Park a Mountaineer next to a four-door Ford Explorer and the relationship is obvious. All the major panels are identical, but luxury trim aims to set the Mountaineer apart. That includes the bright chrome "waterfall" grille and headlight surround, standard integrated fog lights, aluminum wheels, and a two-tone paint treatment with "Medium Platinum" color on the lower body side moldings.Unlike the Explorer, the Mountaineer is offered only as a four-door. The long front and rear doors offer easy entry, aided by running boards, which come standard. The cargo area is reached via a liftgate that rises high and out of the way. The standard P225/70R15 tires have all-season tread that's a good compromise for the mostly street use of most owners. The spare tire is mounted under the vehicle at the rear, which makes for messy tire changes if you do have a flat on a sloppy day, but sure saves cargo space and there's no awkward tailgate-mounted spare blocking rearward vision. Underneath the Mountaineer it's all truck, with separate body-on-frame construction and a leaf-spring rear suspension. The front suspension uses torsion bars and independent short and long control arms. Power rack-and-pinion steering is standard, as are four-wheel disc brakes with ABS.
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