The Mercury Mountaineer is a mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was sold by Mercury from 1996 until 2010. Sharing many of its features with the Ford Explorer, the vehicles were virtually identical in terms of hardware. Externally, they were styled somewhat differently, and the Mountaineer was positioned with a more upscale interior, with the Mountaineer's MSRP coming in at $1,000–$6,000 more than the Explorer. It was last redesigned for the 2006 model year with a new frame, looking very similar to its previous model. Some controversy resulted after the media highlighted a number of rollovers involving Explorers and Mountaineers fitted with Firestone tires. The Mountaineer has been praised for its excellent handling and stability. The Mountaineer was never sold in Canada. As part of the discontinuation of the Mercury brand, production of the Mountaineer ended in late 2010. Background In 1990, General Motors introduced the Oldsmobile Bravada sport-utility vehicle, derived from the four-door Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. Though far lower in price, the Bravada was marketed as a competitor to the Range Rover (and the later Land Rover Discovery) and Toyota Land Cruiser. While sharing its body with the Blazer, Oldsmobile differentiated the Bravada with the use of model-specific trim and a dedicated all-wheel drive powertrain (in place of part-time four-wheel drive). For 1993, Jeep briefly revived the long-running Grand Wagoneer nameplate as part of the Jeep Grand Cherokee model line, using woodgrain exterior trim and a leather interior; limited sales led to its cancellation after a single model year. As a response to the Bravada and the Grand Wagoneer, Ford introduced the 1993 Ford Explorer Limited in 1992. In contrast to the outdoors-themed Explorer Eddie Bauer, the Limited was geared towards on-road driving; it was fitted with all-wheel drive in place of traditional four-wheel drive. The Limited was also distinguished by monochromatic body trim, body-color bumpers, and chrome wheels. As part of the redesign of the Explorer for 1995, the Limited remained part of the Explorer lineup, with the segment gaining additional competitors through the use of badge engineering. For 1996, the Acura SLX (Isuzu Trooper), Infiniti QX4 (Nissan Pathfinder), and the larger Lexus LX450 (Toyota Land Cruiser) were introduced together. As these brands, along with Oldsmobile, competed more directly with luxury brands than the Ford model line, Ford Motor Company sought to develop SUVs for its Lincoln-Mercury division. To minimize model overlap, Mercury was chosen to sell