Mercury Villager

Nameplate Within Ford Motor Company, the Villager nameplate saw its first use for 1958, as the Edsel Villager debuted as the mid-range station wagon for its namesake brand. The only station wagon produced for all three model years of the Edsel brand, the Villager was offered with four doors and without exterior wood trim. Following the demise of Edsel, the nameplate was adopted by Mercury, debuting it for 1962 for its compact Comet series. In what became a tradition for the brand, the Comet Villager was offered with simulated woodgrain trim. From 1962 to 1984, Mercury "Villager" station wagons were the counterpart of the Ford "Squire" trim, denoting wood-trim station wagons (excluding the full-size Mercury Colony Park). Following the 1962–1967 Comet Villager, Mercury used the Villager name for five further models, including the Montego (1970–1976), Bobcat (1975–1980), Cougar (1977 and 1982), Zephyr (1978–1981) and Lynx (1981–1984). Following the introduction of the 1983 Marquis, Mercury replaced the Villager name for wood-trim station wagons with Brougham (the Mercury Sable that replaced it was never offered with the option). Development At the beginning of 1988, Ford and Nissan entered a joint venture to develop an all-new minivan sold by both automakers. Under the terms of the agreement, the development and engineering of the vehicles was done by Nissan (in the United States); the company also supplied the engine and transmission. Ford would manufacture the vehicles in its own facility, providing components for the vehicle. Development officially commenced later that year, codenamed VX54. The program would replace two existing Nissan product lines developed in Japan (the Van and the Axxess) and Ford would market its version as a Mercury (the VX54 program coincided with the simultaneous development of the WIN88 program, later the Ford Windstar). The final designs were chosen by Nissan in 1989, with both companies commencing testing of prototypes in 1990; real-world testing was done through 1991, as development concluded at the end of that year. During the 1980s, family-use vehicles transitioned from full-size station wagons towards minivans. In place of the full-size Mercury Colony Park, during the development process, designers benchmarked the mid-size as its goal for features, ride, and handling. Along with deriving the front lightbar grille from the Sable, the Villager adopted its two-way liftgate (hatchback rear window) from the station wagon. While all-wheel drive was initially planned in the VX54 program, slow sales of Chrysler AWD minivans led to Ford dropping it from development of the Villager. ==First generation (1993–1998)==

Launched alongside the Nissan Quest in July 1992 as a 1993 model, the Mercury Villager was introduced at the 1992 Chicago Auto Show. Having forgone the minivan segment since the 1986 introduction of the Ford Aerostar, the 1993 Mercury Villager was the first Mercury since 1960 produced without a Ford (or Lincoln) counterpart. In 1993 and 1994, an independent Austrian importer called Sauber (no relation to the F1 team) brought in a small number of Villagers and sold them under their own name. Chassis specification The first-generation Villager uses the front-wheel drive Ford VX54 platform. While using a Ford codename, the platform is an evolution of the 1989-1994 Nissan Maxima (J30 chassis). Using a 112.2-inch wheelbase, the chassis shares nearly an identical wheelbase with a standard-wheelbase 1984-1995 Chrysler minivan (an inch longer than a short-wheelbase Chevrolet Astro). The Villager uses MacPherson struts for the front suspension and leaf springs for the solid rear axle. The front brakes were vented discs with rear drums (Rear disc brakes were included on models equipped with the trailer towing package); anti-lock brakes were fitted as standard equipment. Ford requested the addition of an oil level sensor and the relocation of the oil filter assembly (for better access). Body design At 190 inches long, the first-generation Villager nearly matches the extended-length 1991–1995 Chrysler minivans in length. In contrast to the Aerostar, the Villager was produced solely as a passenger van and in a single body length. All versions were produced with single sliding door. In line with the Mercury Sable and Mercury Topaz sedans, the Villager was distinguished from its Nissan Quest counterpart by its front lightbar grille. While the exterior and interior of the vehicle was designed primarily by Nissan, many interior components were sourced from Ford. In line with the Aerostar, the Villager was equipped with optional rear-seat radio controls and air-conditioning vents. For 1996, multiple two-tone color schemes joined the blue/white exterior. Though developed to complement Eddie Bauer-edition Ford vehicles (including the Aerostar minivan), the Villager would become the sole Nautica-edition Lincoln-Mercury vehicle ever produced. ==Second generation (1999–2002)==

For the 1999 model year, Mercury debuted the second-generation Villager. As with the previous generation, the model line was jointly developed by Ford and Nissan, who marketed the vehicle as the Nissan Quest. Sharing no sheetmetal with the previous generation, a central update in the redesign was the standardization of a driver-side sliding door (a feature not standardized on the larger Ford Windstar until 2002). Chassis specification The second-generation Villager retained the Ford VX54 platform from the previous generation, including its 112.2-inch wheelbase. Though retuned for a softer ride, the front MacPherson struts and a rear beam axle were also carried over. The front brakes were vented discs with rear drum brakes (4-wheel discs were dropped); the previously-standard anti-lock brakes were made optional. Powertrain The second-generation Villager again sourced its powertrain from Nissan, with its V6 enlarged to 3.3L (becoming the VG33E), producing 170hp; For 2001, the front and rear fascias were revised; the Mercury emblem was centered and enlarged on the grille and liftgate (the foglamps were changed to round lenses). The instrument panel was redesigned (the electronic instrument panel returned as an option). File:2ndMercuryVillager.jpg|1999–2000 Villager Sport File:2nd Mercury Villager.jpg|2001–2002 Villager (base) File:Mercury Villager, WAW(1).jpg|2001–2002 Villager Estate File:2002 Mercury Villager Popular, rear right, 09-27-2025.jpg|2002 Mercury Villager Popular, rear view File:Villager dash - Ra IMG 1576.jpg|1999–2002 Villager electronic dashboard Trim Abandoning the GS/LS trim nomenclature used by the previous generation, the second-generation Villager was offered in three trim levels: Villager, Villager Sport, and Villager Estate; the special-edition Nautica trim was discontinued. Externally, the standard Villager was offered in monochromatic colors or with a silver lower body; the Sport was painted with a gray lower body and received upgraded suspension settings and larger wheels and tires. The Estate was distinguished by a gold lower body, wheels, and badging. ==Sales==

From 1995 to 2001, the first-generation Mercury Villager was marketed by Chinese auto manufacturers through the use of CKD kits. Guangzhou Yunbao (today part of Dongfeng Fengshen) marketed the Yunbao YB6480; traditionally using CKD vehicles from Nissan, the YB6480 retained its Mercury badging. File:Gaodeng GDK6480 01 China 2016-03-30.jpg|Guangdong Bus Works GDK6480 (Mercury Villager) File:Gaodeng GDK6480 03 China 2016-03-30.jpg|Guangdong Bus Works GDK6480 (Mercury Villager), rear view File:Guangdong Bus Works badge.jpg|Guangdong Bus Works GDK6480 badging (below Mercury badging) == Replacement ==

In 2000, Ford and Nissan chose to end their joint venture, as both companies had commenced design work separately on their own front-wheel drive minivans. Following a shortened 2002 model year, the Ford-Nissan joint venture was concluded, with the final Mercury Villager assembled on June 27, 2002. Both Mercury and Nissan skipped the 2003 model year with minivan sales, returning for 2004. Mercury replaced the Villager with the Mercury Monterey, its first Ford-based minivan (derived from the Ford Freestar, as Ford renamed the Windstar for 2004). Taking its name from a line of Mercury sedans produced for nearly 25 years, the Monterey was developed as a direct competitor for the Chrysler Town & Country and Buick Terraza (the renamed Oldsmobile Silhouette). Coinciding with the declining sales of American-brand minivans, the Mercury Monterey struggled for market share and was discontinued alongside the Freestar after the 2007 model year. ==References==