Mercury Villager

The 1993 Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest were the products of a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Nissan. The goal was to produce a smaller more stylish minivan to compete in the taditional minivan segment. The vans debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The two minivans differed only cosmetically (such as a lightbar between the headlights on the Villager which was a common feature on any Mercury in the early 90s . The Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest were both built at a Ford Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.

First Generation 1993-1998
The Mercury Villager was a new model made by Mercury to compete in the minivan segment. Its code name was "VX54". The Villager was powered by a 3.0L VG30E SOHC V6 that made 153HP. This Villager was available as GS, LS, and Nautica Special Edition. An initial complaint was the sometimes annoying motorized seatbelts. Seating was for up to seven, with a removable 2-seater bench in the middle. Allowing the 3rd Rown bench of 3 seats to slidup or either folded up for more room or down for passengers behind the front for more rear cargo room. 1996 saw the introduction of changes to the front and rear facias.

Second Generation 1998-2002
For 1999 the Villager got a facelift that gave the exterior a more aerodynamic look. The 1999 Villager also gpt a boost in power thanks to a new 3.3L VG33E SOHC V6, making 170HP and 200LBS Torque. The GS, LS, and Nautica models were discontinued. And were replaced by three new models which were Base, Sport, and Estate. Mercury imbued the 2001 Villager with a raft of minor improvements. Styling front and rear was updated. Along with new alloy wheels on all models. The entry level Base model gained a rear stabilizer bar, while the Sport model received acceleration-sensitive strut valving and a strut tower brace. The new Villager also got new interior gauges and materials as well as a new 130-watt sound system. And the Luxury Estate model received an in--dash six disc CD changer and a Wood/Leather Trimmed Steering Wheel. And an optional rear overhead DVD System. Slow sales discontinued the Villager. It was replaced by the Mercury Monterey.