Both the Mountaineer and Explorer are mid-size sport utility vehicles (SUV) the mountaineer was sold by the Mercury division of Ford Motors, from 1997 until 2010. Sharing many of its features with the Explorer, the vehicles were virtually identical, in terms of hardware. Externally, they were styled somewhat different, and the Mountaineer was positioned with a more upscale interior, which made the Mountaineer's list price somewhat more expensive than the Explorer. Different packages were available on both (SUV) models. The wife owned the Mountaineer for five years, (white with gray interior with the 302) I questioned a reliable Ford mechanic at the time about the frames and were told they were both on the same frame as the Ford Ranger.