2000 Mercury Villager Review (continued)
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Walkaround

Mercury's sole minivan has a unique family tree. When the family-wagon craze took Ford by surprise in the early 1990s, the company turned to Nissan to help design the Mercury Villager and its cousin, the Nissan Quest. In exchange for the Nissan-based platform and drivetrain, Ford provided a factory in northeast Ohio to build both the Mercury Villager and the Nissan Quest.

Villager and Quest have proven that blended families can produce great offspring. This new second-generation Villager offers a more practical, flexible interior with increased power to satisfy drivers who might be looking at sport-utility vehicles.

All Villagers use a 3.3-liter V6 engine that provides 170 horsepower. For 2000, the engine meets California's strict LEV (Low Emissions Vehicle) requirements, making it one of the cleanest minivans on the market. An electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission takes care of the shifting.

One body style is offered. Two sliding doors allow easy entry for rear-seat passengers, while a rear liftgate provides access to the cargo area. The Villager Sport we drove came with a full complement of options, including a six-disc CD changer, leather seats, for an as-tested price of $27,075.

Interior Features

Flexibility is the mantra of the minivan customer and Mercury is humming the same chant. Between the number of doors it offers and the number of seating positions, we're confident that the Villager won't leave many owners wanting for usability.

From the driver's seat, the Villager offers a sweeping view of the road ahead. The view out the back isn't bad, either. The Villager's cabin is glassy and tall, giving a commanding view all around. The bucket seats in the first and second rows are shaped correctly for long-haul drives, and the doors have armrests at the proper height.

The second and third rows of seats are the Villager's prime asset. The second-row bucket seats tip forward for easy access to the third bench. They can also be removed for a large cargo area. The third-row bench can be moved forward into one of six positions on a track that permits nearly five feet of movement front to rear. Behind the third-row bench, an adjustable shelf offers three vertical positions and holds 30 pounds, a nice idea that adds versatility.

This year's Villager has the latest child-seat anchoring system, which the government will require of all vehicles within a few years. However, the integrated child-seat option from last year has been deleted.

Instrumentation is complete and well designed. Radio, climate controls and rear-wiper buttons are conveniently placed and well marked. The CD changer, located below the radio and climate control stack, is out of the way, but can be reached without getting out of the car. Some of the gray and black plastics in the Villager aren't the finest we've seen, but overall the Villager's interior is a fine place from which to pilot the family.

Two clever features could fit in the palm of a kid's hand. The visor-mounted garage door remote has three programmable buttons that eliminate the need for a clunky clip-on opener. On the same driver visor is a voice note recorder, which stores about a minute's worth of messages. You can leave yourself little verbal notes -- Milk, eggs, and butter" -- or, as we did, pit your vocal abilities against Sheryl Crow's and play it back for unlucky passengers."