Mercury Villager
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mercury Villager | |
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| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Production | 1993-2002 |
| Assembly | Avon Lake, Ohio |
| Successor | Mercury Monterey |
| Class | Minivan |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Platform | Ford VX54 platform |
| Transmission(s) | 4-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 112.2 in (2850 mm) |
| Related | Nissan Quest |
| Designer | Moray Callum |
| First Generation | |
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| Production | 1993–1998 |
| Body style(s) | 3-door minivan |
| Engine(s) | 3.0L 151 hp (113 kW) VG30E V6 |
| Length | 189.9 in (4823 mm) (1993-95) 190.2 in (4831 mm) (1996-98) |
| Width | 73.7 in (1872 mm) (1993-95) 73.8 in (1875 mm) (1996-98) |
| Height | 67.6 in (1717 mm) (1993-95) 67.5 in (1715 mm) (1996-98 GS Cargo) 65.9 in (1674 mm) (1996-98 GS) 65.6 in (1666 mm) (1996-98 Nautica & LS) |
| Curb weight | 3815 lb (1730 kg) |
| Second Generation | |
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| Production | 1999–2002 |
| Body style(s) | 4-door minivan |
| Engine(s) | 3.3L 180 hp (134 kW) VG33E V6 |
| Length | 194.7 in (1999-2000) 194.9 in (2001-02) |
| Width | 74.9 in (1902 mm) |
| Height | 70.1 in (1781 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3944 lb (1789 kg) |
The 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 and more stylish minivan to compete in the traditional minivan market. 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 common on Mercury vehicles in the early 90s) and shared a Nissan engine. They were built in a Ford plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.
Mercury's use of the Villager nameplate dates back to the late 1960s as a trim option for their Comet (later the Montego) station wagons.
The first-generation Villager was available in three trim levels: GS, LS, and the luxury Nautica Special Edition. All Nautica models came with a two-toned blue and white, or red and white paint scheme, an elegant yellow pinstripe, second row captain's chairs, and blue and white, or grey leather upholstery. The second-generation Villager was also available in three trim levels: base, Sport, and the luxury Estate.
The joint venture for this vehicle was a marriage of convenience between Ford and Nissan. The Ford Aerostar minivan was aging and lagging in sales, and its replacement, the Windstar, was not yet ready for market. Ford had money to build an assembly plant, but lacked vehicle design engineering resources due to other vehicles. Nissan was lacking cash but could contribute vehicle engineering and an engine built at its Smyrna, Tennessee facility. The initial project was code named "VX54" within Ford.
The vehicle was initially very successful, but competitive offerings began to overshadow it in the late 1990s. There was a minor freshening in 1996 which included a new front fascia, head & tail lights (the lightbar was gone) and a major one in 1999, but nothing more could be done and Ford pulled the plug after a brief run of 2002 models were produced, ending the Ford and Nissan joint venture. Nissan pursued the development of the 2004 Nissan Quest while Mercury received a version of the Ford Freestar called the Monterey.
[edit] Innovations
The Villager's main innovation was in its seating configurations. At the time, minivans had bulky seats that folded over and usually could be removed. The GM minivans offered the first modular removable seats which were notably uncomfortable. The Villager had a folding removable middle seat (or two buckets). The rear seat folded and moved on tracks in the floor. It could be slid forward to the middle position making a 5 passenger vehicle with ample cargo space, or all the way to the back of the front seats to make a large cargo space. The seat was not removable however, and the system was not improved in the 1999 redesign, so newer fold into the floor seats and lightweight buckets quickly eclipsed the system.
The van's size slotted between the larger "grand" vans (such as Grand Caravan) and the old standard size vans (such as the Caravan) was a considerable selling point when it came out. However, as 5-passenger SUVs replaced smaller vans as family vehicles, the remaining minivan buyers placed a much higher premium on size. When Ford, Honda, and Toyota released their most recent vans, they offered only the larger "grand" size. By the late 90's, the Villager was simply too small to be competitive.
The vans had solid rear axles, making them more stable while towing or carrying heavy loads compared to independent rear suspension vans.
[edit] External links
- Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest Owners Resource page
- FAQ Farm's Mercury Villager FAQ: wiki question and answer forum
- VillagerQuest mailing list on Yahoo Groups
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