With a major upgrade to the Ford Explorer for 2006, the similar Mercury Mountaineer gets most of the same improvements, including a new frame.

But the Lincoln Aviator, the third vehicle built on the same architecture as the Explorer and Mountaineer, doesn’t fare as well. It has been discontinued and will be replaced next year by a new car-based sport utility that probably will carry the same name, Ford Motor Co. officials say. There will be no 2006 model.

Ford plans to create the next Aviator from the architecture of the Volvo XC90, which is a crossover SUV based on the chassis of Volvo’s luxury S80 sedan.

The Mountaineer for 2006, however, continues on the same chassis as the Explorer and is essentially just a dressed-up version of Ford’s (and the nation’s) best-selling sport utility vehicle.

The base Mountaineer will begin at $29,795 (including freight) and will come with the same 4.0-liter V-6 engine that powers the base Explorer, rated at 210 horsepower, the same as the 2005 model.

As in the Explorer, this engine is connected to a five-speed automatic transmission. Ford says this engine has been improved to deliver better fuel efficiency and lower tailpipe emissions without any loss of power. The starting price compares with $27,175 for the new Explorer; the higher price of the Mountaineer reflects the extra content that is not included in the entry model Explorer.

For those who want the Mountaineer with a V-8 engine and fulltime all-wheel drive, those models begin at $35,195, compared with $33,160 for the Explorer. It has the same new 4.6-liter V-8 as the Explorer, as well as the new six-speed automatic transmission — a first in this market segment where the standard has become a five-speed automatic.

The new V-8 delivers 292 horsepower and 300 foot-pounds of torque, quite an improvement over the 239 horsepower and 282 foot-pounds of torque produced by the 2005 model’s 4.6-liter V-8. Among its new technology is variable cam timing. “More powerful powertrain choices, all-new interior and safety advancements make the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer the most stylish, functional and sophisticated SUV available today,” Lincoln Mercury President Al Giombetti said in an announcement about the revisions to the vehicle. “Mercury is injecting a refreshing dose of personality into the increasingly segmented mid-size SUV market.”

As Ford said about the new Explorer, Mercury says the 2006 Mountaineer is the best one yet. It benefits from all of the improvements to the Explorer, including a much quieter interior that delivers probably the first truly carlike ride yet from these truck-based SUVs. Of course, the new Mountaineer also gets the same safety improvements that come in the new Explorer, including side-impact protection that meets U.S. standards required through 2010. Among the safety features is Ford’s AdvanceTrac traction-control system, coupled with Roll Stability Control, which was made standard on all Explorer, Mountaineer and Aviator models last year. This is a system derived from one that Ford first used in the XC90, the first SUV carrying a Volvo nameplate.

Other safety features include seat-mounted side air bags, an optional safety canopy system, energy-absorbing steering columns, front air bags with an automatic occupant classification system, adaptive safety belts and a new tire-pressure monitoring system. Many of these features came in response to the rollover problems experienced by earlier models of the Explorer that resulted in the big Firestone tire recall on Explorers in 2000. Mountaineers did not come standard with the problem Firestone tires and therefore were not as prone to rolling over as the Firestone-equipped Explorers were. But extensive safety improvements with the redesigned Explorer and Mountaineer that debuted for 2002 have made these among the safest SUVs on the market, and the changes for 2006 build on the earlier improvements to help make the vehicles even safer and less prone to rollovers, the company said.

Mountaineer gets most Explorer upgrades

Because the Mountaineer is positioned as an upscale version of the Explorer, it gets an all-new interior that the company says is “loaded with premium features.” The company is particularly proud of the improvements that help to reduce noise, vibration and harshness and make the cabin of the Mountaineer a more pleasant place at highway speeds.

“Reduced climate-control-system noise, carpets and headliners constructed from advanced, lightweight sound deadening materials and rearview mirrors designed for better visibility and lessened wind noise all combine to offer Mountaineer’s occupants the quietest ride in the midsize SUV segment,” the company said in a product news release detailing changes in the ’06 Mountaineer.

Among the other interior improvements are new seats, door trim and instrument panel. The interior trim has a new satin-aluminum finish that gives the vehicle an elegant look without being gaudy.

Seating configurations allow the vehicle to hold up to seven passengers or a combination of fewer passengers and more cargo. Unfortunately, with the third seat in place, there isn’t much cargo space. But with the third seat folded into the floor, there is a large, flat load space. If the second row of seating isn’t needed, that seat can be folded down to dramatically increase cargo capacity. As with the Explorer, there is an optional power-folding feature for the third seat that allows it to be put away into the floor at the push of a button. This is a great improvement over manually folding seats or the seats found in some minivans and SUVs that had to be removed from the vehicle to create extra cargo space.

In keeping with Mountaineer’s upscale image, the front seat is leather trimmed and the driver’s seat has a 10-way power adjustment.

Among the options available to dress up the Mountaineer even more are power-operated running boards; a DVD-based navigation system; 18-inch aluminum wheels; reverse-sensing system; heated seats; and a keyless-entry system that includes a keypad on the driver’s door so that anyone with the correct code can open the vehicle.

An Audiophile AM/FM/compact disc stereo system also is available. It includes an in-dash, six-disc CD changer (with MP3 playback capability) and eight speakers. The Mountaineer differs from the Explorer when it comes to four-wheel drive. While the Explorer offers a true off-road-capable four-wheel-drive system with two-speed transfer case for low-range gearing, the Mountaineer offers only a fulltime all-wheel-drive system that does not include a transfer case with low range. The system adds $2,200 to the price of the Mountaineer at any trim level. The system gives the Mountaineer limited off-road capability, but allows for better traction on the road in bad weather. If you’re looking for an SUV to take into the wilds, though, this is not the one.

Three trim levels are offered: the entry V-6 Convenience model, with the $29,795 starting price for rear-wheel drive; the Luxury model, beginning at $31,795 for the V-6 version or $32,995 for the V-8; and the top-of-the-line Premier model, beginning at $33,945 for two-wheel drive and $36,145 with all-wheel drive. The Premier model comes only with the V-8 engine.

The new Mountaineers are on their way to dealers now.

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G. Chambers Williams III is staff automotive columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and former transportation writer for the Star-Telegram. His automotive columns have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at (210) 250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.