The Ford Explorer and the Mercury Mountaineer are very similar vehicles. What year did the Ford Explorer start being produced?
Mercury Mountaineer The Mercury Mountaineer was a mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was sold by Mercury from 1997 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.
Mercury Milan The Mercury Milan is a mid-size sedan that was based on the Mazda-designed Ford CD3 platform and distributed by Mercury. It is a twin of the Ford Fusion, while being slotted below the luxury-spec Lincoln MKZ (formerly Lincoln Zephyr) sedan. The Milan was first shown at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, and was sold in the United States (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Mexico, and the Middle East. With Ford eliminating the Mercury division, production of the Milan ended December 17, 2010. It is named for the Italian city of Milan.