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2006 Mercury Mountaineer Review

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2006 Mercury Mountaineer AWD
by Paul Mazziotti

(2006-11-16)

Bland. The 2006 Mercury Mountaineer does what you'd expect it to do, haul people and cargo around in minimal luxury. Nothing more, nothing less.

CarForums.net Review of the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer AWD

Price as tested- $34,000

Exterior Upon walking up to the Mountaineer, I asked myself "Why badge it a Mercury when it's obviously a Ford Explorer Limited?" The exterior is very conservative and not in the least bit eye catching. It's easy to look at and there isn't anything objectionable to it. Interior The interior reflects upon the exterior's very conservative look. The interior is laid out rather well and most controls are in easy view and operation. The dashboard is easily read, but does require come extra effort to operate the DIC. The steering wheel feels small for a truck of this size and the directional lever is placed too high on the steering column. The model tested had steering wheels controls, but were often too difficult to use unless you drive at strictly 10-2. The interior is easy upon the eyes, and does look decent with the satin-aluminum accents. This trim level had leather seating, but no lumbar or heated seats. The 10-way power driver's seat did make for a comfortable ride and the other passengers had no complaints as far as space and comfort.
The truck came equipped with rear AC, but I couldn't figure out why the controls were at the very front of the truck and not the rear. It also bothered me every time I looked out the rear view mirror, there were wires hanging from the rear hatch. After going back to inspect them I found everything to be factory in the rear, but I also noticed one cool feature about the Mountaineer, it has a power third row folding seats. Another nifty feature of the Mountaineer is the door handles. It features a push-pull design that is guaranteed to spark conversation. Performance There is no performance to this SUV. It's slow for having a V8, corners like a wet sponge and has the thirst of a marathon runner. Observed gas mileage for 350 miles with a mix of 50/50 highway and city, was 12.3 mpg. The SUV will easily keep up with traffic on the highway, but passing at speed may take awhile, so plan ahead. The SUV did not feel stable at high speeds either, but its purpose was to never be an Autobahn racer. Corner ability is what you'd expect, slow and sloppy. It usually goes where you want it to go in evasive maneuvuers. Traction control is easily disabled via a console-mounted button. But still doesn't make the drive any more peppy.
EPA Observed Fuel Economy (miles per gallon): 14 city 20 highway Overall Score: 6 out of a possible 10 --------------------------------------------- High points: Smooth ride, Cargo Room, Crash Test Rating Low points: Gas Mileage, Power Spec Sheet Engine- 4.6 Liter V8 Horsepower- 292 Torque- 300 ft-lbs Towing- 6840 lbs Wheelbase (in.) 113.70 Length (in.) 193.50 Width (in.) 73.50 Height (in.) 72.80 Track Front (in.) 60.90 Track Rear (in.) 61.30 Ground Clearance (in.) 8.20" Cargo Space (cu. ft.) 45.30. Standard Seating 7 Optional Seating 6 Front Headroom (in.) 39.80 Rear Headroom (in.) 38.70 Front Legroom (in.) 42.40 Rear Legroom (in.) 36.90 Front Shoulder Room (in.) 59.00 Rear Shoulder Room (in.) 59.00 Front Hip Room (in.) 55.40 Rear Hip Room (in.) 55.50 Manufacturers Specifications Acknowledgements Mercuryvehicles.com: Photos Carpoint.com: Specifications
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