Before the Mountaineer arrived in 1996 as a ‘97 model, Mercury had zip on the SUV shelf. Executives there complained that not having one was costing the division customers on the showroom floor. So Ford relented and gave its neglected upmarket cousin an Explorer fitted with Mercury badges, a comblike chrome grille, and restyled bumpers. It was a sure thing, right? How were people to resist those alluring add-ons?

Somehow they did, and Mercury dealers saw their long-awaited Mountaineer sell at a snail’s pace compared with the Explorer.

So when FoMoCo redesigned the Explorer and Mountaineer for 2002, it got more serious about differentiating the two. Instead of just rebadging an Explorer, Mercury designers actually did some work. The Mountaineer got a stylishly bold and machined look, compared with the Explorer’s conservative and, by then, well- known appearance. Finally, the two looked different.

There were differences under the skin, too. Both received unique shock valving and tires, and the Mountaineer got sole use of a full-time all- wheel-drive system. And each received a different interior, with the Mercury’s reflecting its futuristic exterior with lots of aluminum like trim and white-face gauges.

Differences aside, there’s no denying the vehicles’ strong relationship—they still share chassis, powertrains, and just about every other major component. They also share major improvements over their predecessors, including a fully boxed frame, an independent rear suspension, three-row seating, rack-and- pinion steering, a new V-8 engine, and a five-speed automatic transmission.

The Mountaineer had everything an Explorer has, plus an all-wheel-drive system with no low range, an ideal feature to test during a Michigan winter. We liked the techno-styling, and we were curious to see if we’d still like it after 40,000 miles.

Winnipeg Used Autos
Manitoba Auto Dealers
http://winnipegusedautos.com/

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