ALL NEW AUTOS

First Up in this series, is the Mercury Milan. This sedan is based off of the Mazda6 platform the Ford developed for their Japanese brand a few years ago. The Milan comes in FWD or AWD with I4, or V6 engines in two trim levels (standard or premier).

The I4 is a 2.3L Ford Duratrec which produces 160 horses and 156 lb-ft of torque, where as the V6 is a 3L Duratec with 221 horses and 205 lb-ft of torque. The Milan can be configured with your choice of a 5 speed manual transmission or a 6 speed automatic transmission. Keeping this Mercury on the road will be easy with the fully independent suspension and rack and pinion steering. Because the Milan weighs over 3300 pounds none of this helps the car get up and go with out a little effort and skillful driving.

At a base MSRP of 18,995 the Milan cost more then its twin the Ford Fusion; for the extra cost, you get unique interior and exterior design cues and more upscale materials. Other than that, the Ford and the Mercury are the same. The more upscale queer’s are in the details and you have to look closely to really know where Mercury went the extra mile.

The Premier comes standard with leather seats, with contrasting stitching (a nice touch that is hard to find on cars that cost five times as much). And real wood or aluminum trim will give the under 40 crowd the luxury-sport look and feel that is in high demand. No matter what engine or trim option you choose, all Milan’s come with rear doors that are larger, stretching toward the C-pillars to easy entry, and exit, as well as more sound deadening materials.

It's nice to see the Ford Motor Co. making good use of its purchase of Volvo (which caused some trouble early on) to make their cars and trucks safer. Energy from side impacts is directed away from passengers due to a stronger b-pillar above the cars belt line. This technology is also used in the roof for roll over crashes (the crush rate surpasses standards that will take effect in 2009, something Ford is proud of). As with competing car companies, an airbag package can be ordered with side curtain bags.

Some other options include the regular sunroof in-dash CD changer, and a premier 8 speaker sound systems. The higher priced Premier can be upgraded with heated front leather seats, 17-inch aluminum wheels and a nice little package with auto climate control, headlamps+foglamps, and auto-dimming review mirror. All of this is over the standard Mp3 player, CD player, keyless entry, cruise control, full power accessories, and more.