Quick, what do you think of when you think of the Nautica clothing brand? If you’re like me, your mind will soon be flooded with images of old people playing golf or some dude at a restaurant sending back some food, or maybe you imagine seeing someone frantically washing their hands after making contact with me. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why, but I just don’t have that many positive associations with Nautica. That may be why I’m so fascinated with this week’s “Mercury Monday on Tuesday” featured-vehicle, the Mercury Villager Nautica edition.
What should I talk about first here, the Villager or the Nautica trim of the Villager? I suppose the grammar of automotive names dictates that I should handle the Villager part first, so what the hell, let’s do it.
[Editor’s Note: Someday Jason will actually meet the Monday deadline for Mercury Monday. It’s meant to go up Monday because that’s the only day of the week with the same first letter as Mercury! A couple weeks ago, he even published Mercury Monday on a Friday! JT, JT… What will we do with you? -DT].Â
The Mercury Villager
The Mercury Villager was in a rare category of Mercury (one that includes another Mercury Monday machine, the Mercury Tracer) that had no Ford-badged sibling. That’s not to say the Villager was an only child; it did have a twin, but it wasn’t a Ford. It was a Nissan.
Yes, a Nissan. The Japanese carmaker had a joint venture with Ford to build a Quest minivan in a Avon Lake, Ohio plant, and along with the Quest came the re-badged and slightly re-styled Mercury Villager.
The Villager/Quest used a version of the Nissan Maxima front-wheel drive platform, though it got a Ford name, and the three-liter Nissan V6 (the same one in the 300ZX) but de-tuned down to about 150 hp. One nice consequence of the detuning, which was presumably accomplished cia a lower compression ratio, is that the engine became a non-interference design, so you can really ignore the crap out of those timing belts.
Was the Quest/Villager a good minivan? Eh, it was fine. Really, its Zodiac sign would have been Adequa, a water sign represented by a guy sitting on a couch holding a beer and making the teeter-totter like so-so hand gesture. They’re compatible with um, Capricorns and the one that’s the goat eating a can.
It wasn’t as quick or roomy as a Chrysler Town and Country, and it only had a sliding door on one side, like the Ford Windstar, at least in its first generation. The interior was fairly flexible, and it had at least one novel exterior styling detail: a front light bar.
Mercury also used the front light bar on their Sable re-badge of the Ford Taurus, and while these were novel, only now, in our golden age of cheap and plentiful LEDs are we really seeing a flowering of front light bars. Still, I think we can say Mercury was a bit ahead of their time with this one.
Some of Mercury’s early ads for the Villager revolved around a made-up competitor headed by a very thin-skinned and vindictive CEO, fed up with his executive team of do-nothing, sycophantic drips. Here, look:
See what I mean? I feel like I’ve seen companies do similar sorts of strawman-bashing ads, making up fake, miserable competitors that they can easily feel superior to. Now that I think about it, that Gen X cultural touchstone, the Wendy’s “where’s the beef” ad, was very much in this category:
Seriously, what the fuck is up with this ad? Why did everyone go so nuts over it? Wendy’s is comparing its to an absurd nightmare it just made up. No fast food chain was designed like a purgatorial office complex, with a maze of cubicles surrounded by walls the color of feckless regret. That wasn’t a thing.
And besides, even if such a chain were real, the cain is very clear about what its focus is: a big bun. The lone piece of signage in that strange restaurant is a sign that reads HOME OF THE BIG BUN, so, really, those three dowagers shouldn’t be so fucking surprised. It’s the home of the Big Bun. You got a big bun. Calm down.
I’ve gone off the rails here, sorry. Let’s cleanse our cerebral palettes with this commercial for a second-generation Villager, one that shows the flexible interior to nice effect:
These were fine, I’m sure they served many families with quiet dignity and loyalty over the years, but if you meet someone who claims to be super into Mercury Villagers, I suggest you rip off the latex human mask they’re undoubtedly wearing, exposing their reptillian alien head, because no real human is going to say those words and you best get out of there before they inject you with their venom and feast upon your rapidly-liquifying entrails.
Let’s Talk Nautica
Now, the one version of a Villager that you just might notice or remember is the one I’m supposed to be talking about right now, the Nautica edition. Of course, clothing label special editions for cars weren’t anything new; Volkswagen and AMC both had jeans-inspired editions back in the 1970s, and both companies continued on to produce more high-end fashion designer editions as well. Plenty of companies did. It was A Thing. So it’s not really all that strange that Mercury sought out a fashion partner, too.
And, I’ll be honest: is Nautica really any weirder than a Gucci AMC Hornet or a Bill Blass Lincoln? Probably not. But the Nautica Villager is the one that reminds me most of a shoe. Specifically, this shoe:
I saw these shoes on people approximately infinite times from 1980-1999 or so. I think it’s possible some people wore up to six of them at once, though we didn’t all have ubiquitous cameras with us at all times back then so I can’t prove it. These shoes were often worn to a degree where they looked like a rhino scrotum held together with leather laces that, either by design or just out of spite, refused to stay tied.
The people who wore these were many and varied, but not that varied. If they wore them without socks, they were slightly more likely, statistically, to be douchebags. And, yes, it was also likely these shoes would be paired with other clothing, or perhaps bedding, from Nautica.
I think it’s a combination of the vaguely boat-like associations with the shoe and the white sole, which matches with the Nautica Villager’s white lower body cladding and white wheels, that make the association so strong for me.
So what exactly did you get with your Nautica Villager? It was an appearance/interior package, with no drivetrain or performance changes, at least none I’ve ever been aware of. I suppose it’s possible they adjusted the throttle mapping to be more responsive to deck shoes with no socks, compensating for foot-sweat slippage against the rubber, but I can’t prove that.
What you got were those aforementioned white wheels and white body cladding, a yellow pinstripe, blue-and-white color scheme, and other options that came after 1996, but before 1999, when the second-gen Villager appeared, with its waterfall grille, no light bar, and second sliding door, but that’s when the Nautica trim disappeared into the vast blue sea.
The Nautica had three rows of seats with non-swiveling captains’ chairs in the second row, and all in blue leather with white inserts and the Nautica ship logo embroidered on the seatbacks. Oh, the floormats were branded, too. And, of course, the all-important Nautica decal on the rear.
Best of all, it came with a luggage set that included a special yellow Nautica duffel bag, an item which, when found in pristine condition, routinely sells in the high five figures at auction.
Just kidding! Nobody is paying shit for a 25 year old duffel bag. I mean, I hope they aren’t.
Now, personally, I feel that the Minivan Stigma is bullshit. Minivans are fantastic vehicles, wildly useful and potentially even fun, and people who shun them because they think they’re somehow seeming cooler in a crossover (they’re not) are delusional pawns of Big Insecurity.
That said, I can’t think of a better way to really push an otherwise forgettable minivan into the arms of dipshittery than to slather it in branding from a company that describes themselves like this:
Our story starts in 1983. Founder and designer, David Chu, had one clear vision: bring the inspiration of the sea to everyday style across the world. Starting with only six outerwear styles. he grew Nautica into a renowned global lifestyle brand with over 35 categories in more than 65 countries. Today, we continue to be defined by our original vision of reimagined nautical style. With a refreshed take on our heritage, we create high-quality fashion that delivers versatility and comfort.
Does this really count as “inspiration of the sea?” I’ve been to seafood places, I know what real “inspiration from the sea” should look like:
You guys really should have asked me first.
Agreed. The shoes are great and kick ass for durability and quality.
The vans? Not so much…
I’m cool with Mercury Monday appearing a few days late, as long as JT actually proofreads it.
If Mercury Monday occurs on Friday, is it 4 days late or 3 days early?
I could never own anything Nautica because of the ubiquity of their sickly-sweet obnoxious cologne at local live-music events in the 90s. I suppose I should let that go, but the demeanor of those wearing it-and their clothes-at the time makes the brand a hard pass for me
I’ve been looking forward to the Villager’s turn for Merc Monday; I developed an odd appreciation for it and the Quest.
The Villager was positioned slightly upscale but wouldn’t call it on the level of the Chrysler T&C, which only came nearly-loaded then. You could get a Villager with wheel covers and no privacy glass just like a cheapo Chrysler van. Outside it was almost as big as the Grands but sized like the short-length ones on the inside, so Villager/Quest weren’t a match sizewise, but at the time it was the closest anyone had yet come to the conventional Chrysler formula. Every other van was RWD-based, save the Dustbusters which were even less space-efficient, and underpowered their first couple years. So “the minivan that drives like a car” spiel in the other ads weren’t really inaccurate. And against the Chryslers, they had a standard V6, with as much power as the optional 3.3 (at least in ’93).
The 2nd gen however was phoned in. They tacked a few inches on the back, a bit more engine displacement, and a 2nd sliding door, but at that point everyone had powered at least one slider, and Toyota rolled in with the Sienna if you didn’t want a big van which was a better van in practically every way – not to mention the new Odyssey the same year that was the first import-brand van to really match the Grand Chryslers. Ford didn’t care because they had the Windstar, Nissan couldn’t really afford to care.
Some of the Villager training videos (yes, I’ve gotten that deep into it) mentioned it had some of the highest owner loyalty rate in the segment, and that the owners often skewed more toward couples a little older with no children or older or grown kids, so not the ‘young family’ type. But then, once crossovers started to really take hold, that’s where those buyers started going.
So that was more non-Nautica specific, but anyway, seen through the lens of an extension of a sedan or wagon rather than pure van, the Villager/Quest made more sense than it might seem. I wish more compact/short-length vans had stuck around as alternatives to the crossover craze. But the segment was moving quick and Chrysler was just a step ahead of everyone while being cheaper.
Also potential trivia fact: I believe the Villager/Quest were the only vans to use a non-airbag passive restraint system, from 1993-95.
They had the motorized ‘mouse’ belts on intro and got a driver’s airbag a year later for 1994, but probably didn’t need to use motorized belts either way. Since minivans were light trucks and didn’t need to meet the same deadlines for passive restraint systems as passenger cars: by 1994, either dual airbags, or motorized or door-mount seatbelts for front seat occupants. But by doing so they could advertise “meets all federal passenger car safety standards” without an airbag.
The first guy I ever dated drove one of these (when he wasn’t driving his mom’s Suzuki Forenza). Well it was the Nissan Quest. But who’s counting. I never rode in it, but I remember that it had no ac, no heat, and the transmission couldn’t change up past third gear. Oh, and the rear suspension that literally was just a bar with a spring on either end, which was clearly visible from behind.
That Wendy’s commercial gained fame because of the obnoxiously cute Clara Peller, but the corporate-cubicle aesthetic you reference is a style choice aping Apple’s “1984” spot, aka the most famous commercial ever. They want to make the competition- duh, McDonald’s- look like soulless minions of orthodoxy.
I’m still waiting for Chevy’s Tom Ford Suburban.
Another clothing company that had a strange car tie-in was Sisley, there was a Fiat panda Sisley, like this one.
https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1990-fiat-panda-4×4-sisley-4XlXR4
The fact that I live in Northumberland and that looks suspiciously like my road is entirely co-incidental!
There was a vacant lot near me that inexplicably had a a flock of Nissan Quests and possibly some Mercury Villagers for _years_.
At some point all of the cars were supposedly “stolen” and now the lot is empty…
My dad had a pair of those shoes, except his were brown with a tan sole…
“but if you meet someone who claims to be super into Mercury Villagers, I suggest you rip off the latex human mask they’re undoubtedly wearing, exposing their reptillian alien head, because no real human is going to say those words”
I mean, they *might*, but if they do, it would likely be in regards to the previous wearers of the nameplate, which were the wagon versions of various Mercury models. However, should they actually be talking about the minivan, they are undoubtedly a pod-person and a generous distance should be kept from them, lest you too become an enthusiast of a vehicle that has the sex appeal of a milk jug
At last! The Villager Nautica! My buddy’s mom had TWO of these – either back to back or simultaneously, I can’t remember which – and yeah, he would wear those shoes with no socks, jeans, and a button-down shirt with rolled up sleeves tucked into jeans that were held up by a NAUTICA BELT! You know the one I mean – mostly leather but with that damn Nautica pattern. I can’t embed a picture but if you Google image search “nautica belt pattern” it’s the very first couple of photos. You know the one I mean.
Anyway yeah they were insufferable boat owning yuppies so this whole story was a fantastic call back to senior year of high school. Good times!
Nissan was/is a highly-regarded brand in many Latin-American countries. Which also meant that folks from those places knew how to fix Nissans. And when such folks emigrated to the US, they brought their love and knowledge of Nissan with them.
Villagers and Quests were immensely popular with Latin American expats, at least around here, and I was still seeing quite a few of them until about 5 years ago, when they all seemed to disappear at once.
“Now, personally, I feel that the Minivan Stigma is bullshit. Minivans are fantastic vehicles, wildly useful and potentially even fun, and people who shun them because they think they’re somehow seeming cooler in a crossover (they’re not) are delusional pawns of Big Insecurity.”
SSSH!!
That stigma is the only thing keeping used minivan prices as cheap as they are! If the insecure crowd were to embrace them as the fantastic vehicles they are there won’t be any left for us cheap bastards.
My favorite experience with a car that looks like a shoe was several years ago when, on a business trip, I rented a yellow Hyundai Veloster. A co-worker pointed out that it strongly resembled one of Mickey Mouse’s shoes, and after that I could not un-see it.
At the time, Nautica wasn’t yet the outlet mall fashion brand it would become in the 2000s. It had about the same cache as Bill Blass did in the ’80s…a slightly faded but still recognizable to many name brand. Nautica tried to channel the preppy ethos of the ’80s but add a neon/energy drink ’90s buzz by focusing on the racing side of the sailing life.
So not surprising that Mercury would see a synergy with it…much of the description above (faded but people knew it existed) applied to Mercury in the ’90s!
Speaking of preppy dipshits, but wasn’t there a Ford Eddie Bauer package as well? Like, last-gen Broncos and some early Explorers, maybe? The main difference would be that those guys were fake campers instead of fake boaters.
The Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition was available for many years, from the first gen through the fourth gen ending in 2010, as far as I know.
Believe that’s right. My father had a 2010 Explorer Eddie Bauer edition…mostly it meant it had a two tone (tan wheel arches, mainly) paint job and (inexplicably) chrome-look wheels.
Outdoorsy I guess, ala Phyrkrakr_’s point.
Expedition kept it til 2010 too.
Aerostar and Excursion also had EB versions, and F-150 for a couple years.
And…Taurus X, which I was reminded of when I spotted one the other day. Probably the only FWD/car-based Ford to have an EB-trim.
Taurus X – wow, you pulled that one out of a hat! I’d totally forgotten about that car. It was the Freestyle, rebadged when they did the Five Hundred, right?
Yup, when Five Hundred was rechristened Taurus, the Freestyle became the Taurus X. The one I happened upon was in a parking lot, and I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I saw one. Based on sales figures they are less common than I expected. I think I still see more Freestyles, which due to being all CVT I’m usually surprised to see at all.
I saw a actual Five Hundred the other night, which made me wonder: which is more rare, a Five Hundred or the Taurus-rebadged Five Hundred?
It’s a little weird how few you ever see of something so relatively recent, but I suspect that speaks to why it got canceled so fast, given how Ford usually hangs onto models for a long time.
Amazing it lasted that much longer than the Town Car Cartier Edition – that one ended way back in 2003. Though, probably not entirely by choice, Cartier might have just had enough of their name being screen printed on the face of a Chinese quartz clock stuffed into a plasticy dash (I mean, Town Cars always had cheap interiors, but Ford had done a better job of disguising the cheapness earlier on, by the 2000s, they were done pretending).
The only shoe I associate in my mind with vans like that are blindingly white tennis shoes. On people that clearly don’t play tennis. Then there’s gotta be the blue jeans and a tucked in polo shirt, Nautica branded in this case I suppose!
The Villager Nautica had to have come about because of the success of varied Ford Eddie Bauer editions, right? It’s just a shame they didn’t take it a step further to the Sable Nautica wagon that should have existed, and maybe does in an alternate universe where John Hughes’s career didn’t taper off in the mid-90’s, and it was absolutely necessary as the family car of choice for the sort of restrained affluent family that probably doesn’t actually really exist.
In fairness, Clark does drive a Taurus-based Family Truckster in Christmas Vacation. So a Sable version might exist too…
Imagine yourself in a Mercury…Tracer Nautica.
At about the same time, Jeep rolled out the Orvis edition Grand Cherokee too. At first I was going to say imagine a Mountaineer Nautica, but those images seem at odds with one another and by the time the Mountaineer came out the Nautica Villager had just a couple years left anyway.
Speaking of fashion designers doing things automotive:
https://kyushashoes.com/courregeswheelstribute/
Hard to get any more Radwood, so to speak, than those. Damn shame all those wheels are made of unobtainum.
Damn, some of those are weird. Mostly not my style, but they are definitely of the time, and kinda cool because of that. Thanks for posting them
For a car that I despised down to the very root of my soul as a teenager, I have an odd amount of positive memories with the non-nautica version of these, a green-ish ’93 Mercury villager in the basest trim and precisely zero option boxes checked (if there were any to begin with). My first drive was in one, although as soon as that was out of the way, I was immediately taught to drive stick in what became my daily, a ’91 Mitsubishi galant that (even brand-new) burned more oil than any two-stroke I’ve ever encountered. The best thing about the Mercury was the oddly cool digital dash, followed by the extremely stout interior door grab bars, with which I would brace myself for taking every single corner as quickly as possible. It later became a joke among my friends and non-parental family that seeing me grab the bar was cause enough for a small adrenaline rush because I drove that van within an inch of it’s (and probably my passengers’) lives. Lots of ski trips, close calls with the cops, and the usual teenage shenanigans of the boy-girl type of which I was once caught by my parents (on the way to church) by them asking why the back seats had been removed. I made up some lie that at the time I thought I got away with, but looking back they very obviously knew exactly what was going on.
Little did I know that when the day of my dreams came and the villager finally needed enough work that my tightwad father would replace it, that its replacement would be even worse…a light blue 2000-something Kia minivan so unremarkable that I can’t even remember the model name.
Those vans reminded me of a shoe as well, but for me it was the goofy looking Fila shoes that I wore when I played on my elementary school’s 4th grade basketball team (Go Wildcats!). I think it’s the plastic cladding that both the shoes and the vans had in such abundance that did it… and the fact that they existed in the same brief era.
Replying to my own comment here to add a link to a picture… just in case the inclusion of a URL disturbs the delicate sensibilities of the commenting system and sends it to “awaiting moderation” purgatory.
“It’s meant to go up Monday because that’s the only day of the week with the same first letter as Mercury!”
You could look at it this way: every day of the week has the same *last* letter as Mercury.
I always have a bit of nostalgia with the Quest/Villager – it was the first badge engineering I ever noticed as a young gearhead, between two seemingly unrelated companies too! I felt like Sherlock Holmes comparing the taillights. I’m sure after walking past like 3 Geo Prizm Corollas lol.
This and the Eddie Bauer Bronco and Explorer. My grandfather had a 1990 Eddie Bauer Bronco – complete with tan on tan on tan interior.
I have three pairs of that very same shoe, in different shades of brown/tan. I feel that – in this case – Sperry would have been a better partnership than Nautica.
I currently have 2 pairs of Sperrys, one for working in the garage and mowing the lawn and the other for wearing out and about (breaking many hearts along the way, obviously). Fantastic shoes. 10/10