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April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/mercury_mountaineer_2002

  Marc K. Stengel
EditorMarc K. Stengel

You know and I know that the image Mercury wanted to conjure by giving the name Mountaineer to its sport-utility vehicle several years ago had everything to do with suggestions of "ascendancy," "superiority," "derring-do." From the outset, Mercury Mountaineer has been promoted as the upscale sport-ute for upscale folks whose chief transportation requirement is upward mobility.

I am no mountaineer myself, but I suspect everyone engaged in scaling steep rocks expects to fall now and again. Dragged down by its belay-partner—its nearly identical twin Ford Explorer—Mercury's Mountaineer has indeed taken a tumble since last year's Firestone tire/rollover debacle engulfed both vehicles in a public relations inferno. To make matters worse, the economy has slowed just as the next generation 2002 Explorers and Mountaineers are hitting showrooms this spring. Demand for any vehicle almost always softens just before it's about to be replaced with a significantly revised version.

But can that tendency account for all of Mountaineer's discouraging slide in sales? According to Automotive News, Mercury sold 40 percent fewer Mountaineers in the first quarter of this year compared with the first quarter of 2000. (Explorer sales are likewise down about 25 percent.) In these circumstances, last week's recall of 56,000 Mountaineers and Explorers to repair brackets that might shatter the rear "liftglass" hatch is fully consistent with that other notorious hazard of mountaineering, the avalanche.

Yes, Mercury's Mountaineer is in a fall; but it is not a free-fall. The ropes will hold. And as more people become familiar with the changes and improvements to this vehicle—some of them positively dramatic—it's fairly certain that the Mountaineer/Explorer duo will climb back into public esteem and even fortify its status as the best-selling sport-utility vehicle platform in the world.

Serendipity and change

An interesting serendipity lies beneath the major and minor changes embodied in this new Mountaineer. Take four-wheel independent suspension, for example. Sure, for enthusiasts it's a performance feature, since it improves handling significantly. Commuters and carpoolers probably don't much care. But they should. It's thanks in part to the compact dimensions of the new independent rear suspension that rear seat legroom grows by an inch and shoulder room by almost 2 1/2 inches. Then, with no beam axle to contend with, designers were also able to lower the Mountaineer's floor enough to accommodate a hidden third-row bench seat that pops up like a jack-in-the-box to seat two adults. Despite the lowered floor, independent suspension geometry also allows an inch more ground clearance than before (to 9 inches). So this one important suspension change that most people may not even notice makes possible the Mountaineer's seating for seven, roomier passenger space, and better off-road capability.

You know and I know that the image Mercury wanted to conjure by giving the name Mountaineer to its sport-utility vehicle several years ago had everything to do with suggestions of "ascendancy," "superiority," "derring-do." From the outset, Mercury Mountaineer has been promoted as the upscale sport-ute for upscale folks whose chief transportation requirement is upward mobility. I am no mountaineer myself, but I suspect everyone engaged in scaling steep rocks expects to fall now and again. Dragged down by its belay-partner—its nearly identical twin Ford Explorer—Mercury's Mountaineer has indeed taken a tumble since last year's Firestone tire/rollover debacle engulfed both vehicles in a public relations inferno. To make matters worse, the economy has slowed just as the next generation 2002 Explorers and Mountaineers are hitting showrooms this spring. Demand for any vehicle almost always softens just before it's about to be replaced with a significantly revised version. But can that tendency account for all of Mountaineer's discouraging slide in sales? According to Automotive News, Mercury sold 40 percent fewer Mountaineers in the first quarter of this year compared with the first quarter of 2000. (Explorer sales are likewise down about 25 percent.) In these circumstances, last week's recall of 56,000 Mountaineers and Explorers to repair brackets that might shatter the rear "liftglass" hatch is fully consistent with that other notorious hazard of mountaineering, the avalanche. Yes, Mercury's Mountaineer is in a fall; but it is not a free-fall. The ropes will hold. And as more people become familiar with the changes and improvements to this vehicle—some of them positively dramatic—it's fairly certain that the Mountaineer/Explorer duo will climb back into public esteem and even fortify its status as the best-selling sport-utility vehicle platform in the world. Serendipity and change An interesting serendipity lies beneath the major and minor changes embodied in this new Mountaineer. Take four-wheel independent suspension, for example. Sure, for enthusiasts it's a performance feature, since it improves handling significantly. Commuters and carpoolers probably don't much care. But they should. It's thanks in part to the compact dimensions of the new independent rear suspension that rear seat legroom grows by an inch and shoulder room by almost 2 1/2 inches. Then, with no beam axle to contend with, designers were also able to lower the Mountaineer's floor enough to accommodate a hidden third-row bench seat that pops up like a jack-in-the-box to seat two adults. Despite the lowered floor, independent suspension geometry also allows an inch more ground clearance than before (to 9 inches). So this one important suspension change that most people may not even notice makes possible the Mountaineer's seating for seven, roomier passenger space, and better off-road capability. You know and I know that the image Mercury wanted to conjure by giving the name Mountaineer to its sport-utility vehicle several years ago had everything to do with suggestions of "ascendancy," "superiority," "derring-do." From the outset, Mercury Mountaineer has been promoted as the ...