via electric motor up to 25 miles per hour. At rest, the gasoline engine stops. It restarts in milliseconds when you touch the throttle. The electric motor is the initial source of propulsion from a stop if you apply the throttle gently. The electric motor is built into the CVT, or continuously variable transmission. The CVT is a stepless automatic that doesn’t shift but changes gear ratios electronically.

The Mariner is designed so that it uses electric power for starting as often as possible. That’s why the city fuel economy is better than the highway estimate. The gasoline engine is the primary source of power on the highway in addition to adding power for acceleration, charging the batteries and powering the air conditioning.

If you mash the throttle for maximum acceleration, power comes from both the gasoline engine and electric motor.

An LCD screen on the dash provides readouts for the hybrid power system, audio system and navigation map. Keen drivers will use this screen to improve mileage and to watch how the power is flowing at any instant.

The gasoline engine drives the air-conditioning compressor, and that degrades mileage slightly.

Like the Escape, the Mariner Hybrid is tuned to be comfortable in the city. Its handling is more like that of a sports sedan than a little SUV. Low-rolling-resistance tires not only improve fuel mileage but also have excellent grip on the pavement.

The hybrid has less engine braking, but regenerative braking turns the electric motor into a generator each time the brakes are applied. The battery gets recharged each time the vehicle slows. Ford said it expects brake wear to be lower than normal. Service intervals for oil change and brake inspection have been extended to 10,000 miles.

I’ll have a regular test drive once models are in Ford’s press fleet.

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Engine: 2.3-liter, 133-hp 4-cyl. and 70-kw electric motor

Transmission: CVT

Wheelbase: 103.2 inches

Curb weight: 3,787 lbs.

Base price: $29,840

Mpg rating: 33 city, 29 hwy.

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Tom Strongman’s e-mail address is tstrongman@kc.rr.com.