2006 Mercury Mountaineer Preview

Peter Horbury, chief designer for Ford Motor Company, says that the current Mountaineer SUV showed that "Mercury could grow again, with design as the differentiator." When the redesigned second-generation Mountaineer debuted for 2002, it did signal Mercury's new design direction and proved that by cloaking Fords in what Horbury calls "clean, contemporary, and metropolitan" clothes (read: satin-silver trim), consumers would be attracted to Mercury showrooms.

Four years later, the Mercury Mountaineer gets a mid-cycle update for 2006 that includes an all-new interior, a significant power upgrade, and a re-engineered platform that should tide consumers over until a completely redesigned model arrives later this decade.