The Ford’s hybrid lineup entering the 2010 new car model year with The Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid including the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids. Delivered technology solutions for affordable midsize sedan in fuel economy, the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrids offering consumers more fuel-efficient vehicle choices. Completed by Ford’s SmartGauge with EcoGuide, a unique instrument cluster execution that helps coach them on how to optimize performance of their hybrid, the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid also offers drivers a way to be more connected to the hybrid driving experience. For sophisticated consumers looking for a stylish hybrid, the all new Milan now offers them the most fuel-efficient hybrid sedan in its class.
The Milan is equipped with the standard vertical bar grille shared by the rest of the Mercury line-up, but there’s more to making a Mercury than a bit of rhinoplasty and a new set of badges. Make the jump to find out what they are. At the front, the Milan’s new nose is a bit more rounded than its predecessor, with the area surrounding the grille now standing out a bit from the bumper and flowing smoothly into the hood. Instead of the power dome found on the Fusion, the Milan has two chamfered edges that extend back to the base of the A-pillars. The new headlights actually appear closer to those found on the previous Fusion, with a taller, narrower stacked appearance compared to the 2009 Milan. At the rear, the shape of the tail-lights is basically the same, although the details of the cluster design are changed. The back bumper is more smoothly integrated, with less visual offset from the rest of the body. Even with the major refresh for the 2010 model year, the basic profile of the Milan and Fusion hasn’t really changed, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Because Americans have largely forsaken coupe and wagon body styles for cars over the past two decades, the Milan, like most other mainstream cars, is now only available in a four-door sedan.
Positioned as an upscale alternative to the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury’s Milan Hybrid promises to offer plenty of cabin space and luxury in a fuel-efficient package. In the command position, the Milan has the same interior as the Fusion again, a good thing in our experience. Even on the pre-production example we sampled, everything was tightly screwed together with nice soft-touch materials and logically laid out controls. The front seats are very comfortable and supportive, covered in fabric made from 100% post-industrial recycled materials. Unlike many other cars in its class, the Milan’s front seat lower cushions aren’t excessively short and provide decent thigh support.
The Mercury Milan Hybrid powered by new 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine (155 horsepower/136 lb.-ft. of torque) running the proven Atkinson cycle mated to an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission or e-CVT and has a nickel metal hydride battery pack that stores electricity generated by the brakes and the gas engine, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder in this case. The electricity is used to power a 106 horsepower motor, which is used to get the car going from a start and drive it at low-to-moderate speeds. The transmission is also similar to that used by Toyota, a virtual, continuously variable transmission that gives the driver limited options for control–merely drive, low, and reverse. But we have no complaints about the capability of the transmission to step down its ratios when we wanted power.This system lets the Milan Hybrid get an EPA-rated 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg highway.
Source: AutoBlog
