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My 15' Little Giant ladder (55" tall collapsed) fits crosswise in the cargo area with the 2nd row fully up. Without the third row, it has two extra tie-down hooks in the middle of the cargo hold. The underfloor storage compartments are quite large, allowing me to keep the cargo hold uncluttered and neat. I bought the cargo shade from the parts department, so everything is covered.
The real icing on the cake was the price. The sticker price was $32,755, but I wrote a check for just $29,422.53 ($26,759.20 plus $2,663.33 for tax, license, and fees).
I drove my 2002 Mountaineer RWD V8 almost 100,000 miles, so am discovering the many improvements they made for 2006, such as the much quieter interior.
It seems that Ford would sell far more Explorers and Mountaineers if they could better communicate that the 2006&7 models are substantially improved over the previous versions, even though they look very, very similar.
The one we bought has the manual climate control, but most of the six vehicles with automatic climate control I have owned have required frequent fiddling because it was too hot or cold, or the fan was blowing too hard.
Now to install the navigation and sound system.
I still haven't determined if it has the heated exterior mirrors. If not, I'll get them as parts or from the junkyard.
It is starting to cool down, but when summer returns, I'll either cover the solid leather with seat covers or install the perforated leather from the Mountaineer. Has anyone here tried the Wet Okole covers?
http://wetokole.net/page/WOH/PROD/FORDT/FORDEXPLORF
To those ends, we will be shutting down the general make/model discussions and work exclusively with specific issues. This requires us to populate the make/model subsections with relevant, interesting and timely topics. Rather than having the hosts simply create boilerplate topics for each make/model, we feel that you, the owner, the make/model enthusiast and the prospective buyer can best judge what those topics should be.
You can help by adding a discussion (it's easy!) or suggesting one here.
To add a discussion, click on the last link in the "You are here" line at the top of this page. That will take you to the topic page for this make/model. Review the list of topics and click on the "Add discussion" link when you've decided what topic you'd like to add. Follow the directions and you're done! Feel free to add more than one. Just avoid duplicating existing topics and try not to make it TOO specific!
Your help and continued participation in the Forums is greatly appreciated! Thanks.
You'd think so, but we have two Search This Discussion boxes on this page plus a Keyword search, an Advanced search and the Browse by Vehicle search. Not to mention the forums are spidered by the search engines and picked up by Google/Yahoo, etc.
Yet we keep getting way too many Help Desk comments from people who can't find what they need. The bigger general discussions (many here with several thousand posts) discourage people from looking around.
For the regulars who must have their daily forum fix (we know who we are ), just track the vehicle group for the cars and SUVs you are interested in and you won't miss your favorite threads.
Thanks
The hosts spent a lot of time composing messages like this: meredith, "Dodge Dakota Crew Cab - V" #1, 25 Jun 2000 2:51 pm.
The Wayback Machine is fun; this landing page shows a link to the infamous "I Don't Like SUVs, Why do you" topic with just 22 posts. I think we shut that one down after 40,000 posts.
Most of the discussion titles have been cleaned up over the years, but you'll still see ones like Subaru Crew - Meet the Members II.
I bought the Cerwin-Vega IT-683 speakers:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_286.html
There is a good reason the door handle is located forward and low. Little chance of its hard plastic breaking your rib in a side impact. The entire half of the door closest to the rear of the vehicle is filled with a 4" think foam insert. There is no metal there to screw a handle into and nothing bone breaking to come into contact with you. This is also the reason for the door release design.
The old "arm" style could theoretically act as a "ice pick" in a side impact, just imagine it coming at you, end on, at high speed.
I find that people very quickly adapt to the relocated door handle, you just grab it as you climb in.
Mark.
The Velcro released flaps on the Pathfinder are very annoying.
JMHO.
Mark.
At some point, I want safety to be non-contraindicated with my comfort in my vehicle. Safety is great - but if I have to reduce my chance of injury in a collision to the point that I hate to drive, or am miserable, it's a problem.
The Objective of the car, is to get you somewhere. Getting you there safely is good. Safely and comfortably, is where my money will go. Gee, sounds like an ad for volvo, doesn't it?
Mark.
A couple things to consider, if you have heated seats it takes longer to feel the heat, and they attach via straps and if you have power seats it can be a bit of fiddling to find the proper path for the straps (since there is so much mechanical junk under the seat)
I have a question about the 7 pin harness. My boat has surge brakes with a solenoid that reads the tow vehicle's backup lights and turns the brakes off (so you can backup the boat). The boat uses a five pin plug, so I have a 7 pin to 5 pin adapter plug.
On my 2001 F350 (purchased new) I had to do a couple things (fuse, etc) in before the backup light was active to 7 pin harness. Do I have to do something similar for my Mountaineer, or is it hooked up out of the factory?
I have not had time to test it yet, and was wondering if anyone else has a similar set up?
Go to Outbackers.com, a travel trailer forum with tons of knowledge along this line. The folks there are friendly, knowledgeable, and love to help.
I noticed for the explorer when you order the third row of seats you cannot order the cargo shade. Will the shade physically not work, or is it just because there is less space.
I wanted to share this for those that use the vehicle for what it was intended (utility) and specifically for towing. The 2007 brochure states the towing capacity for the V-8 engine at 7220 lbs (4x2) and 7050 lbs (AWD) when equipped with the Class IV towing package. This is about the same as the Ford Explorer.
We have been shopping for a replacement SUV for our '04 Mountaineer and had just about settled on the Mountaineer when I realized that you can't get a MM without the 3rd Row Seat and Auxiliary Climate Control. The ACC reduces the towing capacity by 500 lbs. But Mercury's specs do not reflect this. I believe the maximum towing should be 6720 (4x2) and 6550 (AWD).
With the Ford Explorer, the 3rd Seat and ACC is optional on the XLT and Eddie Bauer trim lines. It's standard on the Limited, but can be deleted. Deleting the 3rd Row Seat and ACC is NOT available on the MM.
I think Mercury has made a huge mistake and from the silence I have received from my inquires, I'm assuming no one at Mercury wants to admit the error. A difference of 500 lbs is a lot of weight to state can be safely towed by a vehicle when in reality(?) may be outside what the rating should be.
We will be ordering an Explorer sometime this winter because towing a boat is the reason we even need an SUV and I'm looking for the maximum towing capacity.
I thought I should share this with others in the same boat (no pun intended) as us. If I'm wrong, I wish someone from Mercury would tell me, but I have to believe they aren't responding because they aren't sure what to say.
I'm not sure what legal ramifications this could lead to for them; people towing unsafe weight limits, returning a vehicle because you can't tow the stated weigh limit, etc.
If for some reason, I'm just not interpreting this information correctly, please enlighten me. Otherwise, I thought it best to share with the rest.
Safe Towing!
ACC is optional on all Mtneers.
Mark
Mark.
it could end up with the tail wagging the dog.
The Premier has Standard 3rd Row Seating and Aux Climate Control. I contacted Mercury and they indicated that neither the 3rd Row Seat or the ACC could be deleted - even if special ordered.
Regarding the reduced Towing Capacity - from Ford's own website;
* Deduct 500 lbs. with auxiliary climate control.
With the Mountaineer and Explorer essentially being the same vehicle, I don't know why the 500 lb reduction would hold true for one and not the other.
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i was not referring to enough power to pull the weight.
The engine in this new one is the 3valve 4.6L, and it's darn peppy. It has "real" 4x4 rather than the perfectly acceptable to me AWD the Mountaineers came with. The transmission is a little clunky going back into 1st, it seems, but if it's not normal, they'll fix it first oil change for me.
Still hate the door panels, but the wife, whose car this will mainly be, doesn't mind them. The Grand daughter who lives with us loves the DVD system, so that's all that matters to Grandma. But, I digress.
I shopped every mid-sized SUV on the planet. Still think Ford has the best design. Toyota may execute better, but their old 4-Runner is very trucky, and the 3rd seat is a joke. Honda's Pilot is strictly a minivan in disguise. Nissan is having so many problems lately, I've taken them off the bid list. I have to tow, so that left Ford & GM. It was no contest on any level there. So, Bill, do I get anything for buying 6 of these things? Through thick & thin, rollovers and Firestones, new designs and redesigns, we're still here! Where's my toaster?? :shades:
If so, is your name Shaquille?
Is it correct that you have a 2006 model with the 6-speed transmission?
* Glue the tongue depressors together to make one of double thickness.
* Cover the depressor with tape. (for appearance & to avoid abrading the switch button)
* Mount the depressor vertically on the driver's side of the shift lever.
* Snugly tape the top end of the double tongue depressor to the shift lever left side, just below the chrome cap.
* Lightly tape the lower end to the shift lever at the bottom of the tongue depressor. Be careful to avoid having the depressor activate the switch. The bottom tape is to provide resistance to fore & aft movement of the depressor.
* Done. Now the switch can be activated with light thumb force on the depressor without unpleasant wrist contortions or lifting my hand from the top of the shift lever..
The black tape hides everything nicely. In over a year, no one, including my wife, has noticed it.
I do a fair amount of off-road and mountain driving, and use the switch frequently.
Sounds hokey, but it's actually a very effective and sanitary modification.