2005 Mercury Mountaineer Test Drive

This Mountaineer's Aiming for the Top

In loading the Mountaineer up with more options than its bigger-selling twin, the Ford Explorer, Mercury has come up with one of the most refined SUVs in its class.

Take the Mercury Mountaineer, which of course was based on one of the best-selling cars ever, the Ford Explorer. In the wake of the Firestone tire scandal, Ford Motor lost legions of sales -- and then Chevy came out with its winning Trailblazer, which stole even more of Ford's thunder.

To distinguish the new Explorer/Mountaineer, Ford made the interior bigger, with a third row of seats for seven-passenger capacity in each -- for 2002 General Motors will offer a Trailblazer EXT that will also have seven-passenger seating, but the 2001 Trailblazer did not have this option -- and added significant upgrades to the rear suspension. So there's a refinement to the ride that previous midsize SUVs lacked.

But Mercury is also aiming to make the Mountaineer more upscale than the veteran Explorer. While there's no difference in engines between the two, it made sure the Mountaineer gets a host of options that one would normally associate with a luxury car, such as auto-dimming side-view and rearview mirrors, dual climate control, side curtain airbags, seat heaters and platinum trim pieces.

Of course, this luxury trim translates into a higher sticker price as well -- depending on which package you go for, the price difference can be as much as $1,000 to $6,000 more.

Still, no matter how many bells and whistles you choose, the Mountaineer has to fend off stiff competition, not only from the Trailblazer but also from Toyota's excellent Highlander. And given that our loaded test Mountaineer came in at $37,095 (the MSRP is $30,610), even Acura's MDX bears examination. Can the Mercury keep up? It's a good question.