Mercury Milan
Template:Infobox automobile The Mercury Milan is a mid-size car manufactured by Ford and marketed by its Mercury division for model years 2006-2011. Taking its name from the second-largest Italian city, the Milan was a divisional counterpart and rebadged variant of the first-generation Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ/Zephyr. Serving as an entry-level model line for the brand, the Milan replaced the Mercury Sable; as the smallest Mercury, it also served as the successor for the 1990s Mercury Mystique. Produced in a single generation as a four-door sedan, the Milan was marketed in the United States (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Mexico, and the Middle East.
Introduced at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, the Milan became the best-selling Mercury line in 2008. Coinciding with the 2010 retirement of the Mercury brand by Ford, sales of the Milan ended after a shortened 2011 model year; the final vehicle was manufactured on December 17, 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web El Financiero (November 18, 2010)</ref>
Ford manufactured the Milan alongside the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ/Zephyr at its Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly facility (Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico).
Model overview
As the entry-level Mercury sedan, the Milan was marketed below the full-sized Mercury Montego and Mercury Grand Marquis. The mid-size Milan was introduced a model year after the full-size Montego as part of a model line renewal, with both sedans replacing the Sable outright and the Montego eventually serving as the successor of the Grand Marquis (its Ford Crown Victoria counterpart was moved entirely to fleet sales).
The Milan was the smallest Mercury sedan, serving as the divisional counterpart of the Ford Fusion and the Lincoln MKZ (the Lincoln Zephyr for 2006 only).
Chassis
The Milan used the Ford CD3 platform; a variant of the Mazda GG platform shared with the first-generation Ford Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ, Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. Using a steel unibody, the CD3 platform is equipped with front-wheel drive. In 2007, all-wheel drive became optional on V6-equipped models. In front, the chassis uses a short-long arm (SLA) double wishbone front suspension and an independent multi-link twist blade rear suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars.
Powertrain
During its production, the Mercury Milan shared its powertrain with the Ford Fusion. From 2006 to 2009, a 160 hp, 2.3 L, inline-four was standard, replaced by a 175 hp, 2.5 L, inline-four for 2010. A 221 hp, 3.0 L V6 was optional, with output increased to 240 hp in 2010. The Milan did not receive a counterpart of the Ford Fusion Sport, powered by a 3.5 L V6.
The four-cylinder engine was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission as standard (the first manual-transmission Mercury sedan since the 2000 Mystique), with a five-speed automatic as an option. Through its entire production, the V6 was offered solely with a six-speed automatic transmission (shared with the Fusion and Montego). For 2010, the four-cylinder engines were updated with six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions; the six-speed automatic on V6 engines was equipped for manually controlled shifting ("Select Shift").
Body
As a rebadged variant of the Ford Fusion, the Milan featured its own front and rear fascias, along with a waterfall-style grille recalling the Monterey and Montego — as well as projector headlamps, LED taillamps (extending into the trunklid), a bumper-mounted license plate and faux matte-silver or imitation wood trim
2007 changes included MILAN badging to the front doors and revised interior panels providing improved side-impact protection along with an improvement in safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. As a running change, a DVD-based navigation system became optional along with a console-mounted MP3 auxiliary jack.
Presented at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Milan received mid-cycle revisions for the 2010 model year alongside the Fusion and MKZ, including a revised tail lamps and an enlarged grille, reshaped headlamps and revised front fascia. The interior received a revised instrument panel. While not the first hybrid offered by Mercury, the 2010 Milan Hybrid marked the first Mercury hybrid offered as a sedan.
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2006 Mercury Milan Premier
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2006–2009 Mercury Milan
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2006 Mercury Milan interior
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2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
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2010 Mercury Milan Premier
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Trim
During its production, the Mercury Milan was marketed in six different trim levels, dependent on drivetrain configuration selected by the owner. The base trim levels were I4 and V6; top trim were I4 Premier and V6 Premier; V6 AWD or V6 Premier AWD.
For 2009, a VOGA special-edition option package was introduced with specific white leather seats and chrome wheels.
Safety
Tests on the 2010 Mercury Milan were conducted by NCAP (New Car Assessment Program).<ref name="HbCars">Template:Cite news</ref>
| Test's | Rating |
|---|---|
| Frontal Driver Rating | Template:Rating |
| Side Drive Rating | Template:Rating |
| Side Rear Passenger Rating | Template:Rating |
| Side Rear Passenger Rating | Template:Rating |
| Rollover 2 Wheel Drive Rating | Template:Rating |
| Rollover 4 Wheel Drive Rating | Template:Rating |
Mercury Milan Hybrid
In March 2009, the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid was introduced with the Ford Fusion Hybrid to the US market.<ref name="GreenCar0409">Template:Cite web</ref> The powertrain consists of a 156 hp Atkinson-cycle variant of the Duratec 25 gasoline engine, 106-horsepower AC synchronous electric motor, and an Aisin-produced continuously variable transmission. When driving on electric-only mode (EV mode) the Fusion can achieve 47 mph<ref name="FusionSpecs2">Template:Cite web See specs for the hybrid model</ref> and up to 2 miles of continuous EV driving.<ref name="HbCars" /> In city driving a full tank of fuel delivers Template:Convert.<ref name="NYT1208" /><ref name="NYTReview">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="FusionSpecs2" /><ref name="HbCars" /><ref name="FusionSpecs1">Template:Cite web See boxes "Gas Engine Specifications (Hybrid Model)" and "Electric Motor Specifications (Hybrid Model)"</ref> U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ratings for the Mercury Milan and Ford Fusion hybrid versions are Template:Convert for city and Template:Convert for highway.<ref name="NYT1208" /><ref name="NYTReview" />
Ford set a modest sales target of about 25,000 vehicles a year for the Fusion and Milan hybrids.<ref name = NYT1208>Template:Cite news</ref> In total, 2,884 Mercury Milan Hybrids were sold.
Sales
| Calendar Year | American sales |
|---|---|
| 2005<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 5,321 |
| 2006<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 35,853 |
| 2007 | 37,244 |
| 2008<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 31,393 |
| 2009<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 27,403 |
| 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 28,912 |
Awards
- In November 2006 Consumer Reports ranked the Milan among the most reliable family cars available in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Mercury Milan won Auto Pacific's 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for midsize cars.Template:Citation needed
- First six speed automatic transmission in the medium car class.
- 2007 Consumer Guide Recommended Mid-size Car
- 2007 J.D. Power & Associates Initial Quality Winner, Midsize Car Category<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 2007 Second Quarter U.S. Global Quality Research System study, 2nd place<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 2008 & 2009 lowest TGW ("things gone wrong") in midsize car category (analysis by RDA Group)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>