2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 03:41PM By Nick Yost
Is it possible for a person who enjoys driving to really enjoy driving a hybrid family car once the novelty has worn off.
Until recently, I would have had to answer ‘No.’
But a week with the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, fraternal twin to the Ford Fusion Hybrid, has made me reconsider.
The Milan is not sports-sedan fun, that’s for sure, but it offers the same amount of driving pleasure as many of the conventionally powered mid-size, four- to five-passenger family sedans on the road.
It is sufficiently peppy, it is comfortable, it handles reasonably well and, in several hundred miles of driving that included two slogs through New York City, it averaged slightly more than 34 miles per gallon of regular gasoline.
Officially, the front-wheel-drive Milan Hybrid is rated at 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 on the highway, making it the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedan on the road.
On top of that, the Milan Hybrid approaches near-luxury status with leather upholstery, upscale interior trim and sophisticated electronic gadgetry that included SYNC, the voice-activated communications system; navigation with backup camera, blind-spot warning signals and a lot more.
The Milan and Fusion are new to the Ford hybrid stable this year, joining the Ford Escape and Mariner Hybrid utility vehicles and sharing their new powertrains.
A 2.5-liter, 156-horsepower gasoline engine combines with a 106-horsepower electric motor for a total of 191 horsepower. Teamed with a continuously variable transmission, that’s enough to move the Milan Hybrid from a stop to 60 mph in a respectable, but certainly not awe-inspiring, 8.7 seconds.
What’s more impressive is the fact that the Milan Hybrid can travel up to speeds of 47 mph on battery power. Around town, it’s possible to move along with slow-moving traffic on battery power alone and on the open road at legal speeds a light foot can keep the fuel economy gauge approaching the 60-mpg mark because of the assistance from the motor.
Part of the enhanced electric-only capability can be attributed to a smaller and lighter nickel-metal hydride battery that produces 20 percent more power than the previous one.
It also has a new high-efficiency converter to provide 14 percent increased output to accommodate more vehicle features.
The battery steals some space from the trunk, but the cargo area is large enough to hold a couple of sets of golf clubs or luggage for a small-family vacation.
Numerous other tweaks were employed to allow the power to transition more seamlessly between gasoline engine and electric motor so that now the change is almost unnoticeable.
Despite the fact that they do improve fuel mileage, I have never been a big fan of continuously variable automatic transmissions and that is because under heavy acceleration the engine roars like a motorboat or an airplane on takeoff.
However, the Milan Hybrid minimizes the effect through enhanced sound damping and because the engine has enough power to minimize the need for full-throttle acceleration in most circumstances.
The sedan’s drivability has been upgraded for 2010, with improvements to the power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, adjustments to the independent suspension, improved pedal feel for the four-wheel antilock disc brakes and standard 17-inch wheels.
As part of the update, the exterior of the Milan features a revised grille, fenders, hood and front and rear fascias, plus badging on the sides and rear to identify it as a hybrid.
Inside, the designers have given the Milan, a more modern, techy look with metallic finish on the instrument panel, center console, doors and steering wheel. The front bucket seats have been updated, too, to add comfort and support.
The centerpiece, of course, is the instrument panel, which can be configured to give various levels of information on fuel usage, gasoline engine and electric motor output, battery charge status and more. It can even tell the driver how much power the accessories are consuming.
A vine-like display on the right of the instrument display automatically sprouts more and more leaves as the driver maximizes fuel efficiency.
The full complement of safety equipment includes airbags for front-seat passengers and side-curtain airbags.
Base price of the Milan Hybrid is $27,500, and that includes dual-zone climate control, satellite radio, SYNC, six-speaker audio system and satellite radio.
Options, including voice-activated navigation system, backup camera, sunroof, blind-spot warning system and 12-speaker Sony sound system raise the suggested price to $33,010. Add a $725 delivery charge and the bottom line comes to $33,735 before any company discounts. Until March 31, buyers are also entitled to an $850 tax credit.
While there continue to be pros and cons on the efficacy of hybrid automobiles, I think it’s safe to say that the Milan Hybrid ranks among the most enjoyable.
Read other automotive reports by Nick Yost at http://www.examiner.com/x-2270-NY-Autos-Examiner