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October 11, 2005
Mercury Mariner's Online Hybrid Driving Simulation
Haven't had the chance to drive a hybrid and see the way cool info screen that shows you when you're using gas and when you're driving in stealth mode?
At their microsite for the Mariner Hybrid, Mercury has a three level driving game, called MyDrive, where you pull a Mariner out of a garage and drive down streets, trying to optimize fuel economy.
There are a couple cool features that deserve mention -- when the game starts, it opens to an interactive image of the Mariner Hybrid, with hot spots, that you can mouseover to learn how the gass-electric powertrain works.
Inside the game, there's a "tips" link that will give you popup ideas on how to drive a hybrid for maximum efficiency.
Also, there's realism. The first couple times I tried it, when I was driving slow, rear gunners came up behind my Mariner and were actually tailgating! And when you run a stop sign or red light by "accident," a cop siren sounds off.
Finally, after driving through the game responsibly [filed under work-related research] I decided to drive the Mariner like an obnoxious SUV operator -- and got it up to 75 miles an hour, running stop signs, ignoring the sirens and getting in my own shot at riding up someone else's tailpipe. To get into character, I imagined I was late for a manicure.
Posted by Frank at October 11, 2005 11:58 AM | Filed under Auto News