Road Test: 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
Our fondness for the Mercury Mountaineer grew over time as the luxury-oriented sport/ute proved a trusted daily steed and capable weekend escape vehicle. Far from love at first sight, our admiration for the rebadged Ford Explorer increased over the year we spent with it.We immediately appreciated its clean, conservative styling, above-the-crowd view of the road, torquey V-8, comfortable leather-clad seats, confidence-inspiring steering feel, and cargo-carrying versatility. However, the reason our affection required time to grow is that, after hopping into the Mountaineer from competitive vehicles, our assessments were less than glowing. Such back-to-back comparisons made evident its rougher ride, louder tire and wind noise, pitifully low cornering traction, gluttonous fuel usage, tight rear-seat room, less than pleasing ergonomics, and ineffective tires for off-road situations. And we swooned at its towering window sticker. Still, these gripes faded with time behind the wheel.
"This is a pretty good vehicle," summed up one editor after a long drive. "Not outstanding, but very competent. I've grown to have warm affection-but not love!-for this truck." Almost universally, the Mountaineer owners we surveyed reported far more positive feelings.
"I passionately love everything about my Mountaineer," said a 51-year-old businessman from Colorado. "It's the best vehicle I've ever owned."
The Mountaineer debuted in early '96 as a '97 model, designed to provide Lincoln-Mercury dealers with a ticket on the sport/utility vehicle gravy train. Cynics called the Mountaineer a Ford Explorer XLT V-8 with a Mercury grille and a few interior embellishments. They were correct: There were no functional differences between Mountaineer and Explorer. The Mercury came only with Ford's venerable 5.0-liter/210-horse OHV V-8 coupled to a four-speed automatic. Rear drive was standard, though the optional all-wheel drive was chosen for our tester.
This system features a 35/65 front/rear torque split under normal conditions, but when wheelspin on either end is sensed, its viscous center differential transfers power to the axle with the best traction. All '97 Mountaineers boasted a huge 6500-pound maximum towing rating. For '98, the Mountaineer got a light exterior freshening and a 4.0-liter/205-horse SOHC V-6 became the base powerplant.
Our long-termer began with a heady $29,240 base price, and rose from there in a near-ballistic trajectory. The "preferred equipment package," which included running boards, luggage rack, and an overhead storage console, raised the ante by a stout $2550. Other big-ticket options included power moonroof ($800), upscale JBL sound system ($830), leather seating surfaces ($655), and multi-disc CD changer ($370), totalling a whopping $35,360. A "special added discount" chopped the bottom line to $34,220. Even so, the Mountaineer is within the price range of more appealing choices like the Toyota 4Runner or Ford Expedition, as well as non-SUV alternatives like the Chrysler Town & Country minivan and Volvo V70 AWD XC, which more-than-ably fill the same luxury station wagon role as the Mountaineer.
Our survey respondents showed more restraint on the options checklist, paying an average of just over $30,000. This group was equally split between male and female, with an average age of just over 50. More than half reported household income of $80,000 with 25 percent saying they made more than $125,000.Top reasons from our survey respondents for choosing a Mountaineer were its V-8 power and attractive styling. Also ranking high were its American nameplate, and the fact that they'd previously owned a Ford vehicle, with 22 percent having owned an Explorer. A large 97 percent said they'd recommend a Mountaineer, while 95 percent said they'd buy another Mountaineer.
"I've never been more satisfied with a vehicle; I have no complaints at all," said a 50-year-old administrative assistant from New York.
"I first purchased a Ford in 1939, a '35 Ford truck," said a 77-year-old Ohio retiree who also listed a number of Ford and Mercury trucks and station wagons he'd owned. "I guess you could say I'm a Ford man."
Owners' complaints centered on poor fuel mileage, lack of rear seat room, stingy front legroom, small cargo capacity, and stiff-legged ride. The logbook in our tester held constrained praise, tempered by a variety of complaints.
"It's far from perfect or exciting, but it's very livable," said one editor. "But its tires suck: No grip and lots of squeal."
As Motor Trend's unofficial outdoor editor, I took the Mountaineer on excursions to California's central coast in pursuit of the wary wild turkey. Folding the Mercury's rear seat flat, I pressed the upscale sport/ute into service as a camper: With a good backpacking mattress, it was comfortable sleeping. Still, the street-oriented Firestone Radial ATX 235/70SR15 tires that offered grip neither on nor off-road and lack of low-range gearing made steep descents on El Nino-saturated ranch paths more exciting than necessary. Also, the climb back to camp demanded a quicker, earth-damaging pace than low-range would allow. Though I never got stuck, the Mountaineer's AWD is better suited to scaling a snowy ski lodge driveway than even modest off-roading.
"The Mountaineer's AWD serves nobody," said another editor. Still, rock-hopping and mud-slinging aren't pastimes of Mountaineer owners: 86 percent said they never drive on dirt trails, while more than half claimed to never even venture off pavement onto gravel roads.
The Mountaineer's pushrod V-8 propelled it to a respectable 9.1-second 0-60-mph time. It's good the Mountaineer has potent stopping power (illustrated by a very respectable 127-foot 60-0-mph performance) because owners will have to count on halting before any road hazard: Cornering power, as revealed by our skidpad test, was an abysmal 0.65 g, and the Mountaineer managed a modest 57.6-mph effort through our slalom cones.
As Motor Trend's unofficial outdoor editor, I took the Mountaineer on excursions to California's central coast in pursuit of the wary wild turkey. Folding the Mercury's rear seat flat, I pressed the upscale sport/ute into service as a camper: With a good backpacking mattress, it was comfortable sleeping. Still, the street-oriented Firestone Radial ATX 235/70SR15 tires that offered grip neither on nor off-road and lack of low-range gearing made steep descents on El Nino-saturated ranch paths more exciting than necessary. Also, the climb back to camp demanded a quicker, earth-damaging pace than low-range would allow. Though I never got stuck, the Mountaineer's AWD is better suited to scaling a snowy ski lodge driveway than even modest off-roading.
"The Mountaineer's AWD serves nobody," said another editor. Still, rock-hopping and mud-slinging aren't pastimes of Mountaineer owners: 86 percent said they never drive on dirt trails, while more than half claimed to never even venture off pavement onto gravel roads.
The Mountaineer's pushrod V-8 propelled it to a respectable 9.1-second 0-60-mph time. It's good the Mountaineer has potent stopping power (illustrated by a very respectable 127-foot 60-0-mph performance) because owners will have to count on halting before any road hazard: Cornering power, as revealed by our skidpad test, was an abysmal 0.65 g, and the Mountaineer managed a modest 57.6-mph effort through our slalom cones.
The '97 Mountaineer suffered two safety recalls-liftgate bracket welds and PCV system-and was the subject of a moderately high 43 technical service bulletins. Subjects often cited were leaks, rattles, vibrations, and wind noise.Our Mountaineer required nothing more than routine maintenance, consistent with the experience of most surveyed owners. The 16 percent of owners who suffered significant problems with their Mountaineer reported brakes, peeling paint, and the recalled tailgate mechanism among their gremlins.
Our tester was incline-sensitive when accepting fuel: The difference between a slight nose-up angle and level could be 3 gallons and 50 or so miles of fuel range. One editor got as many as 340 miles on a tankful. But if the stint included a lot of city driving or if the previous gas station was uphill, it wasn't unusual to be in dire need of fuel after just 250 miles. Our surveyed drivers reported fuel mileage of 15.8 mpg. While overall we recorded 13.8 mpg, on individual tanks we got as little as 12.3 mpg and as much as 17.4 mpg.
During our year with the Mountaineer, we found it a loyal and competent, but not outstanding, servant. Though we felt there are more appealing choices that cost little or no more, this mid-size Mercury sport/ute is roundly appreciated by those who own one.