The Ford Explorer and the Mercury Mountaineer are very similar vehicles. What year did the Ford Explorer start being produced?
Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a full-size sport utility vehicle produced by the American manufacturer Ford Motor Company since 1990, based since 2010 on a crossover platform. The Ford Explorer became one of the most popular sport utility vehicles on the road. The model years 1991 through 2010 were traditional body-on-frame, mid-size SUVs. For the 2011 model year, Ford moved the Explorer to a more modern unibody, full-size crossover SUV platform, the same Volvo-derived platform the Ford Flex and Ford Taurus use although with significantly greater ground clearance. It is slotted between the traditional body-on-frame, full-size Ford Expedition and the mid-size CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) Ford Edge. Although outwardly similar, the fifth generation Explorer, Ford Edge and Ford Escape do not share platforms. The fifth generation Explorer does, however, share platforms with the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT.
Ford F-Series (third generation) The third-generation of the Ford F-Series are trucks that were produced by Ford from 1956 to 1960. Following its competitors at Dodge and General Motors, Ford widened the front bodywork to integrate the cab and front fenders together. Going a step further, the F-Series integrated the hood into the bodywork with a clamshell design; the feature would stay part of the F-Series for two decades. Although offered previously, the optional chrome grille was far more prominent than before. In the rear, two types of pickup boxes were offered, starting a new naming convention: the traditional separate-fender box was dubbed "FlareSide", while "StyleSide" boxes integrated the pickup bed, cab, and front fenders together. As before, Ford still offered a "Low GVWR" version of each model.