Mercury Milan

Topic: Mercury Milan (Read 5004 times) previous topic - next topic

Reply #15 – November 01, 2005, 09:02:37 AM

Quote from: Cougar8775

yes they did a couple years back. i think it was 03 was there last year in production.

BTW I believe it was at the end of the '04 run... And Plymouth has been gone for 4-5 years now...

Mercury Milan

Reply #16 – November 01, 2005, 09:23:39 AM

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against 4 doors. They are perfect for a family and I can understand how more important a 4 door is for a family trying to escape the gas crunch of their old suv. My family has owned many 4 doors and they were great cars.

My problem is that here Mercury is bringing out yet another 4 door. Mercury has gotton rid of it's 2 door cars. Granted they are trying to appeal to families but most families already have a 4 door car or two in their driveway that they are content to keep. They will not win against Toyota and Honda because Mercury is nothing to the owners of those cars. Why would somebody want to buy a boring domestic car when they can buy a boring Accord or Camry that is a proven reliable automobile?
Now there are some people where cost is an issue and it would be better for them to "settle" for the Mercury. They probably really want the dependability of the Accord but can't afford it so they look elsewhere.

Mercury needs a 2 door car in their lineup to stay active. Not everyone is out to buy a family sedan. There is a younger audience such as myself who want something "sporty". I would have bought an American car but there was nothing exciting enough to get my appetite. Then there is the older couple who's kids moved out of the house and want to trade in their family sedan for something special just for them. Or what about the married couples that don't want to have kids and a family? Not every family needs a 4 door sedan but if they do, they will likely have one along with the 2 door sports coupe for fun or to escape the family scene for a while.

It is essential for every car company. Ford has to realize that not everyone who wants a 2 door sports car wants a Mustang or who wants an efficient small car wants a Focus. Mazda has a wonderful lineup to fit all tastes. Whether it has 2 doors or 4 doors, their cars have a unique design and are very appealing. GM is turning around IMO. I think that new Impala and the Monte Carlo are awesome. The Cobalt isn't bad either and guess what... you can get one in either a 2 or 4 door.

Now I'm not saying this car is a mistake on Mercury's part, however, if they want to compete against and steal sales from the likes of Toyota and Honda, they better come out with something a little more exciting than this. When you have two options of a highly proven dependable car(Honda) or a questionable dependablility(Milan) and both are boring, I have a feeling most buyers will side with the one that's proven dependable.

Mercury Milan

Reply #17 – November 01, 2005, 10:28:34 AM

I myself really like the looks of the milan or fusion, and when I get ready to buy my wife a new vehicle I would be more than happy to look into one for her.

Mercury Milan

Reply #18 – November 01, 2005, 10:48:59 AM

Part of the problem is: Ford shattered the "4-door family car" mold with the Taurus in 1986. Now every 4-door owes homage to the Taurus. In essence, they've all become the Taurus. They're all jellybeans, rounded, melted, smoothed, stylish, and of course, practical being 4-doors. Fact is, you can only do so much with the 4-door motif as it is. That's why they all look the same. Coupes can take much more daring stylistic chances because they're really designed for 2 people (with maybe 2-3 more occasionally in the back). The 4-door HAS to cater to at least 4 people. It HAS to have rear headroom and legroom (unless your name is Contour!). It HAS to have a certain roofline to accommodate people in back. It HAS to have a lot of different things simultaneously because it caters to as many people as possible. Coupes are a specialty niche market and will probably always be from now on. Since we're all 2-door owners here, we're spoiled....we think the world should revolve around us. And at one time it did. Those days are long gone and it's a new world; we are the minority. It's very difficult to let go and allow 4-doors to become the norm. We're here for ya, brother. :)

That being said, it doesn't make sense for the Fusion/Milan/Zephyr to have more available horsepower than its flagship brothers, the 500/Montego. That's so contradictory it's not even funny. How does Ford expect to sell any 500's now? That is the main issue here. Ford can at least compete in the real world now, but at the expense of cannibalizing sales from itself. Huh? How did this happen?!

The Fusion/Milan/Zephyr are going after import buyers. That much is certain. Looking down the road they will probably be moderately successful cars, but price and fuel economy are going to be the determining factors. Already the Cobalt is a hit because of pricing, major quality improvements vs. the old Cavalier, and fuel economy. It may be that Ford has a similar situation with these new cars. Personally I see them as just about right for their respective market segments. They seem to do all things well, have great options available, and have a nice road presence. They are substantial cars without being as pretentious as a 500/Montego.

Mercury Milan

Reply #19 – November 01, 2005, 11:08:44 AM

ive never been a fan of the 4 door cars but now id look into one. when we had to get a new car for the wife i was trying her to look into a mark viii. she wasnt having it though. she used to love mine befor i sold it but she now insisted on 4 doors. we ended up getting an 03 alero, basically a grand am gt. it has the v6 and it goes okay, handles pretty good. it was the only one we drove that gould at least get out of its own way. nothing realy exciting though. its at least a little youthfull. not a bad little car and i got it very cheep. all while test driving cars all i could think of was how boring they were. no spirit or personality whatsoever. if i could have afforded to buy new (i refuse to finance) i so would have gotten a new mazda6. what a fun little car...i realy think there needs to be a medium for the dude whos just starting his family. now with 2 kids and a wife a 2 door coupe wasnt gonna cut it. even putting 2 car seats in the tbird sucks and its a decent sized car. id deffinetly consider one...

Mercury Milan

Reply #20 – November 01, 2005, 11:36:05 AM

Quote from: EricCoolCats

(BTW, I'm really really REALLY diggin' the hottie in the Mercury commercials. That's one hot tomale right thar.)

You're not kidding man! I noticed her too! At least Mercury has jumped on the shagual appeal band wagon! :D

Mercury Milan

Reply #21 – November 01, 2005, 11:40:20 AM

Quote from: derikwayne

You're not kidding man! I noticed her too! At least Mercury has jumped on the shagual appeal band wagon! :D

Big time! One thing I did notice though...out of the 4-5 or so different commercials, she's always got the same outfit on. Did they film all the commercials on the same day or something? Strange. Even stranger to watch her walk across the grass in high heels.

That still does not diminish the hotness though. Ouch.

Mercury Milan

Reply #22 – November 01, 2005, 11:43:17 AM

Makes ya wanna buy a Mercury she's so hot! lol

Mercury Milan

Reply #23 – November 01, 2005, 01:01:07 PM

Quote

Origanlly posted by ERICCOOLCATS:
The 4-door HAS to cater to at least 4 people. It HAS to have rear headroom and legroom (unless your name is Contour!). It HAS to have a certain roofline to accommodate people in back. It HAS to have a lot of different things simultaneously because it caters to as many people as possible.

Agreed, but it CAN still look good in the process.......

Also Found this: http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/extras/tvads.asp

Mercury Milan

Reply #24 – November 01, 2005, 02:47:52 PM

If Mercury really wants to make an impact in the 4-door sedan market, they should bring back the Topaz.

What a machine. And, since it gets its name from a gemstone, you know it's bad.

Mercury Milan

Reply #25 – November 01, 2005, 02:49:41 PM

Quote from: jkirchman

If Mercury really wants to make an impact in the 4-door sedan market, they should bring back the Topaz.

What a machine. And, since it gets its name from a gemstone, you know it's bad.

Hang on now! that's a picture of a two-door. :)

EDIT: you B@st@rd! you changed the pic on me! LOL

Mercury Milan

Reply #26 – November 01, 2005, 02:51:04 PM

Don't know what you're smokin' dude. Looks like 4 doors to me.

Mercury Milan

Reply #27 – November 01, 2005, 03:29:07 PM

id just about kill for a 92 v6 gls 5 speed....the 2 door though. i miss mine so much

Mercury Milan

Reply #28 – November 01, 2005, 05:14:34 PM

Quote

That being said, it doesn't make sense for the Fusion/Milan/Zephyr to have more available horsepower than its flagship brothers, the 500/Montego. That's so contradictory it's not even funny. How does Ford expect to sell any 500's now? That is the main issue here. Ford can at least compete in the real world now, but at the expense of cannibalizing sales from itself. Huh? How did this happen?!

I think the 500's power deficit is a temporary situation. Very likely, when the 500 was under development 200 horses was enough, but by the time it made primetime the puppiesanese all upped the ante (thanks to the Altima). As you are no doubt aware, Ford is now working on a 3.5 Duratec in the 250-275 horse range, and I would not be surprised to see the Volvo/Yamaha V8 show up in the 500's mid-life makeover. As for engine choices not making sense, it's not the first time Ford did something stupid like that - witness our own 5.0 SO T-Birds and Cougars. To give the flagship T-Bird/Cougar the SO engine while the much cheaper Mustang got the HO was stupid. To give the pre-88 Mark VII the SO was even stupider.

Essentially it all boils down to one thing - the Fusion/Milan/Zephyr MUST be the success that the 500/Freestyle/Montego wasn't.

Mercury Milan

Reply #29 – November 01, 2005, 05:37:18 PM

This is what we should have gotten in '86 instead of the Taurus..

It has right wheel drive, and the later versions got a sweet Cosworth mill and a full-time 4wd version was available. Even if they didn't get the Cossie version...imagine the SHO mill in one of these....

Instead they bring it over 2-3 years later and don't support and then wonder why they thrived everywhere else but here in the States.