2001 Mercury Villager

Until Ford discontinued the brand in 2011, Mercury sat in the middle of the company’s lineup—fancier than Ford but not as luxurious as Lincoln. The brand had its heyday from the 1950s through the 1980s, with cars like the Cougar, Monterey, Montclair, and Turnpike Cruiser still commonplace at classic car shows. Nearly all recent Mercury models were based on Ford counterparts. The Mercury Milan was a gussied-up Ford Fusion and the Mercury Grand Marquis was a more comfortable take on the Ford Crown Victoria. Since the brand has been gone for many years, most Mercury vehicles will lack modern convenience and safety features, and used examples will likely have high mileage.

The Villager minivan shared a platform, including its 3.0-liter V6, with the Nissan Quest. A 1999 redesign brought a larger V6, more room, a second sliding door, and a foldable, sliding third seat. Crash-test results are not encouraging. In 2004 the Villager was replaced by the Mercury Monterey, an upscale version of the Ford Freestar powered by a noisy and unrefined 4.2-liter V6. The ride is unsettled, but handling is secure. The third-row seat folds flat into the floor, but second-row seats are too low. Fit and finish trails the class leaders. Crash-test results are impressive.