- suv 129,085
- Houston, TX
- 5 years
- autoshopper.com
- suv 129,085 gasoline brown automatic
2008 mercury mountaineer review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Traditional suv hauls seven, pulls trailers. introductionthe mercury mountaineer is a traditional sport-utility vehicle. Essentially the mercury version of the ford explorer, the mountaineer is based on a truck chassis for improved towing and hauling capability. The dash is trim and elegant and clearly communicates essential information. Multi-adjustable front seats make for comfortable commutes. Passengers consigned to the third-row seats enjoy more legroom than their counterparts in other, seven-passenger suvs in the class. The second- and third-row seats fold down to reveal a useful rear cargo area. The v8 is better on both counts. Mountaineer handles fairly well for a truck-based suv, but is not as agile as many of the new generation of crossover suvs. With either engine, fuel economy is also generally less than in most crossovers. Two trim levels are offered, base and premier. Base models come with five-passenger seating using two seating rows; premier models add a third-row seat for seven-passenger capacity. Second-row bucket seats are available in place of the bench seat for six-passenger seating. two powertrains are available: a 210-horsepower v6 and five-speed automatic transmission and a 292-hp v8 with six-speed automatic. Base models are available only with the v6 and five-speed automatic. The v8 and six-speed automatic are optional for premier. The available all-wheel drive system can be driven on dry pavement and includes low-range gearing. the mountaineer 2wd 26,050) and awd 28,345) come with cloth upholstery; air conditioning; six-way power driver seat'; leather-wrapped, tilt steering wheel with audio and climate controls; am/fm/cd/mp3 stereo with auxiliary input jack; cruise control; power windows, heated outside mirrors and keyless remote central locking; trip computer; fog lights; class ii towing package; auto on/off headlights; roof rails; rear cargo management system; and p245/65r17 all-terrain tires on machined aluminum wheels. Later in the model year the base model also gets ford's new capless fueling system. options include a third row seat package 1495) that includes a 50/50 split third-row bench seat, a 60/40 split second-row bench with reclining seatbacks and auxiliary climate controls for the rear passengers; second-row bucket seats 795); a comfort package 1395) that has leather upholstery, heated front seats, 10-way power driver's seat, six-way power passenger seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, and memory for the driver's seat; a moon and tune elite package 895) with power moonroof with sunshade, audiophile am/fm stereo with six-disc cd changer and seven speakers, and sirius satellite radio; power adjustable pedals 195); roof rail crossbars 115); fixed color-keyed running boards 495); and a class iii towing package 275); and rear obstacle detection 295). the premier model is offered with 2wd and the v6 28,150), awd and the v6 30,445), 2wd and the v8 (29,445) or awd and the v8 31,740). Sync is a hands free communication and entertainment system that works with cell phones and mp3 players. safety features fitted on all mountaineers include dual-stage front airbags, torso-protecting front side airbags, and head-protecting side curtain airbags for the first and second rows. The curtain airbags have a sensor to activate in a rollover. Also standard are a tire-pressure monitor, antilock brakes with brake assist, traction control, and electronic stability control with rollover mitigation. Available as an option is rear obstacle detection. walkaroundthe mercury mountaineer shares much of its exterior design with the ford explorer. The design is highlighted by mercury's trademark waterfall grille, with free-standing, vertical bars and a robust mercury emblem front and center. The grille is flanked by large headlights that are an offbeat mix of curving lines and sharp angles. The front bumper holds rectangular fog lamps, a sectioned lower air intake and a satin-finish aluminum cross bar running the width of the grille. Fenders wear the same, edgy, machined-metal look. the side view shows cladding over the lower door panels. A wide c-pillar separates the rear side doors from the rear quarter windows. the optional power running boards tuck away beneath the rocker panels, extending only when the doors are open. We didn't care for them. They made a clunking noise when deploying or retracting. We also had to wonder about their long-term durability and whether they could get damaged in rugged terrain. the standard 17-inch and optional 18-inch wheels feature designs exclusive to mercury. Large 20-inch wheels will be offered later in the model year. at the back, the liftgate is a two-piece affair, with the glass hinged separately. The taillights wear clear lenses, with the requisite red glow appearing when brakes are applied or running lights turned on. interiorthe mountaineer gauges show only the essentials (speedometer, tachometer, fuel and coolant) organized within a recessed pod surrounded by a satin-finish, metallic ring. It's a simple arrangement, but given the mountaineer's workhorse capabilities, as evidenced by the v8's 7220-pound tow rating, we'd like to see gauges for oil temperature and voltage. The dash is clean, though, with attractive, low-key, metallic accents. The materials are generally nice, though there are some plastics that smack of cost-cutting. the stereo and climate controls in the center stack have large, finger-friendly buttons with or without the optional navigation system. The results here are mixed. That's not true of all navigation systems, including those from mercedes. The navigation system screen could be larger, but the information it provides is adequate and accuracy is above average. On the other hand, with the navigation system and satellite radio, the mountaineer, like other ford products, has a competitive advantage. Overall, passenger roominess is competitive for the class. However, the mountaineer doesn't have nearly as much second-row hiproom as the envoy and pathfinder do. The middle-row bench seat has full seatbelts for three but head restraints for only the outboard passengers. the third-row seats in the mountaineer are significantly roomier than those in the competition', with nearly three inches more legroom than envoy and more than six inches over the pathfinder. Headroom and hiproom are comparable. The third row is a bench seat with minimal padding and fixed-height head restraints, which loom large in the back window; they do collapse, but only by tugging a loop hanging out the backside. Much better are the optional third-ro.
Houston, TXHouston, TX 5 years at autoshopper.com