1997 Mercury Mountaineer Review

It sure took Ford Motor Co. long enough to get around to giving its Lincoln-Mercury dealers the new Mercury Mountaineer sport/utility vehicle.

The Explorer has been the hottest sport/utility for years. Last year, it even outsold the Ford Taurus--the top-selling 1995 auto--with sales of about 400,000 units.

But all L-M dealers could do was stand there with an envious look because they had a bunch of luxury cars and nothing remotely resembling a sport/ute to sell.

And those dealers had to do the standing while an increasing number of luxury car buyers were switching to big sport/utilities, such as the Explorer.

L-M dealers can sigh now and say that ``all's well that ends well''--if they can manage to forget the small fortunes they lost while patiently waiting for their own sport/ute.

Thankfully for them, the four-door Mountaineer has arrived while the sport/utility market continues to boom--although larger sport/utes get lousy fuel economy and the price of gasoline has shot up in recent months.

However, the Mountaineer, which I recently tested, has lots more competition; even Lexus and Acura offer new luxury sport/utes.

This is an upscale sport/ute, which means it isn't cheap. The new Mercury has a $27,240 base price with two-wheel drive, and stickers at $29,240 with a fully automatic all-wheel-drive system.

The hands-off system doesn't require a driver to shift in or out of four-wheel-drive mode, but has no low-range gearset or locking differential for serious off-road driving--which virtually no luxury sport/ute owners do.

Both Mountaineer models weigh more than 4,000 pounds, with the heavier all-wheel-drive version checking in at a really hefty 4,396 pounds.

No wonder fuel economy is only an EPA-estimated 14 m.p.g. in the city and 18 on highways, even though the Mountaineer has an efficient four-speed automatic overdrive transmission.

But, as we said, those wanting good fuel economy from a sport/ute should get something like a small four-cylinder Geo Tracker or Toyota RAV4, which both could practically be parked in the Mountaineer's giant interior.

Moreover, the Mountaineer doesn't have a wimpy four-cylinder like the Tracker or RAV4; it's got a muscular 5-liter V-8, which generates 210 solid horsepower and gobs of torque. You can tow up to 6,700 pounds, and the exhaust has a nice gurgle.

Working with the smooth automatic, the V-8 whisks the Mountaineer from 0-60 m.p.h. in nine seconds. That's really moving for a big sport/ute. The motor is a modified pushrod V-8 from the old hot-rod Mustang GT, so it's a snap to merge into fast traffic or breeze past trucks on highways.

L-M said it is aiming the vehicle at customers 35-to-49 years of age with a $70,000 median income. With its emphasis on style, security and car-like comfort, the Mountaineer is expected to get at least half its sales from women.

Standard are dual air bags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, speed control, rear-window wiper/washer/defroster, AM/FM/cassette, split-folding rear seat and power windows, mirrors and locks. Major options include $955 for a package with leather upholstery and power driver's seat, $830 for an upgraded sound system and $200 for two integrated child seats. An anti-theft package with an electronic key pad for keyless entry is $370.

The Mountaineer is a very thinly disguised Ford Explorer V-8, with only a different grille, two-tone paint, seat trim, wheel inserts, bodyside moldings and a rear bumper with reflectors--borrowed from the European-market export version of the Explorer. There's different badging, of course, and you get a leather-wrapped steering wheel and fog lights.

The Mountaineer has running boards to make it easier for those thirty-something and older buyers to enter and leave.

The ride generally is good, but the Mountaineer sometimes rides like a truck because, after all, it is a truck. Thanks to the Explorer's relatively new, vastly improved front suspension, the Mountaineer steers and handles well, and braking is good.

It's still a mystery to some why many luxury car buyers are bypassing luxury sedans for sport/utility trucks. Is sitting up higher in a sport/ute really all that big a deal?

I'd take a comfortable-riding Lincoln Continental or Town Car or big Mercury Grand Marquis sedan instead of a Mountaineer any day. But if you must have a sport/ute, the Mountaineer is a pretty good one.