2004 Mercury Mountaineer

Just as its name implies, the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer is a true sport when it comes to steep hills and rocky surfaces.

May 1, 2004

Choosing an SUV sometimes seems more a matter of choosing which name you'd like to use to describe yourself rather than a conscious measure of the various components that actually make up the vehicle. Are you an Explorer or a TrailBlazer? Maybe you'd rather be an Envoy, sort of mysterious and spy-like, or would you like to be, as Mercury hopes, a Mountaineer? The reality is that like their owners, none of these SUVs will probably ever do any real trailblazing, exploring or mountaineering, aside from finding a new route to the Hilltop Soccer Complex.

Some boaters, though, do use their SUVs for more than ferrying tykes with spotted balls. You may not drive the Rubicon, but you do tow your ski boat to and from the lake a few dozen times a year and even make a camping trip or two, so your SUV has to deliver the goods as both a work truck and a luxury family ride. Mercury's Mountaineer, the Ford Explorer's upscale cousin, fits the bill.

Mercury has always been, theoretically, the step between the blue-collared Fords and the white-tied and -tailed Lincolns, but lately it's been overlooked, due to the success of the Ford and Lincoln SUVs, from the Escape to the Navigator. Part of the problem, at least in the Mountaineer's case, is that there's not much to differentiate it, physically, from the better-known Explorer. These two vehicles share practically everything, from styling (good) to power train (very good). They're not identical, but very, very similar.

The Mountaineer's body is ever so slightly more angular, giving it a bit more of an upscale air. A lack of contrasting body parts also contributes to the ritzy look. Climb inside, and the Mountaineer's Ford DNA is inescapable. That's a compliment, by the way. In a pinch, the third-row bench offers seating for three people (provided they are fairly small-statured) but folds flat when cargo space is needed.

The BW test truck is fitted with the Premier package, which ups the price to $37,660, while adding leather seats as well as a dual-zone automatic climate-control, power-adjustable pedals, an in-dash 6-CD changer, a power moon-roof and more. The test truck also has the optional second-row bucket seats ($490), rear-seat climate control ($650) and a rear-seat entertainment system with a DVD player ($1,250). The second-row buckets fold flat but leave a gap between them that negates some of the cargo flooring, so skip those. The DVD player is probably a must if you have kids, as is the rear-seat HVAC.

Under the hood is the workhorse 4.6L single overhead cam V8, matched with a 5-speed automatic transmission. Unless you plan to tow a yacht, this engine package is all you could hope for, providing 239 hp and 282 pounds/feet of torque, more than enough power for getting on the highway or climbing a steep grade. The 6,840-pound towing capacity (in the highly recommended AWD setup) is more than enough to handle a family runabout or ski boat.

How you feel about the Mountaineer's ride is entirely dependent upon whether you want an SUV to feel like a truck or a car. Built on a truck platform, the Mountaineer rides fairly stiff. If you want a soft, luxurious ride, you may want to look elsewhere. During a weeklong test, the BW drivers find that they grow to appreciate the added road feel the stiff suspension provides as well as the positive feedback through the steering wheel. Road noise is minimal for a mid-size SUV. A little more headroom for the driver would be nice for those more than 6 feet tall, but there's plenty of legroom, even in the second row seats. As a bonus, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the '04 Mountaineer a "Best Pick" rating for frontal offset crash performance.

You may not take your Mountaineer mountaineering, but the AWD gives you that ability. More importantly, it allows the Mountaineer to handle a slick or gravelly launch ramp with aplomb, seamlessly directing power to the wheels with the most traction for the best performance.

Choosing an SUV these days may be more a matter of choosing the adjective you'd like applied to yourself than choosing the SUV with the attributes that best suit your needs, but in the Mountaineer's case, you'll do well on both counts.