still at the front of the pack. Our test GS benefitted from wider all-season

performance tires that come with Package 692A, along with stiffer shocks and a rear

stabilizer bar included with the $85 uplevel suspension. The result is a minivan that

hugs snaking backroads and keeps its cool during emergency maneuvers better than any

save Chrysler's.

Villagers with the uplevel suspension also ride firmly yet comfortably, despite

carriage-style leaf springs and a beam axle in back. Stops are also short and

unspectacular, despite rear drums instead of the discs on such newer competitors as

Ford's Windstar.

Villager's Nissan-built V6 is another strong point. While it's smaller and less potent

than the ones available in Chrysler vans--let alone the 200-hp V6 offered in this

year's Windstar--canted valves and overhead camshafts help it move this small van

briskly, smoothly and quietly.

We also found the electronically-controlled 4-speed automatic transmission to be both

smooth and responsive. Like most of Ford's other automatics, its column shifter

includes a handy button at the end of the lever for locking out overdrive to provide a

little extra oomph for passing or going up steep hills.

Extended drives also revealed some interior details that haven't stood the test of

time. Flush-mounted switches that are hard to find and tough to tell apart are our

biggest gripe. Examples include feel-alike buttons for the optional power driver's

seat and rear wiper and washer. You have to look at them to use them, which is out of

step with the new age of tactile differentiation in switches and other secondary

controls.

Climate control dials are mounted above the more frequently used radio controls, and

both require a long reach to the center. You'll also find the small buttons for the

climate modes hard to find while moving.

One set of switches that has improved are the larger tabs and beefier buttons for the

radio. And as always, Villagers offer separate controls for climate as well as audio

volume and tuning for center-seat passengers. Parents take note: You can lock out

those audio controls from up front. Who says we've lost control of our kids?