DETROIT -- The most visible changes in the re-engineered 2006 Mercury Mountaineer are on the inside.
Mercury's mid-sized SUV will sport an all-new interior when it goes on sale this fall. Upgrades include new seats, instrument panel and interior door panels. The Mountaineer's third-row seat has optional power-folding seat backs that take advantage of extra room created by a smaller independent rear suspension package.
Exterior changes include an updated front fascia and grille, optional 18-inch wheels and new rear lift gate. Optional power running boards retract into the rocker panels.
The changes mark the first significant update of the Mountaineer since a redesigned version debuted in 2001. Sales for the Mountaineer, one of Mercury's best-selling vehicles, dropped 11.6 percent in 2004 to 43,916 vehicles.
"We're pretty enthused about this," Lincoln Mercury President Darryl Hazel said.

Mechanical changes to the 2006 Mountaineer include a more powerful V-8 engine. The optional 4.6-liter, three-valve V-8 produces 292 horsepower, a 22 percent improvement compared with the previous two-valve V-8. A new six-speed automatic transmission will be paired with the improved V-8.
The 2006 Mountaineer's ride and handling is smoother because of a stronger frame, updated rear suspension, revised front suspension, bigger brakes and improved steering, Ford product chief Phil Martens said.
In addition to the Mountaineer, Ford is re-engineering the sister Ford Explorer, the automaker's bread-and-butter SUV, this fall.

 

Wow, that interior is right out of the Sport Trac concept... I guess this means what I though all along, that the Sport Trac concept was not a concept at all but merely a test of the waters out there...

Also, I really like the direction Mercury is going right now with their styling. They are taking risks and making cooler cars that people will like. They always tried to be "nice" as opposed to Lincoln's luxury, whereas now they are taking the position of cool, juxtaposed with Lincoln'c luxury.

 

Ugly tail-lights.

 

^ yeah they shouldnt be clear, but i do like the chrome trim

overall a very nice SUV