Merc Mountaineer?

[rheyboer]

Looking for a new tow vehical. 18 ft bowrider I/O, steel 2 axel trailer. I figure loaded it's 4,500lbs (guess only). I've never owned a SUV (been borrowing a friends F150). It's either an Explorer, Nissan Extera (wife likes it), or a Mountaineer. Mountaineer is ALWAYS in 4wd? Pro's and cons on that? Will something wear out quicker because it's AWD while an explorer can be switched to 2wd? I tow about 2,000 miles a year. No hills. Looking new or 2-3 years old. Thanks in advance.

 

[Devious]

Re: Merc Mountaineer?

Looking for a new tow vehical. 18 ft bowrider I/O, steel 2 axel trailer. I figure loaded it's 4,500lbs (guess only). I've never owned a SUV (been borrowing a friends F150). It's either an Explorer, Nissan Extera (wife likes it), or a Mountaineer. Mountaineer is ALWAYS in 4wd? Pro's and cons on that? Will something wear out quicker because it's AWD while an explorer can be switched to 2wd? I tow about 2,000 miles a year. No hills. Looking new or 2-3 years old. Thanks in advance.

you need to know the tongue weight of the trailer.

AWD will not wear out parts faster. and it shouldn't get any different gas mileage than a 2/4wd selectable.

the longer the wheelbase, the more stable your ride will be.

what about a Grand Cherokee?

 

[Bindernut]

Re: Merc Mountaineer?

Well, personally I'd lean towards the Xterra too...I'm a big Nissan fan. It's drivetrain is the same as the Frontier pickup except for a slightly different real leaf spring setup. Would have no problems pulling an 18 footer. I've got a friend with a late-90s X and a 1750 Lund Pro-V...No problems with that rig, power or handling. He's done a few off-road upgrades to the rig but nothing major. No lift, 32" tires and the factory 4.90 gears, and he switched the auto hubs over to manual lock-outs.

I'm not real familiar with the AWD system that Ford uses in the Exploder/Mountaineer. Pretty sure it's a torque-convertor type of transfer case like Chevy used in the Astro AWD vans. Should work okay but maybe someone here has more experience (good or bad) with em.

The shiftable transfer-case Explorer would be a good choice too I think.

My experience with Ford trucks is limited to 1/2-ton and larger pickups...don't know much about the Explorer or Mountaineer.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Merc Mountaineer?

Mountaineer with the V8 option is a great for towing up to 5000# or so (7300# rating on mine). I've got 66,000 on mine with no issues (02' model) and have towed a 5500# car trailer setup behind it from time to time when my friends old tow rig breaks down and he needs to get to the race track. The Full time AWD really isn't an issue and I've had no trouble getting a load moving or pulling a boat out of the lake due the the lack of no Low range. As a daily driver with a light foot I see 15-16mpg In town and 21-22mpg crusing @ 75mph on the interstate with 4 people and a load of luggage. The Independent rear suspension is nice too, rides ALOT better than the 96' Tahoe I traded in. The Explorer/Moutaineer also have a longer/wider wheelbase than most others in the midsize class.