Look over your shoulder in a shopping mall parking lot and you'll spy plenty of "cute utes" (those adorable little-car based crossover SUVs. They seem like they're everywhere but, believe it or not, there are some folks who require a truck-based SUV to drive for more than a quick trip to the local mall or grocery store. And if you intend to get dirty off road or haul something substantial with your SUV then you know exactly what we're talking about. Plenty of today's popular crossovers (those based upon what is essentially front-wheel-drive passenger-car underpinnings) can do those chores to a certain degree, but to haul a big trailer, carry a heavy load, or mix it up off-road (or possibly accomplish all three at once) then you have to rethink your options.

Family Ties

One SUV that can get the job done, and do it with a huge amount of style is Mercury's 2010 Mountaineer. It's no secret the Mountaineer is based upon Ford's Explorer. And Ford's Explorer is, for all intents and purposes, primarily based upon truck chassis hardware. Mercury's version is more luxurious than it's Ford counterpart. It features more creature comforts and amenities, and is offered with all-wheel drive.

Mercury offers two different versions of the Mountaineer: a 210-horsepower V6-powered entrylevel model and an upscale Moutaineer Premier model available with a 292 horsepower V8. The V8 is optional on the Premier AWD, and unavailable on the standard Mountaineer. V6 models can be specified with two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. V8 models come equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission while six-cylinder versions are fitted with a five-speed automatic. Both can be equipped with the Trailer Tow Upgrade Package-up to and including a stout 7040-pound capacity version for AWD V8 models.

As you probably have expected, there's a difference in trim levels between the base and the Premier models. Both come equipped with a considerable laundry list of standard equipment and available options. Some of these features include Mercury's much applauded available SYNC® voice-activated in-vehicle communications and entertainment system, available seven-passenger seating system (something seven full-size adults can actually use), Mercury's standard AdvanceTrac® with RSC^™ (Roll Stability Control^™), an adaptive, intelligent stability system, available rear seat entertainment system and a wide array of seating arrangements (cloth, leathertrimmed, split bench center row, seats with memory features, and so on). And those features only skim the surface (more on equipment later).

Performance and Capability

While the standard feature list coupled with an extensive optional equipment list prove considerable, what really interested us was the performance and capability of our upscale V8- powered, AWD Premier test vehicle. Our test "truck" was equipped with the previously mentioned heavy duty towing package-and we couldn't wait to hook it up to a boat trailer to see exactly how it would fare. Now, to be rather frank, there are some choice, but rather remote fresh water lakes folks have access to in our Pacific Northwest base of operations. To get there, the pavement typically ends and you're on your own on lightly maintained dirt roads (think logging roads; think pure dirt and think little gravel). It was here in the backcountry where the Mountaineer made its mark. The all-wheel drive coupled with Mercury's AdvanceTrac® with RSC^™ made trailer towing (in sometimes poor conditions) a breeze. Getting in and, perhaps more importantly, getting out of remote boat launches proved to be a piece of cake. Equally important, the flat load space in the rear of the Mountaineer provided plenty of room for fishing, boating and camping gear.

On the straight and narrow, the Mountaineer towed as well as a two-wheel-drive pickup, but pampered us in the process. Where a pickup tends to wallow a bit in the turns, the AWD Mountaineer is more planted. Sure it has pickup-based architecture, but it also incorporates a fully independent suspension arrangement. Based upon a trailing arm layout, the IRS package is designed so that each half-shaft passes through a window in each framerail. This allows for a lower ride height (in comparison to a 4x4) that translates into a lower center of gravity and, thus, improved handling. As mentioned earlier, the ride "tune" is set up softer than that found on the similar Explorer platform, however, we never noticed any marked disparities in handling, with or without a trailer attached. The ride was definitely smooth.

Inside Edition

Open a door on a Moutaineer (such as our Premier-packaged model) and you'll quickly forget this thing offers great towing and backroad potential. Inside, the Mercury is dressed more like a luxury sedan than an SUV. Case-in-point: The full feature bucket seats are trimmed in leather and include a memory feature. The pedals are power-adjustable with memory feature. You simply set the accelerator and brake pedals to your liking then save the positions into one of the two memory settings. The steering wheel is appropriately leather-wrapped and is fitted with secondary controls for the audio system as well as cruise control functions. The center instrument panel stack included the optional navigation system (available in addition to Premier package) along with primary audio and dual zone climate system controls.

Our Mountaineer Premier incorporated Mercury's premium sound system-190 watts of maximum output linked to seven strategically located speakers and a huge eight-inch subwoofer. It's also MP3-capable, but we seldom felt the need for packaged tunes since our Mercury was also equipped with 130 channels of SIRIUS® Satellite Radio (which, by the way, worked well in most of our out-of-the way travels). The center console includes a pair of large cupholders but, more important, it also includes the six-speed automatic gearshift lever along with a comfortable elbow-level armrest. Beneath the armrest is a healthy storage compartment.

As you can see, our Mountaineer was a loaded up package. But equally important is that it's one SUV that hasn't forgotten its roots: It's designed to work on- and off-road, with or without loads, and with or without trailers attached. The Mountaineer performed equally well off-road and in the city. It even made a trip or two to the local quickie mart. Certainly, no vehicle is perfect, but if diverse capabilities at a reasonable price are in your game plan, Mercury's Mountaineer meets the mark. If you had to pigeon-hole the Mountaineer, it would have to be a backroad brawler with a bunch of class.