Top search on Ford's Cash-for-Clunkers site is... the Mercury Milan?
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid - Click above for high-res gallery
On June 25, Ford launched its "Recycle Your Ride" website. The site is an easy guide to determine if your vehicle is eligible for Cash-for-Clunkers, and which Ford family vehicles are a good fit as a replacement. So far, Ford says it's had over 250,000 potential customers fill out the short form, and surprisingly, the modest-selling Mercury Milan is in a statistical dead heat with the Ford Fusion for the top replacement vehicle chosen.
To test out the site, we chose a 1997 Ford F-150 with a 4.6-liter V8 engine. Ford's site brought up 16 vehicles eligible for the $4,500 incentive, including the Focus, Escape, Mariner, Taurus, Fusion and Milan. The picking-up-sales-steam Fusion and the underrated Milan currently account for 30% of overall selections, and Ford tells us that the public is split right down the middle on which vehicle they prefer.
While it's quite surprising that the Milan is garnering as much attention as the more popular Fusion, the real proof is in the sales data. We're guessing that the Milan won't outperform the Fusion's 19,000 June sales any time soon.
[Source: Ford]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
DiRF 7:05PM (7/10/2009)
Well, granted, some may prefer the more sedate appearance of the Milan, along with the perceived higher level of refinement that Mercury may or may not still have with the American people...
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Jim 7:41PM (7/10/2009)
I guess perception is reality to some people; the interior is identical between the Milan and Fusion...
nrb 12:07AM (7/11/2009)
The Milan gives you more features for your dollar than the Fusion and it looks a little more sophisticated. That's going to appeal to the old guy wanting to cash in his Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis.
pcsario 4:18AM (7/11/2009)
That would be a negative.
Anyway, about Mercury "giving you more for your buck", they're no longer priced that closely with Fords.
PJ 12:08PM (7/11/2009)
I don't know how much value some of today's consumers perceive the Mercury badge to add, but historically, Mercury has never really had an identity. Ford launched it from scratch (i.e. not bought up, as Lincoln was) in 1939, when the price gap between Fords and Lincolns was enormous, and intended Mercury to be a kind of "entry-level Lincoln." Trouble was, *Lincoln* started making entry-level Lincolns not long after that, so Mercury was nudged down the FoMoCo heirarchy and became the line of fake-fancy Fords we're used to.
I think their last car worth mentioning was the '68 Cougar (which at least had a stretched wheelbase vs. the Mustang).
Tyler 7:06PM (7/10/2009)
Are the Milan's even selling? I haven't seen one on the road yet but I've seen plenty of the new Fusions.
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Farmboy 9:24PM (7/10/2009)
I've seen one or two on the road. The first one I saw was red, and I thought it was a Buick. Then I realized it was a Mercury and thought to myself, "Damn. That actually is really good looking."
Vizel 2:24AM (7/11/2009)
Okay, I know we usually only make fun of Korean makers "Copying" other makers, but I'm SERIOUSLY seeing a Nissan Altima Copy here, with a different, uglier grill, (actually with the other nissan grills of other models) does anyone else agree with me?
http://autos.yahoo.com/2009_nissan_altima_hybrid
Tang 7:10PM (7/10/2009)
It's a shame, I think the Milan looks better.
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pmalik 7:21PM (7/10/2009)
I don't get it, the front on the milan is pretty fugly... it looks like the previous generation with down syndrome.
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xtasi 7:23PM (7/10/2009)
@pmalik: that tells you how turned off people are about the Fusion.
I like the Fusion, except for the grill. I'm definitely looking at the Milan Hybrid.
Jim 7:40PM (7/10/2009)
"that tells you how turned off people are about the Fusion."
stop assuming everyone else shares your opinion. Fusion sales jumped 26% with the 2010 model, and they're averaging $1800 higher sale prices as well. I already see tons of the 2010 Fusion around me, though I live in Metro Detroit so I admit the sample is biased.
Aki 7:31PM (7/10/2009)
Until seeing this pic, I didn't even know Milans had a revised front end. Haven't seen any Milans on the road, have seen a lot of newer Fusions lately.
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mr.ed 7:54PM (7/10/2009)
It's still a 2004 Mazda6 hecho in Mexico. Strangely, all the US versions are made there, while the Mazda was made in Flat Rock M along I-75I by the UAW.
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Jim 8:43PM (7/10/2009)
"It's still a 2004 Mazda6"
no it isn't. Educate yourself on what "platform" actually means before you go on spewing garbage.
Hint: a "platform" is *not* a bin of parts.
mr.ed 10:20PM (7/10/2009)
The floor pans, around which the body is added, and virtually all the mechanical parts, including the steering and suspension are basically identical throughout. Example: The Ford Edge and its mechanical sisters from Mazda and Lincoln. A few details, such as AWD and shock rates differ from the Mazda.
AM 8:06PM (7/10/2009)
ntil i read this I had never heard of a 'Milan'. Seeing the picture makes me wish I still hadn't heard of it. I'd keep the clunker.
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Farmboy 9:24PM (7/10/2009)
I tried the "Recycle Your Ride" website, and I was very impressed. It works well and is so easy too. Milan actually is a bit of a looker. It reminds me of a Buick but is still just a Fusion, only not horribly rebadged :/. It is odd though. People b**** and moan about how Mercury is just a Ford, but I have sat in Fords and Mercuries countless times and Mercury is much more comfortable in the seats and in the feel of the car itself. (Plus I love Mercury tail lights). So it is odd, but not a true surprise. Ford has a hot set of midsized cars. Fusion in the Top 10 sales, MKZ recently redesigned, and this Milan, all with superior technology and style.
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Frank 12:11AM (7/11/2009)
Buy the Mazda it is the same car under the upper skin (CD3 Platform) the big difference is the Mazda is assembled in Detroit where the Ford is assembled in Mexico. I would be surprised if the Mazda didn't have better resale and the model change is a year sooner than the Ford. Lots of dummies buy this car thinking it keeps U.S. autoworkers working. Another argument is where the profits go. . .I say what profits?? Ford is in solid red numbers when it comes to profits. Like I said , if you like this thing then buy the Mazda.
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Jim 4:51AM (7/11/2009)
"Buy the Mazda"
no.
"the Mazda is assembled in Detroit"
Flat Rock is not Detroit.
"Lots of dummies buy this car thinking it keeps U.S. autoworkers working."
As opposed to dummies like you who forget the people in Dearborn?
"Like I said , if you like this thing then buy the Mazda."
I'll buy what I want, thank you.