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Driving Impressions
With a new frame, new independent front and rear suspension designs, and new steering, as well as the adoption of the modular 4.6 engine in place of the old 5.0-liter overhead valve V-8, the Mountaineer V-8 has clearly moved up several notches in the SUV pecking order, and in our opinion hovers near the very top of the class. Throughout our wintertime test, we heard not a squeak nor a rattle anywhere.While some of the torque of the old engine is missing, the new engine has a lovely intake roar at full-throttle, yet is supremely quiet and smooth, and works with the new 5-speed overdrive to move the 4430-pound machine effortlessly over flat territory. Long hills and mountains are another story, and here it's best to lock out the overdrive fifth gear and stay in fourth on the way up a long hill. By the time you work your way up to fifth gear overdrive, the tachometer drops well below 2000 rpm at highway cruising speeds and the engine is just there, in the background, working noiselessly until you downshift with the tip of your toe. A major difference between the Mountaineer and the Explorer is Mountaineer's all-wheel-drive system, which is available with either the V6 and V8. All-wheel drive contributes to the Mountaineer's handling characteristics because it sends torque to the front and rear tires during normal operation. The Mountaineer's system biases torque 35 percent to the front and 65 percent to the rear to minimize understeer. (Understeer is when the front tires slip before the rear tires, causing vehicle to push toward the outside of a turn.) The all-wheel-drive system has no switches or levers and needs no driver intervention. There's no low range for serious off-roading, but snow, rain, mud, wet leaves, ice or gravel on the road are no problem. Mountaineer's all-wheel-drive system uses an open differential design with a viscous coupling. A clutch pack distributes the torque based on traction needs. The frame is a great deal stiffer than before, and lets the independent suspension on all four corners soak up bumps, potholes and tar strips with equanimity. Another bonus of the rear suspension is the bigger, flatter load floor and the third seat. Without it, both would be impossible. Body roll is very well controlled in fast corners, and the all-wheel-drive system lets you hammer the throttle whenever you want without wheelspin, even in the middle of a corner. It's very confidence-inspiring. A new rack-and-pinion steering system makes the Mountaineer much less prone to wandering on the highway than the old steering system.
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