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Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid

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Comments

  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Yes - we've been through this in gory detail already. As long as you have a purchase agreement dated prior to 4/1 and you take delivery based on that purchase agreement then you're eligible for the full $3400. The IRS example even talks about purchasing the vehicle in September but not taking delivery until January which matches the order scenario.
  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    Thanks guys. I did not get the $660 the financial guy said nothing was available for the 2010. I wonder if that is all true or not?

    Well my first 14 mile drive from the dealership in rush hour on the DC beltway. I received 39 mpg without doing anything special, twice my MKZ. I must admit it is fun keeping the vehicle in EV mode. Especially while sitting and going down hills. I was able to keep it in EV at 42 mph on a level road for a few miles until I caught a light.

    My favorite feature all ready? The blind spot monitoring. Just look in your mirror, and if you see a yellow arrow something is next to you. It even showed up when a motorcycle was next to me. I used that most of the way home on the beltway.

    Cool to get a text message on the screen while driving. It has a 20 gig drive so next I upload all my MP3's and set up play lists. The Nav is cool also with the gas prices, movie listing, traffic all available via voice commands.

    At first I thought the ride was a little noisy compared to my ex-MKZ but I do not notice any real difference. The ride was smooth and quiet. There was plenty of power on the beltway.

    So far so good!
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Great info, Bigt - I'm looking at it to replace my ES300, you're getting me very interested!
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    I called my salesman today to see if they also got their first FFH/MMH, but they haven't. After we signed a purchasing contract last week, with a deposit and VIN, he sent the info to Ford to "register" my purchase (whatever that means). He asked Ford again for clarification on the tax credit issue. They sent him something to give me when I pickup the car to support my eligibility. Once I see it, I'll pass on the info. He did read the first few sentences, which said that the IRS hasn't clarified their rules.

    Please correct me if I'm wrong (I know someone will): I was under the impression that the $3400. tax credit ended this month because that level of tax credit was to expire when the specific manufacturer (Ford) made its 100,000 hybrid, which Ford did earlier this month.
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    bigt - Thanks for the good info on your first 14 mile drive home from the dealer. I was wondering how the BLIS worked and you clarified that for me. Re the Rapid Spec Package and discount, when my dealer quoted me, it was listed as $28,225 Base including Destination and delivery, then added $3735 for the Rapid Spec Package, next line read "Rapid Spec Discount . I did not order the GPS Package as I already have two Garmin's. How about the Rear View Camera? The "Sync" is cool as well. Looking forward to our unit comes in.
  • wpwoodjrwpwoodjr Member Posts: 12
    I ordered a green one with black leather (package 502a - the works). I got it for $28,875 + $775 dealer prep + $470 "FDAF Assessment" (whatever that is) for a total of $30,120 before taxes. With the $3400 tax credit that brings it down under $27,000. Seems like a good deal! :-)

    I put $500 down - should be here in 8 weeks!
  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    The rear camera works great. The rear avoidance sensor scared the crap out of me the first time it went off! I need to turn the volume down on that thing! The interior lighting around the cup holders is very nice, you can switch between 7 colors. I need to go find some of my old disco CD's!

    I did notice that you have to be a little extra careful when driving where there are people walking around. They do not hear you coming and a couple almost walked in front of me. I think they eventually are going to have to add some sort of sound or something.

    I can verify that the air conditioner does run in EV mode.

    I was sort of surprised that almost all acceleration is via the gas engine unless you go extremely slow.

    One minor annoyance is it does not have 'auto' headlights. Not sure why not on that one.

    Well time for a scotch so I can start reading the manuals! :) :shades:
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Please correct me if I'm wrong (I know someone will): I was under the impression that the $3400. tax credit ended this month because that level of tax credit was to expire when the specific manufacturer (Ford) made its 100,000 hybrid, which Ford did earlier this month.

    That's true but it's based on the purchase date (or date it was ordered), not the date that you pick it up.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    I did notice that you have to be a little extra careful when driving where there are people walking around. They do not hear you coming and a couple almost walked in front of me. I think they eventually are going to have to add some sort of sound or something.

    I can verify that the air conditioner does run in EV mode.

    I was sort of surprised that almost all acceleration is via the gas engine unless you go extremely slow.


    The Camry Hybrid makes a whining sound when slowing down, but if coasting, dead quiet, the Prius though makes a high pitched whine when moving. I was outside the other day when my wife was coming up to our driveway, which is 80' from the road, and I clearly heard her slowing down. OTOH, we have a 2007 Town Car that you cant hear at all unless your accelerating, it is very quiet, the fans cant be heard unless you are right in front of the grill. Lets face it, most people forget they have eyes in their head and just walk where they are going to walk.

    Everything except heat will work in EV, the AC compressor is pure electric. In Winter though the engine will be running much more than in warm weather, even if you turn off the climate controls, so don't think something is wrong when you get into cold weather.

    You will find the sweet spot to accelerate on pure battery, it is no race car, but is capable of reaching 40+ on pure battery, in about 5 minutes or so! ;) The easiest way to get into ev, and this should hold true on all Synergy style hybrids which is what Toyota and Ford use, is to accelerate quickly to say 30-35, whatever the speed limit is, and back off the throttle until the pedal is just lightly depressed and it will switch to battery. when the car starts to slow, give it a touch of gas to kick in the ICE, scoot up a little above your limit, and back off again, Pulse and Glide is what they call it, and you will get your best mileage that way, and in the Fusion, since it can maintain 47 on EV, you can do the 45 MPH zones and get well above 50 MPG, much better than the Camry. In the Prius, the 45 zones got me 75 MPG, even though it was always on ICE, but the battery did most of the work.

    Yesterday I was thinking if I should upgrade my 2009 TCH to a 2010 Fusion H, but I don't think I could do it and have payments in the same bracket. I would only do it if I could keep the same payment, or within $10-15 of my existing payment. The Ford has some nice features, but I would lose Smart Key, XM radio, Homelink, knee air bags, and a little interior room. The rear seat leg room is 1.6" smaller than the Camry, all other dimensions are less than 1" less than the Camry, I could get by with that, the lack of leg room in the back though, might have some impact since I have 2 little ones and a 14YO. I am fairly certain I could get even trade on the TCH even with 22K on the clock, I owe ~23K on it, and I am pretty certain I could get 24K on trade since the car is spotless, but the price on the Fusion is over 29K + tax and other fees, pushing it well into the 30-31K range, so I think I will shelve this thought for a while, at the least it will give the FFH a chance to get some reliability ratings first, and I may entertain the thought later, but I am going to at least take one for a test drive. I have a request in at my local dealer to take a test drive when they get one in this month.

    The TCH I have, I picked up for $28500, that included tax, title, license, and fees. I put $500 down, and financed $28000. I basically got a killer deal on a $28,398 car. The only way Ford could get me into a Fusion Hybrid right now would be to deal down to roughly they same kind of deal, a touch above MSRP out the door that includes tax title license and fees. I could swing that price.
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    How does one register and what benefit if any? I have a Milan Hybrid on order as of Feb 20th and now have a Vin # as of last week.
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    hayley2,

    I don't know. Is it what the dealer does when you take delivery of a car, and this dealer is jumping the gun a little?

    Wyatt
  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    The early bird may get the worm, but early buyers of either the new 2010 Ford Fusion or Mercury Milan Hybrids will get a good deal more -- $3,400 more to be exact -- in the form of a federal income tax credit. These new and super-efficient sedans qualify for the largest bit of tax relief ever offered on any hybrids purchased or put into service after December 31, 2005. Early is the operative term here. Because Ford Motor Company reached the 60,000 hybrid-vehicle threshold limit in the 4th quarter of 2008, the value of the tax credit amounts on these yet-to-be-released hybrids will go down over time. That $3,400 figure drops to $1,700 on any vehicles purchased after April 1, 2009, and declines by another 50 percent, to $850, between October 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, when it expires completely.

    While not quite as lofty, the existing 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUVs also still qualify for federal tax credits of their own. Front-drive models earn a $3,000 credit and buyers of all-wheel drive versions can take a $1,950 write-off against what they end up owing Uncle Sam.

    http://www.fordvehicles.com/features/news/detail/index.asp?id=1714
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    I called Ford Customer Service this morning and spoke with a very nice CSP, very friendly and willing to help me if possible. Anyway I asked her if I gave her my VIN # if she could tell me the Build Date and approximate shipping date. She checked my VIN # and came up with a Build Date of week of April 13th and a ship date of week of April 20th a week later.

    Now I know how to plan on selling my Passat TDI Wagon hopefully before new vehicle arrives. :)
  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    Congrads! I have a feeling they are going to sell all of these. Still I wonder, why not produce the MKZ with the same Hybrid technology. Who wouldn't want to get twice the gas mileage!
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    You never know - they may be waiting to gauge the market, and at what price point they need to land. Then again, I don't know of too many of the more luxury divisions who have hybridized vehicles, apart from Lexus.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
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  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    Someone seems to think the MKZ Hybrid exists however I doubt it:

    http://jalopnik.com/392654/2009-lincoln-mkz-hybrid
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    hayley2

    Can you pass on the phone # for the Ford Customer Service office you called?
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    wyattnichols - The Cust. Serv. # for Ford I called is: 1-800-392-3673. It might be different depending on where you live. That being the case, just google Ford Official Site and you should find the number. You'll have to go thru a series of clicks until you get to the last prompt, and then you should be able to talk to a CSP. Good Luck! :)
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    Thanks, I'll call them tomorrow.

    Wyatt
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    I called Ford Customer Service and they said my FFH was already in production and should be delivered Monday, 4/6th. That sounded too good, so I called the local sells manager.

    He'd heard nothing, but was excited that I'd gotten an ETA. He hadn't heard anything about the ETA for the car he had ordered for his showroom a month before mine was ordered. I gave him the # and he said he would get back with me. That was 5 hours ago and I haven't heard from him.

    I'll call him early tomorrow.
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    Keep us posted - Looks like you'll have your FFH well before I receive mine.
    When did you place your order with the Dealer?
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    Sometime the week of 2/23 to 3/3.

    I'll talk to the sales manager tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath for an arrival date of 3/6th.
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    Classic Lincoln/Mercury in Denton, Tx has a 2010 silver Milan Hybrid they just got in. They also have a 2010 Lincoln MKZ. The new front end looks really good.
  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    East-West Lincoln-Mercury in Maryland right outside of DC has one on the lot.

    I love the one I have!
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    OK, now that you've had it a few days, tell us more. What kind of mileage are you getting, average mileage, how long can you keep it in EV mode?

    Any dislikes? How is the ride - Firm - Soft?
  • scottphillipscottphillip Member Posts: 249
    I drove one yesterday with the 501A package, everything but navigation. I wish it were a little larger inside, the sunroof robs headroom--especially in the back seat.

    The Ford did seem to handle better than my Camry Hybrid.
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    When I talked to the sales manager today, he said he called his contacts @ Ford twice and they had no info for him about my car. He did find out that a car he had ordered when he could place his first order is expected on 4/7th.

    So, I called Ford again. She said that the car with the VIN I gave her was scheduled to go into production on 3/30th and was scheduled to leave the plant a week later, 4/6th. This is close to what you were told; the car will be in "production" for a week.

    I figure it will be another week, at least before it makes it to the showroom.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,255
    i have an 07 fusion and am over 6 feet tall, and have headroom when sitting in the back seat. it is one of the reasons i bought it.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    Hi well almost one week and 200+ miles, no issues to report. In the manual it said to ignore fuel economy readings for the first 1000 miles. Currently overall I have 32 long term MPG and have only used a 1/4 tank of gas so far! I am not doing anything special to achieve that mileage. Depends on the traffic and conditions. I have learned to be a patience driver and no longer care if the car in front of me is going a little slow.

    The ride is comfortable. Interesting that you can save the current song playing on the radio into your jukebox.

    As for EV mode the manual talks about if you run out of gas and the battery is fully charged you can go about 1 mile at 30 mph. I am not sure what would happen if you had to go up a hill. I am not sure you would make it up a hill in just EV mode.
    This is why the manual recommends 'that you do not run out of gas' :)
  • scottphillipscottphillip Member Posts: 249
    It had a sunroof. I'm 5'10", but have a big melon head. ;)
  • wpwoodjrwpwoodjr Member Posts: 12
    Are you driving mostly highway or city?

    If you have the Sony stereo, how's the sound? When you say you can save the current song, do you mean it actually records a copy for you?
  • tanewhousetanewhouse Member Posts: 4
    Saw this readers report: "45 Mile Surface Street Test: Trevor at Capistrano Ford allowed me to take a loaded Fusion Hybrid for 3 hours. I drove up busy, busy PCH from Capo, through Laguna Beach all the way to Costa Mesa and back. Normal driving with several hard runs, 4 people in the car with A/C on 25% of the time. True calculator-to-fill up was 44mpg. That is, fill up, run, then re fill and calculate how much was used.
    The onboard computer was off, reading an average of 38 hitting 41 and dropping to 38 at the end. I filled up with ONE GALLON on this trip. Have receipts to prove it. NOTE: To Costa Mesa from Capo is entirely uphill. Rolling uphills with tons of stop and go. My Conclusion: The car is PHENOMINAL. Stereo is top notch. Nav was incredible. Sun roof a joy and plenty of room. Suspension tight and sporty, brakes excellent, acceleration and passing power, excellent. Construction, impeccable. A must buy."

    and "Initial test drive of one mile at Cerritos Ford: I drove this car after driving the Insight & Prius. This car simply MOPS the floor in styling, SAFETY, fit & finish & VALUE. Ford hit it out of the park with this one & most drivers are getting low 50's & up. Did I say SAFETY? Want to get hit in the Prius? And try 10.5 seconds from 0-60 up a freeway on ramp (Prius.) This is down right dangerous. The Ford is 8.5 seconds. A normal car, for NORMAL people. The other two are chintzy, flimsy and silly looking. Glorified Golf Carts. DRIVE ONE before buying a Prius! & Ford has an available service plan that pays for all maintenance including brakes just like BMW."
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    Amazing!!! This is great feedback. I have a Milan Hybrid due to be built week of 4/13 and shipped week of 4/20. I can hardly wait to drive this vehicle. Thanks for the great feedback. How much is the Service Plan from Ford and for how long?
  • dvosburghdvosburgh Member Posts: 3
    When did you order your Mercury Milan Hybrid ? I placed my order on Feb. 26th and have nothing from the dealer as yet (i.e.4/6/09)
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    The acknowledgment from Ford/Mercury Plant is dated Feb 20th (DORA) which you will want to request a copy from your dealer which will have your name on it so that you'll be able to claim the $3400 Tax Credit. Once your dealer receives the VIN # you can call Ford Customer Service and they'll tell you when your vehicle will be built and approximate ship date which is normally a week later. Keep us posted. :)
  • irwins0001irwins0001 Member Posts: 4
    Has anyone received any discount on either the Fusion or Milan hybrid? Local dealers here are trying to get MSRP. Does it look like these may be limited availability?
    Thanks!!!
  • dvosburghdvosburgh Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for your response and the information. I shall certainly (thanks to you) request a copy of the DORA.

    I will keep you advised of what, if any, progree is being made.
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    MSRP is what I paid, unless you count the "All Weather Floor Mats" which I talked them into at no charge. I believe most dealers are selling at MSRP with few exceptions. I've heard that Ford is only making like 25,000 units possibly due to limited battery supply? :D
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    My experience was the same as hayley2's.

    My dealer only has 3-4 on order, one of which is mine. He received his first one yesterday and by 10AM today he had been contacted by a few other dealers, or dealer locations within their company to see if this first one was committed to a buyer.

    When I was debating the wisdom of buying @ MSRP, I decided that at first they will not deal. Before the end of the year, the price of gasoline will be up another 50% with the economy on the rise, so they probably will not deal. There may be a "sweet spot" in between where they might deal. But, for decades I've been looking for the "sweet spot" for buying stocks. I still buy at the top and sell at the bottom. This time I might get it right, because something tells me this isn't the top of the market--but that's another discussion for another forum.
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    So, did your FFH arrive yesterday at the Dealership? Or, any more updates? :)
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    No, the dealership got its first FFH yesterday, but not mine.

    The person at Ford Customer Service told me to call back the end of this week to get an ETA at the dealership.
  • scottphillipscottphillip Member Posts: 249
    I got mine this morning at approximately $500 off sticker. It has all the options, except the remote start. The dash is a little overwhelming, but I have the "empower" option with all extra information displayed. I can always choose to hide some of the extra readings, like the accessory drain.

    Hopefully, I won't be sorry that I bought it. It's my first American (Mexican) car in many years. :shades:
  • WyattNicholsWyattNichols Member Posts: 55
    Congratulations!! Keep us posted on your experiences with it and what you think about it.
  • dvosburghdvosburgh Member Posts: 3
    I received a call from the dealer today (4/7/09) advising me my Mercury Milan Hybrid had been built and I should expect to take possession of it within two weeks. I never did get a VIN, at least not yet. Thanks again for your information.
  • irwins0001irwins0001 Member Posts: 4
    Just an update... one dealer offered $500 of MSRP, but did not have what I wanted in stock. He would order it. Another dealer had what I wanted, accepted no dealer fee ($500), but someone beat me to the dealer and bought it before me. I do see that there are many more FFH on dealer lots now compared to last week. I think the Milan will soon follow and the dealers will be willing to take less than MSRP.
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    bigt - Have you adapted to your new Milan Hybrid and how is your average MPG doing now? Have you figured out how long it takes for the battery to recharge and is this an ongoing thing while you're driving? Charge/Discharge or if doing hiway speeds, it fully charges until you slow down to city driving? Grown any green leaves yet? :D
  • tpsvtpsv Member Posts: 3
    I paid $31,750 for my Milan Hybrid with all options (spec500a and Navigation) and this price includes LMDA? as well as Doc/proc fee and delivery fee....

    Was it a good deal?

    Ordered Mar 31st..Got DORA and order acceptance confirmation from Ford...but still no VIN and schedule...but it has been only one week...
  • hayley2hayley2 Member Posts: 44
    You've got a great deal!!! I paid including Sales Tax, Document fees, (don't understand why I have to pay this fee to buy a car?) Includes Rapid Spec Pkg, no GPS total of $33,901.71. All the options except the GPS Pkg as I have two Garmin's that I can use. Looks like you got in under the wire for the $3400 Tax Credit. :)
  • bigtbigt Member Posts: 412
    Yes you received an excellent deal. I paid MSRP - $500.00 the salesman gave me because it was a month between contact to contract. I had the fully loaded one all options.

    Long term fuel mileage is around 33 mpg, on short trips it is around 41+. I am still trying to figure out the high voltage battery level indicator. Sometimes it is fully charged but will not go into EV mode. Other times it goes right into EV mode. The manual said you can go about 1 mile at 30 mph on a fully charged battery. In ideal conditions I have rolled at 45 mph for at least a mile or two with air on.

    Went over to the Lincoln dealership in Manassas VA to drop off my friends car. All of the salesman came running out when I pulled in. They had not seen the hybrid yet. They had a TON of regular Milians on the lot. There is about a 5-7k difference between the Milians. That is high in my opinion. I guess it did not make any economical sense to purchase this car but I did it anyway! Not the first time I would be called stupid. Still I am happy so who cares what one thinks! :)

    Too bad about the economy because the products are very good. The next few years are going to be interesting as I was reading about the new Ford EV based on the Focus or Fusion that is going to hit in 2011. All I can say is that it is about time we get off this carbon standard for personal transportation!
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Document fees, (don't understand why I have to pay this fee to buy a car?)

    You don't, technically. This is just added profit for the dealer - nothing more, nothing less. If you buy on A/X/Z/D plan you only pay $75 doc fee (this used to be $0).

    As long as you know what the fee is just add that to the vehicle cost when you're comparing and negotiating. And if you let the dealer know that you know that fee is just additional profit then it's a little easier.
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