2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid

The 2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid gets new standard one-touch power front windows and an outside mirror with an integrated blind-spot surface. Rain-sensing windshield wipers and HD radio are added to the options list. The 2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid is a notable exception, though Ford’s decision to drop the entire Mercury brand means it won’t be available much longer.

This midsize sedan is a near clone to the Ford Fusion Hybrid and it manages to avoid the shortcomings that make so many other hybrid models rather underwhelming. The Milan Hybrid essentially starts out as a slightly better-equipped base Milan. To this Mercury adds a combination of a four-cylinder gasoline engine with two battery-driven electric motor/generators and a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The EPA estimates you’ll get 41 mpg city and 36 mpg highway from this powertrain, which is considerably better than the numbers posted by the Milan’s other competitors in the midsize-sedan category.

2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid Sedan

The 2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid comes in a single trim level. The Sync system also now includes a complimentary three-year subscription to the new Traffic, Directions and Information service.

Other electronics upgrades include HD radio capability and a hard-drive-based voice-activated navigation system that features DVD audio and video capability, 10GB of digital music storage and Sirius Travel Link (real-time traffic, weather and other information). The Driver’s Vision package adds rain-sensing windshield wipers, a blind-spot warning system, a rearview camera and cross-traffic alert.

The 2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid utilizes a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 156 horsepower and 136 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels via a CVT. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 41 mpg city/36 mpg highway and 39 mpg combined. The city number is a full 10 mpg better than the Camry Hybrid’s, although it’s 10 mpg shy of the Prius.

The 2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags and rear parking sensors. At our test track, the Milan’s twin, the Fusion Hybrid, stopped from 60 mph in a tidy 126 feet, which is the best distance we’ve recorded among non-luxury hybrid cars.

The 2011 Milan Hybrid has earned very good scores in government crash tests, with a perfect five stars for frontal impacts. In side-impact tests, it received five stars for front seat passengers and four stars for rear seat occupants. Unfortunately the hybrid system’s battery pack takes up a fair amount of trunk space, but the 11.8 cubic feet of cargo-carrying capacity is still better than what you’ll find in the boot of the Altima and Camry hybrids.

The 2011 Mercury Milan Hybrid is one of the most enjoyable hybrid sedans to drive. In fact, only its Ford Fusion Hybrid sibling and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, which is only sold in nine states, even come close. Decent acceleration, at least by hybrid standards, is the icing on the cake.