for the 2002 model year, redesigned alongside the five-door Ford Explorer. Ending its chassis commonality with the Ford Ranger pickup truck, the Explorer/Mountaineer adopted a dedicated platform, introducing four-wheel independent suspension to the model lines. Though sharing much of the same body (from the firewall rearward), designers began to give the model line an identity distinct from the Explorer. While sharing the same roofline and doors, the Mountaineer received different front fenders, hood, front and rear bumpers, liftgate, headlamps and taillamps. Sharing a chassis with the third-generation Ford Explorer, the Mountaineer was fitted with four-wheel independent suspension. Previewed by a concept vehicle at the 2000 Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer marked the introduction of a new design language for the Mercury line. The traditional Mercury silver waterfall grille was made rectangular (along with headlamps wrapping into the hood), introducing silver-trimmed taillamps and satin-silver wheels and badging. In various forms, style elements of the 2002 Mountaineer would appear across the Mercury line during the 2000s, including the Grand Marquis, Montego, Milan, Monterey, and Mariner. The second-generation Mountaineer carried over the 210 hp 4.0L SOHC V6 as a standard; a 239 hp 4.6L V8 (shared with the Grand Marquis) replaced the previous 5.0L V8. A 5-speed automatic transmission was paired with both engines, with either part-time four-wheel drive or full-time all-wheel drive offered. In contrast to the single trim level of the first generation, the second generation was expanded to a base Convenience trim (slotted between the Explorer XLT/Eddie Bauer) and a deluxe Premier trim (slotted above the Explorer Limited); the latter offered features including a rear TV/DVD player, rear ceiling air vents, chrome exhaust tip and roof rack, and body-color bumpers. In line with other Mercury models, the Mountaineer expanded from a single trim level to a base Convenience trim and a deluxe Premier trim; slotted above the Explorer Limited, the Mountaineer Premier offered features including a rear TV/DVD player, rear ceiling air vents, chrome exhaust tip and roof rack, and body-color bumpers. Third generation (2006–2010) The third-generation Mercury Mountaineer was introduced for the 2006 model year, again serving as a counterpart of the Ford Explorer. Though unchanged in wheelbase, the model line rode on an all-new chassis, gaining nearly three inches in length. In contrast to the Explorer, the third-generation Mountaineer retained many styling elements from the previous generation, introducing clear-lens taillamps, fender-mounted turn signal repeaters, larger