The Mercury Mountaineer debuted in 1997 as a twin to the Ford Explorer. It is now in its third generation, which began with the 2006 model year; the chief change with this current generation is a new reinforced frame.

As is par for the course with its Ford counterparts, the Mercury branding gets a ramped-up interior and higher sticker price. In this case the 1997 Mountaineer had the distinction of a standard V8, whereas merely one of the Explorer's 10 trims that model year came with a V8.

That very first Mountaineer disappointed Mercury with its sales, as it really was not distinguishable from the lower-priced Explorer, so the bulk of the sales went to the Ford brand. So for the SUV's sophomore year, Mercury made some obvious exterior changes, such as flipping the front fascia, downsizing the headlights, and changing the wheels.

In 2002 a fold-flat seat for the third-row was introduced as a standard feature so the Mountaineer could compete in the 7-passenger bracket. Changes that came with the 2006 redesign included a made-over interior (seats, gauges, door handles, window switches), an independent rear suspension, more-capable brakes, and options for a 4.6-liter V8, 6-speed automatic transmission, and power-deployable running boards (as seen on the Lincoln Navigator).