Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan

dlang

Calling all Fusion/Milan owners in NYC... let us hear your mpgs!!!

Karen_S

Okay, but please be sure to post them here. :P

comp386

What exactly is the point you're trying to make by saying that the Milan gets poor milage in NYC driving. My mom drives a 2004 Corolla that gets less than 25 MPG (sticker is about 32) because of her driving habits. That doesn't mean Toyota lies about its fuel economy, it simply means she drives in less than ideal conditions (chaeuffering my younger brother). I know plenty of people with Fusions and Milans. They're average milage is around 28 which is great for new cars that have less than 5000 miles on it. In my experience Ford actually understates its MPG on the sticker. My old Corolla got 30 MPG when the sticker said 32 MPG and my 2005 Focus gets 32 MPG when the sticker says 29 MPG.

dlang

This does not mean the Fusion is perfect or that the other vehicles are bad - just that the lack of defect type TSBs AND THE LACK OF USER REPORTED PROBLEMS confirms that the Fusion is one of Ford's best built vehicles and is at least as good as the imports, if not better.

It confirms nothing. There's a lack of user reported problems because there are a LACK OF USERS and a LACK OF INTEREST in Fusion/Miian.

Go to Buckhead (a trendy Atlanta 'hood), let me know how many Fusion/Milan you see.

Can anyone provide current 2006 sales data for Fusion/Milan?

dlang

I know plenty of people with Fusions and Milans

Define plenty.

What exactly is the point you're trying to make by saying that the Milan gets poor milage in NYC driving

That Ford, who says the Fusion/Milan :lemon: replaces the Taurus/Sable, is deceiving the public with a car that costs more yet delivers less.

In my experience Ford actually understates its MPG on the sticker. My old Corolla got 30 MPG when the sticker said 32 MPG and my 2005 Focus gets 32 MPG when the sticker says 29 MPG

The EPA independently determines mpg. And the sticker mpg has a range printed below it, so 30 on a 32 mpg sticker is in range and so is 32 on a 29 mpg.

The 2006 Milan v6 :lemon: has a sticker city mpg of 21with range of 17-23. 13.5 mpg is way out of range.

akirby

Can anyone provide current 2006 sales data for Fusion/Milan?

Yes, I could. But I won't because arguing with you is pointless.

We hear you and don't agree with you. Move on.

badgerfan

OK, it is fruitless to argue, but I'll bite.

Calendar year 2006 to date thru end of August: Fusion 100,169; Milan 25,108; Zephyr 21,938.

Fusion/Milan/Zephyr sales are good and increasing at a solid pace. With only one plant currently providing these products, it will be hard for Ford to build more than 250,000 a year of these three combined.

badgerfan

I give you the facts, and you say sales are dismally low. Combined Fusion/Milan/Zephyr sales hit a record high in August of nearly 23,000 units. At this rate, for one plant this would amount to annual sales of 276,000. Once again, just about all Ford can produce out of one plant.

Sales are not dismal!

badgerfan

You deleted your post so now it looks like I am posting to myself.

Guess you reconsidered?

samchinch

There is no point in discussing things that don't really matter. The general concensus I'm getting is that no one really cares about the current topic so let's move onto something new that is more useful.

dlang

Useful to whom, car fanatics who post in multiple brand car discussions for gratuitous pleasure?

explorerx4

don't get too excited about changing the world for better or worse by posting here.

samchinch

I'm just saying you are not going to tell me that these cars are getting bad gas mileage because that is just impossible unless you are driving like a bat out of hell or there is a mechanical problem. So all these arguments about mpg and car weights are not helping anyone. As for me not getting too excited about changing the world do you think you are able to change anything by arguing on here.

dlang

not the world, just the Google search.

thebigfoist

I have lived in upstate NY my entire life. I have met plenty of rude people with bad attitudes in my lifetime. Strangely, many of them have come from New York City or Long Island.

I am currently getting about 18-19 city mpg on my V6 Fusion. Been driving it over 6 months, and only have about 4000 miles on it. I live in Ithaca, which certainly doesn't have Manhattan traffic, but the extremely hilly terrain here can put a hurting on mpg - my old Contour used to get ~21 mpg when driving around town. Not sure what the EPA rating on that car was, but I would imagine it was a bit higher.

jeffyscott

Actually contour was about the same mpg. V6 automatic was about 21/30, 4 cyl manual (which I had) was about 24/34. Numbers varied a bit from year to year, these are for 1996 from fueleconomy.gov.

lahiri

I do post in a number of forums

redtrust

Just got my Fusion and I LOVE it. I may be a bit biased because I work for Ford but when your company makes a good product and you know it's good, you can easily tout and praise the product to anyone.

When I started with Ford (2003), they had the pre-2005 (think '03, '04) Mustang, Crown Vic, Taurus and all. These cars were fairly good when they originally debuted but quickly were outclassed, even by cars in our own company's portfolio (Focus!). I worked for Ford and could never recommend any of these cars to friends, considering what was available out there. All those cars had glaring faults. Our trucks and SUVs though were always up-to-date and desirable so recommedning them to friends was easy.

But the new Fusion, Five Hundred, and Mustang are what make it okay to buy American CARS again. After working at an Audi, VW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan and Mazda dealership, I know how a car should handle and how it should be constructed and it looks like Ford has finally gotten the message. The Americans are finally back in the game and it delights me to say so.

And for the record, I would never buy a Toyota or Honda if my life depended on it. Anyone in the business knows this but apparently outside the business it is unknown: THEY HAVE SERVICE DEPARTMENTS TOO. :mad: So I assume this means they have problems too.

thegraduate

And for the record, I would never buy a Toyota or Honda if my life depended on it. Anyone in the business knows this but apparently outside the business it is unknown:

Funny you say this... my girlfriend's parents bought her a Corolla at age 17. What does her dad do? Operates the only Porsche/Audi dealership in Birmingham (i don't think I can use dealer names in here). He's in the car business, and loves Toyotas. My family purchases Hondas as a general rule, with some domestic cars here and there.

They (girlfriend's Mom and Dad also have a Lexus GX470 (Toyota-made) and an Audi A6.

I've got 166,000 miles on my Accord, with minimal repairs done (I could name them and give you the price and mileage at which they occurred if you like) and I assure you it is below average for cars that cost $19,000 ten years ago. Our Hondas have been (and still are) reliable and quality transportation. Why you brought up Honda in the Fusion/Milan forum I don't quite understand.

All Honda drivers (as one particular poster has misled people to think in many forums) do not hate American car companies, do not think "you are what you drive," and do not feel any more superior for buying one car over another. Frankly, anybody who buys a midsize sedan in the $15k-$25k price class is not buying a particularly prestigious automobile!

Personally, I'm glad that the other car companies are trying to close the gap between themselves and the cars that sell closer to sticker; it means that ALL cars should improve as a result; a win-win.

thebigfoist

All Honda drivers (as one particular poster has misled people to think in many forums) do not hate American car companies, do not think "you are what you drive," and do not feel any more superior for buying one car over another. Frankly, anybody who buys a midsize sedan in the $15k-$25k price class is not buying a particularly prestigious automobile!

The problem, I think, is that some Toyota/Honda drivers do act this way. Enough, anyway, that some people in the Ford forums have a bit of a chip in their shoulder about it.

For example, a person who I consider a friend (who drives an Accord) said the following to me after riding in my car: "American car companies fill your car with bells and whistles, but in the end just give you a crappy car."

In my opinion, the following are true:
1. Ford/GM autos are not as "bad" as many people characterize them (and most of them are pretty darn good!)
2. Toyota/Honda are not as "great" or "trouble free" as many people characterize them when comparing them to Ford/GM autos

thegraduate

In my opinion, the following are true:
1. Ford/GM autos are not as "bad" as many people characterize them (and most of them are pretty darn good!)
2. Toyota/Honda are not as "great" or "trouble free" as many people characterize them when comparing them to Ford/GM autos

Certainly.

Ford/GM have come a long way, although I'm not quite sure they are close enough to the pinnacle of the reliability/quality heap to be considered by owners (like my granddad)who have experienced 260k miles out of their Toyotas and Hondas (87 Civic Wagon - 260k miles, sold with only a broken A/C for $1,000). 100k miles can come from any car, but its the Toyotas & Hondas that seem to be known for lasting well into the 6-digit odomoeter readings. Things seem to be changing lately though, and time will tell how well the current models were made when in 7-10 years they have 150k+ miles on them.

On the same hand, Honda and Toyota no longer have the monopoly on reliability and quality that they used to. Makers like Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, and GM have come a long way, and while I don't personally feel they are at the same level of quality and reliability as Honda/Toyota, I DO feel that they have closed the gap to a much smaller margin than, say, 15, or even 5 years ago. For this, the companies should be applauded.

akirby

On an individual model basis the domestics have closed the gap and even surpassed the imports in some cases. Of course when Ford results are reported they include trucks and BOF SUVs which have always been average in reliability (this goes for the imports as well) which drags down the overall ratings. That's one reason Mercury tends to be better than Ford.

This is a natural evolution as the imports get bigger and start to suffer the same problems the domestics had 20-30 years ago.

Let's face it - Honda, Toyota, Ford and GM all earned their reputations in the 80's and 90's. Unfortunately some people still think it's the 80's and 90's and don't recognize that things have changed now. And it will take several good years for the domestics to make a dent in the die hard import crowd. But it will happen.

redtrust

I bring up Honda and Toyota because I have friends who, as Foist pointed out, really think Honda and Toyota are the end-all, be-all of cars. Let them tell the story and if you don't buy one of those two brands, then you may as well just drive right over to the service department after you sign on the dotted line!

One of these friends DOESN'T EVEN OWN A CAR and she continues to tell me that she has heard how Civics go on and on forever with only an oil change (nevermind I tell her I knew people with Civics that blew up on them). And she certainly never complained about my Focus as she rode around in it and even drove it! I guess American cars were good enough when she needed a lift to Bed, Bath and Beyond!

Another friend of mine, I s**T you not, is on his third transmission in his 2003 Acura CL and STILL touts how wonderful Honda is. :sick: I told him the power window switch on my Camaro maybe didn't work as often as I liked but I never had to put a transmission in it during the whole time I owned it (200K miles). You can drive a car with a broken window switch but you can't drive a car with no transmission. Which problem would you rather have?

Toyota had the most recalls of any manafacturer out there last year. I happen to know that when surveys are given for quality during those first months of ownership, import owners forgive their vehicles transgressions in quality that if that same owner had a domestic brand, they'd scream bloody murder. Just like my friend was on his third transmission and still totally up Honda's [non-permissible content removed], he's not the only one.

My Fusion is more fun to drive than any Camry or Accord and makes me feel like an individual and not like a lemming! :shades:

explorerx4

now there's a crusade!

savetheland

What I can say about Toyota/Honda - it is like religion and religious believes die hard. But still they make good cars regardless how reliable or unreliable they are. But I do not consider Toyota to be very reliable or substantial enough, it does not seem to age well.

Regarding Mercury and Ford - Sable is considered as being more reliable car at least by JDPowers polls. In my limited experience I can say the same – I have more faith to Mercury than to Ford. If they drop Mercury I will have to move to another manufacturer.

sturm_ruger

I had a Contour with the V6 and 5-speed manual. It was EPA rated at 21/31. But you have to remember that was a Duratec 25 V6, which is 500cc smaller in displacement that the Fusion's Duratac 30. Please take into consideration also that EPA emission standards have tightened since the "good old days" of the '90s Contour and Taurus. The fuel economy of these cars can't be fairly compared to the 2006-07 Fusion and Milan.

scape2

diang, do you ever notice you are the only Milan owner in here complaining? I keep telling you, go see the manager at the Mercury store you are leasing from. Anything is negotiable in the auto industry. Drop the Milan if you don't like it and move on pal... :confuse:

fusionfan06

Hello everybody. Just had some questions about the 2007 Fusion
that I don't think have been answered here before.

1. Does anyone know where the auxillary audio input jack will be located in the Fusion?

2. Will the AWD Fusion have an automatic tranny or CVT?

3. How powerful are the factory stereo systems in the car? (For the Fusion owners, how do you like them?)

Thats all for now. Thanks!

akirby

1 - not sure but I heard center console

2 - traditional automatic. no CVTs for the Fusion/Milan

3 - I have the audiophile and I would have to say it's merely adequate. It doesn't compare to Lincoln's THX system or other high end systems like Mark Levinson. I plan to put in better speakers which should help a lot.

backy

Did you see the announcement that electronic stability control will be standard on the Fusion and Milan, and ALL Fords, no later than the end of 2009? Good safety leadership by Ford, in advance of the proposed government regulation making ESC standard on all new cars.

jeffyscott

It would be nice if in the meantime they would make it available as a stand alone option on every car.

redtrust

The thing I find a little weird is the lack of accessories (or maybe I'm not looking hard enough) for the Fusion. There's wonderful appearance items available for, say, the Mustang and I'm trying to find like items for the Fusion. I'd like a mesh grille and some interior dress-up items. Anybody seen anything nice?

prdm

For the high end audio system in the Fusion does the $420 buy only 2 extra speakers?

dlang

akirby

You probably won't care but I have to point out that this engine takes at least 5K miles to achieve maximum power and fuel mileage. Why don't you wait til you get 5K miles, reset the fuel mileage and then report back?

snakeweasel

Of course your in NYC expect bad gas mileage there. Last time I was in NYC driving we spent more time stopped (I swear we actually went backwards a few times) than moving.

badgerfan

Ok you posted the same thing in every Edmund's discussion thread related to Fusion/Milan. We get your point.

Please get out of your lease, or take the car in at least for a diagnosis to make sure nothing is wrong with yours.

We get your point. Please leave it at that, then please leave these discussions because you are proving nothing.

jeffyscott

Have you verified that this dashboard figure is even accurate? I would calculate the mileage from actual fuel use and distance traveled, before going nuts on the internet over it.

akirby

The message center fuel calculations have been shown to be very accurate. Of course the problem is you need to reset it periodically to get a current reading.

badgerfan

Perhaps dlang's message center system is defective. But, since dlang seems to be unable to do anything but rant, I would not expect him to even try driving only on an empty freeway, and measuring fuel economy under different conditions to determine what is causing the problem. It is much easier to just rant in the message boards, I guess.

mschmal

AM/FM Stereo/Single-disc CD/MP3 Capability
• 80 watts of peak power
• 4 speakers
• 18 station memory presets: 6 AM, 6 FM1 and 6 FM2
• Mute for quick mute/un-mute of audio
• Bass/Treble
• Fade/Balance
• 10-minute operation with ignition turned off
• Autoset — automatically locates the 6 strongest AM or FM
station signals
• Text/Scan — plays brief sampling of radio stations or
CD tracks
• Compression—when enabled during CD mode, the audio
dynamic range is compressed so quieter music is boosted
and louder music is lowered to compensate for ambient
noise level
• Shuffle — plays CD/MP3 tracks in random order
• Folder — press Folder button to access the MP3 folder
• Seek — press to access the next strongest radio station
signal or play next CD/MP3 track
• Speed Compensated Volume (SCV) — compensates for
changing ambient noise levels by adjusting the volume of
the radio according to the vehicle’s speed signal. Allows
7 volume adjustment levels. Adjustable through the Menu
• Portable MP3 player audio input jack located at the bottom
of the center console with the power point — easily
accessible to the driver, yet hidden from sight when the
console lid is closed
Premium AM/FM Stereo/6-disc In-dash
CD/MP3 Capability
Includes features of AM/FM stereo/single-disc CD/MP3
capability plus:
• 6-CD mechanism
• Radio Data System (RDS)
• 6 speakers
Audiophile AM/FM Stereo/6-disc In-dash
CD/MP3 Capability
Includes features of premium AM/FM stereo/6-disc in-dash
CD/MP3 capability plus:
• 190 watts of peak power
• 8 speakers
• Occupancy modes (all seats, driver’s seat, rear seat) allow
the user to tailor the acoustics of the audio system to the
occupants in the vehicle
For More Audio Information
• Audio availability: Latest Dealer Ordering Guide
• Operating information: Vehicle Owner’s Guide

mschmal

Many people argue that for the $$$ of the "upgraded sound system" you can get better sound from aftermarket components for same $$$.

This is in general, not just for Fusion

Mark.

prdm

Thank you for the clarification. I understand about aftermarket advantages but does the Fusion's Message Center use the headunit's display?

fusionfan06

Well it seems that this system at least looks good on paper, thanks for the info.

Basically any system that sounds better than the six speaker setup in my Sable will probably suit my needs, as i already consider the stereo to be pretty good (it's the base system, not the MACH).

akirby

If you like the normal Sable stereo then you won't be disappointed. The audiophile system adds tweeters next to the side mirrors which does help a lot. But it's nowhere near as good as the audiophile system I had in my 2000 LS.

akirby

but does the Fusion's Message Center use the headunit's display?

No, but if you go aftermarket the steering wheel controls may not work.

Keeping the factory head unit and just upgrading the speakers will make a big improvement.

fusiondad

New question- I searched the discussion and have not seen anyone talking about this.Just bought a 2006 SE Fusion 4 cylinder with 5 speed auto.
It seems to hold first and second gear for no reason with light throttle application. First gear will not shift until 3000 RPM and second will not shift until 2750 or so even with light throttle. Is this normal for others? I drive a lot of rentals and the Sonata, Impala, Camry, Stratus, G6, etc do not hold the gears that long.

explorerx4

how much does the thx or 'levi cost?

akirby

Stand alone THX in the MKZ is $900. The Mark Levinson stereo plus nav in the ES350 is $3350 (dealer invoice).

Obviously the audiophile system is much cheaper, but it is the top of the line system in the Fusion and folks might be expecting it to be better than it is. I think it's ok given that it's half the price of the THX.

damianinpa

I see on many sites they are listing the new options in job 2 with prices. The navigation runs about $2k. My question is on some sites the Auto Trans is a requirement to get the Nav while on others, The auto Trans on the SE model is required, but, no listing of teh SEL. I was thinking of getting the SEL 5 speed and I'm wondering if I can get the NAV. If not, I think that totally stinks that Ford would require Auto Trans in order to get a Nav. The ABS brakes are a requirement also. Note that as of today 9/16, Ford doesn't have any of these option listed on their website. I would think they would be the first to have them, not the last.
If anyone knows for sure about stick/Nav on SEL, please let me know.