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2009 Mercury Mountaineer Performance Review

February 23, 2009

PERFORMANCE | 7 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

The V-8 is pretty snooze-worthy
Cars and Driver

V-6 looks more underpowered with every passing year
Edmunds

compliant...devoid of sloppy motions
ConsumerGuide

TheCarConnection.com studied reviews of the 2009 Mercury Mountaineer’s performance, drove the new SUV, and found its performance to be predictably smooth, if not exciting. While it still drives like the truck it is based on, it's stable and responsive for something that weighs 5,000 pounds.

The Mountaineer shares its engines with the Explorer. Car and Driver says "the V-8 is tons of fun in the Mustang GT, where it feels like there's an offensive lineman on meth under the hood, but in the [Mercury] Mountaineer, it's pretty snooze-worthy," although this reviewer notes "you'll definitely be able to put it to work, with a 6960-pound tow rating in all-wheel-drive V-8." In regard to the smaller engine, Edmunds comments that the Mercury Mountaineer "210-horsepower V6 looks more underpowered with every passing year."

There are some complaints about the Mercury Mountaineer transmission; Edmunds reports that it's "a bit slow to downshift." Car and Driver elaborates: "downshifts all happen at their own pace; there's no sense in asking any of them to hurry, because the Mountaineer will just ignore you." ConsumerGuide adds "the transmission shift lever blocks easy access to some climate controls." The Mountaineer comes with rear-wheel drive standard, but there is an optional all-wheel-drive system available.

With fuel economy ratings of only 13 mpg city with the V-6 (the more efficient of the two engines) and AWD, gas mileage is thoroughly unimpressive and near the bottom of its class. Many of the newer car-based crossovers will do much better. ConsumerGuide states "an AWD V8 Mountaineer averaged 15.1 mpg."

Kelley Blue Book says the 2009 Mercury Mountaineer's "independent rear suspension provides it with great stability while cornering and the variable-rate power steering returns excellent feedback to the driver." According to Edmunds, "brakes, though adequate when it comes to stopping, have a spongy pedal feel."

Conclusion

If you don’t have unreasonable performance expectations for this type of truck, you’ll like the 2009 Mercury Mountaineer.

PERFORMANCE | 7 out of 10Expert Quotes:The V-8 is pretty snooze-worthyCars and DriverV-6 looks more underpowered with every passing yearEdmundscompliant...devoid of sloppy motionsConsumerGuide TheCarConnection.com studied reviews of the 2009 Mercury Mountaineer’s performance, drove the new SUV, and found its performance to be predictably smooth, if not exciting. While it still drives like the truck it is based on, it's stable and responsive for something that weighs 5,000 pounds. The Mountaineer shares its engines with the Explorer. Car and Driver says "the V-8 is tons of fun in the Mustang GT, where it feels like there's an offensive lineman on meth under the hood, but in the [Mercury] Mountaineer, it's pretty snooze-worthy," although this reviewer notes "you'll definitely be able to put it to work, with a 6960-pound tow rating in all-wheel-drive V-8." In regard to the smaller engine, Edmunds comments that the Mercury Mountaineer "210-horsepower V6 looks more underpowered with every passing year." There are some complaints about the Mercury Mountaineer transmission; Edmunds reports that it's "a bit slow to downshift." Car and Driver elaborates: "downshifts all happen at their own pace; there's no sense in asking any of them to hurry, because the Mountaineer will just ignore you." ConsumerGuide adds "the transmission shift lever blocks easy access to some climate controls." The Mountaineer comes with rear-wheel drive standard, but there is an optional all-wheel-drive system available. With fuel economy ratings of only 13 mpg city with the V-6 (the more efficient of the two engines) and AWD, gas mileage is thoroughly unimpressive and near the bottom of its class. Many of the newer car-based crossovers will do much better. ConsumerGuide states "an AWD V8 Mountaineer averaged 15.1 mpg." Kelley Blue Book says the 2009 Mercury Mountaineer's "independent rear suspension provides it with great stability while cornering and the variable-rate power steering returns excellent feedback to the driver." According to Edmunds, "brakes, though adequate when it comes to stopping, have a spongy pedal feel." ConclusionIf you don’t have unreasonable performance expectations for this type of truck, you’ll like the 2009 Mercury Mountaineer. 2009 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER STYLING | [8 out of 10] Cars and Driver: "Explorer styling looks perhaps too familiar" Kelley Blue Book: "interior is beautifully arranged, with high-quality plastics and an intelligent dash design” MotherProof: "elicits big wows everywhere we go" The 2009 ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

Data indicates that Mercury drivers are using Mountaineers as car and/or minivan substitutes, not as truck alternatives, and in that respect, there are more efficient people movers. For instance, Ford’s own carlike Edge crossover and its Lincoln sibling, the MKX, have better passenger comfort while offering comparable cargo versatility. So does the Honda Pilot, which has a little more truck toughness but still shows its car roots—and the Pilot will seat up to eight. But for those who still look to a vehicle like this for off-road ability, the Toyota 4Runner might be a better choice. Its interior is less spacious, but it can be equipped especially well for off-roading. And for those who tow regularly, the GMC Envoy is another alternative, though it doesn’t measure up to any of the other vehicles in terms of ride comfort, noise, or performance.

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See the Mercury Mountaineer in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997

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