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You might see a few out at first, since they aren't building the AT version yet.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Unless the nozzles are heated as in some VW's, mounting them under the hood would render them useless in snow country. Your wiper is constantly pushing snow into that area could eventually freeze.
Actually, putting the nozzles on top of the hood is the best functional place for them. I have had cars with them mounted at the plastic cowl and they do tend to get packed in with ice and snow at times. I have also had cars with them mounted on the wiper arms themselves. These work OK, however after time, the flexible hoses from the cowl to the wiper arm will crack and have to be replaced. Not a big deal, but still it is just another wear item.
There, this subject is all washed up and should be wiped out, I believe.
Last autos show I sat in very few cars that had adequately deep seats. One good thing about this is it quickly narrows down the list of acceptable cars.
That depends on what you consider "missing". The Mazda6 has some things that the Fusion doesn't which makes me believe they could add them for JOB2 of MY06 if they wanted to. I'm sure they're paying close attention to what people are asking for right now. This car is too important to them to just let it run through without tweaks here and there.
Milan Bottom Line - Good car overall but only if you are DEAF.
Good stuff
Milan is a nicely styled inside and outside. Controls are laid out good, not excellent. V6 and transmission work well. Engine noise was acceptable during hard acceleration. Tranny shifted smoothly. Driver seat was fine, rear seat was comfortable. Tilt and telescopic wheel works well.
Problems
- Cabin noise over rough road surfaces is very bad, worse than Accord. This is a deal braker for me. The Milan unseats the Accord as the noisiest car. Ford should go ask Hyundai how they made their car quiet.
- Front passanger seat is angled up at the front, similar to a deep bucket seat. Noticibley different from the drivers seat. Not comfortable for me.
- No glove box light, no folding mirrors, no rear reading lamps
- I looked at the undercarriage, very inconsistent coverage of rust proofing/sound insulation.
- Fan & temp controls on steering wheel are stupid. The idea of an automatic A/C unit is so you do not have to adjust anything. Dumb. dumb, dumb. Way too many controls on steering wheel. You will end up looking at the wheel to see which button to push.
- High end audio unit (6 cd) sounds muddy, not worth the added cost.
I did not mention how well the suspension does on the twisties because we have no twisties where I live, only crappy roads which would eat the Milan alive.
However, Finally somebody did a review on the 2006 Mercury Milan and it got glowing reviews.
Mercury Milan complete review
If I were going to get the Mercury Milan. I would get the 4 banger premium with the 5 speed stick. it comes with ABS standard and the 6 speaker sound system standard.
Edmunds, we all know the Milan is the sister of the Fusion. But, can you show Mercury a little love and at least drive the thing and give us your take on the car please
Mercury Milan
"The doors are the only shared body panels between the Milan, Fusion, Mazda 6, and the upcoming Lincoln Zephyr".
They thought about AUX inputs for the Fusion, but weren't sure, so they elected to skip it and added mp3 CD playback. To play mp3s in a Fusion, you will need to burn them to CDRs first or else get an FM radio transmitter.
The last options are to get external speakers for you ipod or put an satellite radio boombox in the back seat.
Elegant.
If it's available from the dealer - what's the difference?
For all you thirty somethings, give or take a decade, (non police officers, non fleet drivers) that bought a Crown Vic, I apologize to all three of you in advance.
http://www.newcartestdrive.com/printversion-review.cfm?Vehicle=2006_Mercury_Milan&ReviewID- - =1798
Let me say this concerning the quietness of the Milan. On a flat and smooth road, the Milan is pretty quiet. On a washboard type concrete road, the Milan produces a good amount of tire thrum. If you only drive on nice smooth asphalt, you will think this car is the cat's meow. This is why some reviews really do not tell you the whole story.
As far as seat comfort, only you can decide. I personally thought the Milan's drivers seat was fine, but the passenger seat was oddly positioned. I also thought the backseat of the Milan was better than the Montego.
The review said:
"The deeply bucketed front seats were especially cozy, more of an "in" seat than an "on" seat."
I said:
- Front passenger seat is angled up at the front, similar to a deep bucket seat. Noticeably different from the drivers seat.
I think if you read the review carefully, you will find they liked the look of the car the most. The Milan is a very good car, but I expect a Mercury to be much quieter.
I said I respect your opinion because most people go off the deep end about a car and never even drive it.
As far as the road noise, It sounds like to me, from what you and the review said. the majority of the noise is coming from the tires. If that is the case, you can easily fix some of the noise by changing the rubber to something better. Now if the noise was coming from wind noise or from the engine compartment I'd be a little worried.
Also, as far as the review talking about the seats. The way I took it is that they seem to be very comfortable. It seems that you sit "in" the seats and sink down instead of sitting "on(top)" of the seats and floating along.
And in conclusion, The article stated
"The Mercury Milan is a thoroughly nice family car given the confines of its very friendly price. From the waterfall grille up front to the brushed metallic trim all over the interior, this is a Ford platform upgraded to Mercury status, with more standard equipment and more soul than the Ford version. "
It seems that you and the writers of the review were pretty impressed by the car. That's all that matters. Now if they said well the only thing the Milan has going for it is looks and not much else. The car lacks feel, soul etc. I'd be worried. Not everybody likes certain cars drives and feels. like I said " to each it's own"
I'll tell you this much, I've always loved how the Milan looked over the Fusion. The more reviews from writers and people like you driving the car is only making me more curious to drive the car.
It's a stand alone option so you aren't forced to buy an option package you don't want. Only problem I see is some dealers won't order it on the base models for inventory.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0506/07/01-205439.htm
Count me as one of 'em. Just build me a car that steers, handles, shifts and brakes well and I'll take care of the rest. On slick winter surfaces, my non-ABS car with premo winter snows stops much better than any ABS-equipped car with standard OEM all-seasons on the road. Credit Ford for making this unneeded and, in my opinion, undesirable feature optional.
As far as satellite radio, it certainly should be at least optional. That said, I currently have XM satellite and can tell you, unless you're out in Mud Butte, satellite can't hold a candle to local broadcasting (the music stations on XM stink unless you're into rap, top 40 or champagne music). And if there are lots of trees in your part of the country that get close to road (like within 15 ft. or so), good luck with the reception. For a third of my commute reception drops in and out constantly. I only keep mine because I need CNBC in the car for the morning drive. Maybe things will improve in a few weeks after all the leaves fall off the trees...
Remember back in the 90's when Lincoln had the continental with that self lowering shocks once it hit 55 or 60. I saw one a couple of years ago. The car was so cock eyed and off center it was pathetic (the shocks had worn out). I'd love to see how all that electronic wizardry last in the Hyundai.
The Hydraulic hood rods ?!?!? Ok your really getting desperate. Uhhh the object of the game is "NOT" to open the hood. To use that as a knock against the car that's really really really really petty. I don't think anybody in America is going to go. Oh I love the car but the hood doesn't have hydraulic rod's to keep the hood open. That's needles cost cutting. I don't want the car.
I don't know why people think that if something is standard that they don't have to pay for it. It doesn't matter whether something is an option or standard - YOU"RE PAYING FOR IT. They would just raise the base price to cover it. TANSTAAFL.
ABS is kind of expected now and some buyers won't even think to check the window sticker and won't notice that their Fusion doesn't have it until they've already purchased the car. There was a time when rear window defrosters used to be optional on most domestic cars.
I have heard a lot of people complain about having to pay for ABS when they didn't want it.
I think GM tried to make ABS standard and had to rescind that decision due to customer complaints.
The cost difference is negligible.
Thank you! I keep asking the same question. I don't see the need for it in a car, SUV's yes, but not cars. Especially cars that handle exceptionally well already.
Furthermore, everytime I read a review of a Toyota/Lexus car in MT they always complain a lot about the electronic nannies. Even when off they are too obtrusive and take away from the driving experience and Toyota isn't the only one guilty of this but they came to mind first. Let ME drive the car.
As for the switch, if what that switch does could be standardized I'd say put it in all cars. That's not the case because some manufacturers choose to keep some of the nannies on even when you flip the switch to "Off" while others don't. People who want it all the way off, say for track use, are the same people that need it to be on during daily driving.
I've been in two accidents in my life. Both were single car, both were my fault, and both would have happened with or without traction control because I slid once on gravel and road salt and the other time on ice. I was going too fast for what I couldn't see on the road, not too fast to handle the curve, in the former and hit black ice on a steep downhill horseshoe bend at a low speed. There's now a 17 year old chain link fence and a 9 year old stone retaining wall three feet from the white line on the road in those locations. And no, I still don't want stability control in my car.
This was my first time getting one up to highway speed (even hit 70!) Overall, I was impressed. It has plenty of pep (I drove a 4 cyl. 5 speed), and a nice ride. Excellent handling, and road noise was modest. Accelerated well.
One quibble, which I expected, is that the gearing is still a bit short. 70 was ~2,900 RPM. Better than my current ride (a tC), but buzzier than an Accord. If they could know 3-400 RPMs off it at 70 it would make for a quiter cruise, with better MPG and still plenty of passing power.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Now if it only had AWD this year I'd start working on my wife to replace our Escape.
As for XM radio, I thoroughly enjoy the excellent quality, and the opportunity to hear a much wider variety of music than the FM stations in southern CA play. I had never heard XM radio before I bought my new Malibu Maxx. It, and the good sound system, are a real treat. I listened to FM a few times, since buying that car, but the quality is so poor, and the commercials so annoying, that I have completely abandoned FM. I don't see why Ford left the option off of the brand new Fusion, Milan,and Zephyr.
Don't make the mistake of looking at sales by nameplate and not platform. The car maker's profits are derived from the total sales of the platform. For example, the Fusion, Milan and Zerphyr are one platform and compete against other platforms, such as the one on which the Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6, Saab 9-3, and upcoming Saturn Aura, are built.
Many will decide that the Fusion is worth it if they get a large enough discount.
You obviously haven't read the reviews which state that it does compare favorably with both Camry and Accord.
75% of CamCord sales are 4 cylinder models - most buyers don't care about HP.
I looked at one today and overall I thought it was nice for the money but I dont think the interior is the quantum leap forward the press is making it out to be. I am not crazy about the gauges or the center stack design. The leather seemed nice, as was the stitching, but the door panels seemed like they came from an econo-car. I had a chance to check out some 2006 Malibus afterward and Chevy has added some much needed brightwork to the gauges, shifter area and controls. I think Ford should've done the same thing for the Fusion. I also agree that omitting XM radio makes no sense because it's available on all comparable Gm cars and the Accord. Not sure about the Camry or Sonata. The Fusion has price and style on it's side. ON the negative side, the mileage isnt great considering it's advanced trannys, it lacks several features that have been on the competition for a year or more (stability, XM, remote start) and the interior is a little dull.
In short, I would rather have a Fusion V6 than a Camry four banger or a Sonata V6.
Which color interior? IMO the charcoal black looks stunning and is as good as any Accord interior with the exception of the stereo. The lighter colors without the piano black trim don't look quite as good, but I think it's in the ballpark with all it's competitors.
And let's give Ford credit - it's WAY better than any interior they've done before.
Aftermarket units for either XM or Sirius are widely available, and have the added plus of not costing anywhere near what an automaker would charge. The displays on the PNPs (Plug N Plays), are MUCH larger than factory units...