Data from four satellite altimeters are combined with the aim of improving the representation of the mesoscale variability in the Global Ocean. All missions [Jason‐1, ERS‐2/ENVISAT, Topex/Poseidon interleaved with Jason‐1 and Geosat Follow‐On] are cross‐calibrated previously to produce weekly gridded maps. In areas of intense variability, the rms differences between a classical configuration of two altimeters and the scenario merging four missions can reach 10 cm and 400 cm2/s2 in SLA and EKE, respectively, which represents an important percentage of the signal variance. A comparison with surface drifters shows that the four altimeter scenario improves the recovery of mesoscale structures that were not properly sampled with Jason‐1 + ERS‐2/ENVISAT. Finally, the consistency between altimetric and tide gauge data is improved by about 25% when coastal sea level is estimated with 4 satellites compared to the results obtained with 2 altimeters.