Start with what the Mercury Meta One is: a 5-door SUV with 2.7L AJD twin-turbocharged diesel V6, built from 2005, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer.
How it came about
The Mercury Meta One was a concept car that was created by Mercury. A four-door crossover sport-utility vehicle, the Meta One made its debut at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The Meta One was notable for being the first concept vehicle designed with a PZEV diesel-hybrid powertrain.
The hardware
The engine is 2.7L AJD twin-turbocharged diesel V6. On the scales it comes to 1928 kg. Drive goes through a Ford/ZF CVT. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2868 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Kia Sportage, the Aston Martin Vantage, the Audi Q7. Its Mercury stablemates include the Mercury Bobcat and the Mercury Capri.