What is it?
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
What's special about it?
As goes the Ford Fusion, so goes the Mercury Milan.
And that brings us to the brand-spankin'-new 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid. Shown alongside the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid at the Los Angeles auto show, the Milan Hybrid will be the mechanically identical twin to the Ford-brand entry.
This means the front-drive Milan sedan will be powered by an Atkinson-cycle 2.5-liter inline-4 gasoline-fueled engine mated to a continuously variable transmission and supplemented by an electric motor, a nickel-metal hydride battery and regenerative braking capability.
If Mercury's projections turn out to be correct, the car should return about 39 mpg in the EPA's city-driving test. This amounts to 6 mpg more compared to the larger Toyota Camry Hybrid. That city-driving efficiency figure is nearly the equal of Honda's Civic Hybrid. Further, Mercury says the Milan Hybrid can be driven on pure electric power up to 47 mph, a considerably higher speed than other hybrids currently on the market.
Like the Fusion Hybrid, the Milan Hybrid comes with what the company calls SmartGauge, which is a pair of reconfigurable LCD screens on either side of the analog speedometer. A host of information can be displayed on the screens, including average and instant fuel-economy readouts, fuel and battery charge level indicators, a tachometer and engine and battery output readouts. And providing a bit of the gee-whiz factor is an "efficiency leaves" display on which leaves and vines appear to grow on the screen to reward efficient driving habits.
If Mercury's pricing strategy for the Mariner Hybrid SUV is any guide, figure the Milan Hybrid will cost somewhere around $5,000 more than a standard four-cylinder Milan. It goes on sale in spring 2009.
Inside Line says: Maybe you would like a stylized waterfall badge on your hybrid sedan? Maybe you'd prefer an oval instead? Either way, Ford Motor Company has you covered. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
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