2002 Mercury Villager: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Unchanged for 2002, except for treating option packages as distinct models, Villager is a design twin to the Nissan Quest. Current versions of both end production after the 2002 model year. Villager offers Value, Popular, Sport, Sport Plus, Estate, and Estate Premium models. All have a 3.3-liter V6, 4-speed automatic transmission, dual sliding rear side doors, and a 3-person 3rd-row bench seat that slides on floor tracks. Sports and Estates include 2nd-row buckets, others a 2-person middle bench. Side airbags and power doors aren't available. ABS is optional for Value and Sport, standard elsewhere. Sports and Estates have 16-inch wheels instead of 15s. A rear video-entertainment system is a no-charge option for Quest, an extra-cost item on the Villager Sport Plus and Estate Premium.

COMPETITION

Though the competition has heated up, we feel that the new Dodge Caravan is still one of the best minivans you can buy. It offers all of the creature comforts in a pleasing package at a fair price. Our other Best Buy is the Honda Odyssey. It's a little bit smaller than the Dodge, but more sporty to drive, and it has a super-convenient flip-and-fold-away rear seat.

Trailing at a close second are the Recommended Chevy Venture and Toyota Sienna. Though these vans are comparably priced and offer loads of neat features, we feel they can't match the road manners of our two Best Buys. Also garnering Recommended ratings are the Chrysler Town & Country and Chrysler Voyager. Though they are mechanically similar to the class-leading Caravan, they don't offer the breadth of model choices.