In a first for the minivan segment, the model line replaced a removable rear seat with a design that was repositionable (dependent on passenger or cargo use).

Following the demise of Edsel, Mercury reintroduced the Villager nameplate for the 1962 model year as part of the Comet compact series.

At the beginning of 1988, Ford and Nissan entered a joint venture to develop an all-new minivan sold by both automakers.

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.

[1] Along with deriving the front lightbar grille from the Sable, the Villager adopted its two-way liftgate (hatchback rear window) from the station wagon.

[2] 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.

The Villager uses MacPherson struts for the front suspension and leaf springs for the solid rear axle.

[7] In line with Eddie Bauer-edition Ford vehicles (including the Aerostar minivan), the trim denoted the namesake clothing company.

Externally denoted by a blue-and-white color scheme (with a yellow pinstripe), the Nautica was fitted with multi-color leather seats (blue with white inserts); a complimentary luggage set included Nautica-designed duffel bags.

Carried over from the previous generation, the Ford VX54 platform underpinned the second-generation Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest, sharing its 112.2-inch wheelbase.

[10] Retuned for a softer ride,[11] the second-generation Villager retained its suspension configuration from the previous generation, including front MacPherson struts and a rear beam axle.

For 1999, the 3.3L VG33E V6 replaced the previous 3.0L V6; producing 170 hp,[10] the engine was shared with Nissan light trucks and SUVs in the United States.

In contrast to its competitors (except the Chrysler Town & Country), the second-generation Villager/Quest was sold solely with two sliding doors, abandoning the previous single side-door configuration.

Carrying over the reconfigurable 3rd-row seat design from the previous generation,[11] the cargo area was revised with the addition of a removable parcel shelf.

[13] As a $1,295 option, a rear-seat entertainment system was introduced, including a flip-down LCD screen connected to a VCR or video-game console.

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).

[19] Through its passenger car division, Guangdong Bus Works produced the GDK6480; with nearly all assembly completed in the United States, only a few parts were added to the vehicle in China.

A third generation of the Quest was developed and manufactured by Nissan in the United States (derived from the Maxima), while Mercury replaced the Villager with the Monterey, a counterpart of the Freestar (as Ford had renamed the Windstar), intended to compete directly against the Chrysler Town & Country.