The Mercury Mountaineer was a mid-size luxury SUV sold from 1997 to 2010. Mercury’s first SUV, it was the division’s counterpart of the Ford Explorer, positioned above it and between it and the Lincoln Aviator, and was built in Kentucky and Missouri.
Mercury Mountaineer at a glance
| Production | 1997–2010 model years |
|---|---|
| Class | mid-size luxury SUV |
| Based on | Ford Explorer |
| Generations | three |
| Body | five-door wagon only |
| Launch | early 1997 model, production from April 1996 |
| Plants | Louisville, Kentucky; St. Louis, Missouri before 2007 |
| Position | above the Explorer, below the Lincoln Aviator |
| Sales rank | third-best-selling Mercury behind the Sable and Grand Marquis |
| End | after the 2010 model year |
The article is based on one source, the English Wikipedia page on the Mountaineer; the material describes the first generation in most detail, so the later cars are summarised.
History of the Mercury Mountaineer
The luxury SUV race
For 1991 General Motors introduced the Oldsmobile Bravada, a mid-size SUV derived from the five-door Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and the first SUV from a premium brand. Oldsmobile fitted it with permanent all-wheel drive instead of a part-time four-wheel-drive system and a monochrome exterior, aiming at the Range Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser while undercutting them. Chrysler and Ford replied for 1993: Jeep revived the Grand Wagoneer as a flagship Grand Cherokee, and Ford added the Explorer Limited as its flagship trim, with a monochromatic exterior, body-colour bumpers and exclusive wheels, aimed at on-road driving rather than the outdoors-themed Eddie Bauer. As the decade went on the segment filled with rebadged rivals such as the Acura SLX, Infiniti QX4 and Lexus LX450.
Ford Motor Company wanted SUVs for its Lincoln-Mercury division and, to minimise overlap, gave Mercury a version of the mid-size Explorer while the first Lincoln SUV was derived from the full-size Expedition. The result was the Mercury Mountaineer, an early 1997 model that entered production in April 1996.
The first generation
The first Mountaineer fell short of Lincoln-Mercury sales projections but still outsold the Oldsmobile Bravada by a wide margin and became the third-best-selling Mercury after the Sable and Grand Marquis. Like the Explorer Limited, it was offered only as a five-door wagon, with no counterpart to the three-door Explorer Sport or the Explorer Sport Trac pickup. At launch it looked closest to the two-tone Explorer XLT but was equipped between the Explorer Eddie Bauer and Explorer Limited. Alongside the Mercury waterfall grille, styled like the Grand Marquis and not recessed, the Mountaineer had a distinct dark-grey lower body colour scheme with painted bumpers, and its tailgate and rear bumper with fog lamps came from the European-export version of the Explorer.
Later generations and the end
Across its three generations the Mountaineer remained a five-door wagon, sold above the Explorer and ultimately replacing the Lincoln Aviator in the Lincoln-Mercury showroom. For its entire production it was assembled by Ford at Louisville Assembly in Kentucky, with additional production from St. Louis Assembly in Hazelwood, Missouri before 2007. After the 2010 model year the Mountaineer was discontinued, becoming the second Mercury line, after the Sable, to be dropped before the brand itself was withdrawn at the end of 2010.
Design and features
- Mercury’s first SUV: the division had no sport utility vehicle before 1997.
- Explorer base: a luxury version of the Ford Explorer, sold above it in the range.
- Waterfall grille: Mercury’s own front end, with a dark-grey lower body.
- Explorer exports parts: the tailgate and rear bumper came from the European Explorer.
- Five doors only: no short-wheelbase or pickup versions.
Mercury Mountaineer versions
- Mountaineer (1997–2001): the first generation, launched in April 1996.
- Mountaineer (2002–2005): the second generation on the redesigned Explorer.
- Mountaineer (2006–2010): the third and final generation.
- Lincoln Aviator: the related Lincoln SUV that the Mountaineer ultimately replaced in the showroom.
The Mountaineer was the larger brother of the Mariner and shared its showroom with the Grand Marquis. More cars are in the Mercury collection.
Video: 2005 Mercury Mountaineer Premier Quick Start, and Tour
Video by Saabkyle04 on YouTube.
Sources
- Mercury Mountaineer, English Wikipedia: background, first generation, styling, plants and the end of production
