The 2006-2011 Mercury Milan Retrospective & The Rise And Fall Of The Mercury Brand

In this video, you will learn about the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Mercury Milan. The Mercury Milan was a midsize, four-door sedan that was based on the CD3 chassis. The CD3 chassis was the same that underpinned the Mazda6, Lincoln Zephyr and Ford Fusion.
Speaking of the Ford Fusion, the 2006 Mercury Milan was an upscale variant of that car.
The 2006-2009 Mercury Milan remained largely unchanged. By 2010, the Mercury Milan got a refresh. Also, by 2010, there was a Mercury Milan hybrid available.
Overall, the Mercury Milan was a solid car that was well equipped with an affordable price tag.

[@buttonz6139]

Milan was , and still is a very nice looking car

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Yep it sure is

[@bradkrekelberg8624]

I had an '07 Milan with the two-tone interior. Mine was loaded and had the 2.3L manual. You didn't see many of them equipped like that. It was a handsome car, and I loved the interior. It was rock solid. Great car. I had it for 6 trouble-free years. I didn't like the revised styling for 2009. When I go to look for a car for my kids to drive, I'll be looking for an '06-12 Fusion or Milan with a manual. Very well made cars!

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Thanks for sharing and yes, I liked the 2006-2009 styling more as well.

[@dogbear140]

i feel like mercury could come back, i really liked mercury’s styling

[@anthonyrivera0917]

I think the mercury Milan is more of a successor to the mystique than to the stable, because the mystique and Milan are both mid sized sedans. From 2001-2005, ford and mercury had a gap in their lineup as ford didn't have a mid sized sedan above the focus and below the Taurus. Meanwhile, mercury didn't have a sedan below the stable. I think ford should've brought over its second gen Mondeo to the states and perhaps mercury should've gotten its own rebadged version of the second gen mondeo.

[@johnnymason2460]

You are absolutely correct. The Milan actually replaced the Mystique. I consider it a small midsize sedan. The Montego and the Sable that eventually replaced it would be large midsize sedans. I consider the Grand Marquis as a fullsize sedan.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Sure, you would think so, but I recall back in ‘05 when Ford was getting ready to roll out the Fusion, they said it would replace the Taurus. It was even everywhere in the press material. Matter of fact, they mentioned the Taurus would be replaced by two different cars. Mercury was going the same route with the Milan. The Mystique didn’t have a direct replacement. Mercury was considering on reviving the Tracer. It was going to be a smaller sedan slotting below the Milan. It would’ve shared similar dimensions with the previous Tracer and Mystique. Ultimately, the plan was scrapped and the new Tracer never happened.

[@musicmoviesandgames2004]

@@MotorMaster_StunticonThe planned Tracer would be a version of the Focus of the time

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

@musicandtech04 absolutely

[@autochatter]

I completely forgot about the last Montego! What a great video! I felt like I was getting two for the price of one! My daughters car is a Mazda 6 5 speed so its similar to the Milan and Fusion.

[@Simple_Jack82]

Cool to see you supporting similar channels!

[@autochatter]

​​@Simple_Jack82 Thanks! I never miss one of Robs vids, and I subscribed to him before I was Chatting!

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Hey thanks for the visit. Yep, the final Montego was definitely forgettable, guess that’s why they changed up the styling and renamed it Sable.

[@arabicelvis]

Sable is Taurus......topaz is a tempo....too much badge 📛 engeringering

[@RageousMode]

Still batting zero on having the unique drink you put at the start of your videos, I'll get it one day. Keep putting out these bangers AT, you're killing it 👍

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Haha thanks bro!

[@Simple_Jack82]

Who else did a Milan video? Right on bro. Great choice.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Indeed. It’s nice to shine light on these less talked-about cars.

[@doug6191]

These were nice cars. Ford did a great job of replacing the Contour/Mystique. These compared well with the Accord/Camry, much better than their predecessors. And Ford did great at distinguishing these from the Mazda6 - only car geeks knew the connection.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Agreed. They had a really nice design. Love the rear tail lamp treatment.

[@fgeiger41]

Great doc. It's a shame how Ford marketing destroyed Merkur. Both cars were awesome. I lusted after the XR4Ti. The Scorpion was ahead of its time and both were definitely competitive in everything but name.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Thanks bro. Yeah the XR4Ti and Scorpio were actually quite unique. Wish they would’ve done better so we could’ve seen what the successors would’ve looked like.

[@fgeiger41]

@MotorMaster_Stunticon absolutely!

[@richtmax1]

I love the Mercury Milan! Great video. I own a 2010 Ford Fusion as my first car. I love the CD3 platform! ❤

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Cool, thanks for watching

[@courtneypuzzo2502]

the Milan was a smaller midsize car similar to a Chevrolet Malibu or Toyota Camry of the time. the last Mercury off the Assembly line was a 2011 Grand Marquis in January 2011 after the entire Mercury brand was discontinued in the restructuring that came after Ford's most recent bankruptcy during the great recession of 2008. also car classes are determined by length etc. so the last few generations of the Chevrolet Impala for example were classed as a large midsize car less than 17 Ft long where as a 1976 Impala was 18.6 Ft long and weighed 4,354 LBs while a modern Impala weighed 3,711 LBs a 15% weight reduction from the antique Impala and also a 22.6 in length reduction the first downsizing came for the 1977 model year 11 in to 212 for sedan and coupe and 217 in for wagon

[@sirot5561]

Amazing vid as always! 👍🏼

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Thanks bro

[@kwaza8574]

I don’t believe Mercury mid-size decline started with the Milan, as much as it started with the Mystique. Which had big shoes to fill from the Topaz, but didn’t.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Yeah and the Mystique was somewhat slow-selling.

[@MyerShift7]

The Topaz big shoes to fill? That's hilarious.

[@fabionwilson6992]

Great job

[@Beth9228]

I had a 2011 Mercury Milan. It was a good car to drive. I got it in late June 2012. It had a little bit over 11,000 miles on it. I hit a deer twice in 2016. The first deer in that car that I had a loaner car that was a 2006 Mercury Milan in a darker shade of Royal blue for 2 weeks. I liked the color of the vehicle. When I choose the Milan over the Ford Fusions. The Ford dealership had about 6 of them that were 2011 with almost 40,000 miles on them. When I first test drove it. I felt uncomfortable at first with the size of it. I was driving a 2005 Ford Focus ZX5 with the SES trim level when I was in a bad car accident in early 2012. Both of my parents drove the car for a couple weeks. I got used to it in riding in it as one of my parents were driving it. The interior is the same as a Fusion. I have been in a 2011 Ford Fusion with cloth interior. My mother drove that one as a loaner for a couple hours. She didn’t trust me in driving the Fusion. When I had that Mercury Milan. I still seen a few Mercury vehicles that are still running around.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Thanks for sharing your story!

[@matethiustransport1374]

I bought a2007 4cyl 5spd in November 2007. Worst financial decision of my life (up to that point). Not because of the car itself, any new car purchase at that point would have been stupid. Was a decent car, put over 100k miles on it in 3 years. Something inside the trans broke, and was very hard to get into 2nd, 4th, and reverse. Should have kept my crown Vic

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Cool. Thanks for sharing that.

[@minipandora22]

I miss Mercury

[@doug6191]

13:06 - That, and the end of their relationship with Nissan. Mercury got another minivan after the Villager (the Monterey).

[@autochatter]

The Montery and Freestar were so forgettable!

[@doug6191]

@autochatter The Monterey was as forgettable as all the Mercurys before it. The Milan and Mariner were fine vehicles, but (like almost all Mercurys) no better than the Ford alternative. I only ever liked the Villager, Tracer hatchback (Mazda's 323), and the Cougar. Beyond that, the brand was pointless. Ford's Titanium trim effectively replaced an entire brand. Smart choice to axe Mercury.

[@texan903]

So, for short, as a brand, Mercury was a trim level. 😂😂

[@doug6191]

@texan903 That's how its absence was solved. 😁

[@autochatter]

Mercury ran into the same problem Oldsmobile did..Their buyers were literally dying off, and both Divisions tried unsuccessfully about a decade before they died to lure in a younger demographic.

[@giovanni233]

As someone whos dream car is a milan, and also owns one it made me quite giddy at the fact someone made a video on it, my first car was a mazda 6, i loved the driving dyamics of it the automatic had amazing logic and the 2.3 loved to rev, had a wide toqrue spread and was super easy to work on (horrible gas guzzler though lol), though unfortunately i was rear ended pretty badly and the car was a loss, but on the spot i vowed to own another one, however i wanted one that was more comfy and also had more creature comforts and thats where i discovered the Milan, and after 2 years of searching, i had found one with the 2.3 and a 5 speed auto, Its fully loaded (except heated seats) 08' Milan 2.3 with factory nav and backup sensors, and an original one owner car

[@TNS17]

Wishing they still made Mercury. Need to buy me a Milan or Mariner..

[@doug6191]

For me, this era of Mercury was about Jill Wagner 😍😊🤭

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Haha!

[@Ceaseme123]

😮I want to know what they changed for that extra 20hp I got the 06 v6 base model with 220hp I’d like one of the 3.5 fusion sport motors or that 6 spd Manual shame it was only for the 4 cylinders

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Yeah the stick would’ve been cool with the V6.

[@MyerShift7]

This was like a 5/4 scale MKIV VW Jetta in some styling aspects, and I loved it. Only pre-facelift though. Mercury had potential.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for the video. The footage was great as well as the videos. You have become quite good with graphics. I thought the video was good. It is sad how Mercury ended. They are right. It got to the point it was not much different from Ford. You could see this. The Mountaineer competed against Oldsmobile Bravada. What is sad is Ford had too many brands at one point and did not invest. I liked the 1970's Grand Marquis and the ones from the 1980's too. I liked the 2000's up to a point because they lost so much in distinction and sadly they were not much different from Crown Victoria. The Grand Marquis and Cougar were carrying that brand for a while. I liked different generations of the Cougar. I liked the Sable. It lost what made it unique. The Milan started off looking good, but that face lift lost something especially with the headlights. The same fate the happen to Oldsmobile happened to Mercury. The recent Lincolns are not that much different from Fords now. There was a reason why Mercury existed. Well put together and executed video.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Thanks for the visit man. I figured you’re more of a Grand Marquis kind of guy. I like the 1998-2002 Grand Marquis styling the most but the smaller Milan looked just as good in its own unique way.

[@OLDS98]

@@MotorMaster_Stunticon The the Ford Fusion , Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ needed something to make them more distinct among the Ford products. I remember Montego which became the Sable. You did a good job the video. The Montego was on a Volvo based platform they used on several cars.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

@OLDS98 yep. What’s your opinion on the 1989-1997 Cougar

[@OLDS98]

@@MotorMaster_Stunticon I liked that generation of Cougar. I did not like when they changed the headlights design to those single units on each side. I prefer the quad headlight design( two on each side of the grille). The one headlight on each side looks cheap and low end like you bought the stripper model. Too many cars have this issue. Ford was overkill with it. This generation aged well. They had nice interiors, offered digital gauges and more. It was Mercury's "Cutlass Supreme". Mercury and Oldsmobile were positioned in the same space in the market. It was on par with the Thunderbird of that era sharing many parts as far back as 1977. The XR7 was the way to go or a loaded LS.

[@colinschmitz8297]

Great video as always! After much thought of how to explain the traditional ford divisions problems, I would say the problem is they all have the same theme. I would describe Ford styling usually as conservative, the same for Mercury just with a waterfall grill, and for Lincoln the same thing with a bit more Chrome and wood. The company that I find to be the most comparable at the entry level would be Volkswagen. Volkswagen styling is also fairly conservative; however, that's where it ends. Audi is far more aggressive and not quite as conservative as Volkswagen. The other divisions that they've acquired maintain a unique styling cue to the point where it's harder to see that models are sharing platforms much like how it was harder to see that the aggressively styled Mazda 6 and the Fusion shared The same platform. I think Ford needed to choose between Mercury and Lincoln on one division to be aggressively styled with a premium aggressively styled interior using the powertrains and same wheel drive to compete against the European luxury divisions. The remaining division needed to be the traditional American luxury offering with the noted difference that they needed to take the bean counter out of the room and spend the money necessary to build a first class interior. The treatment of mercury and Lincoln during the era of the premiere car group showed they really didn't have much of a plan on what to do with those divisions. They just wanted to keep them for the time being and try random models for mercury to see what would stick and with Lincoln just make traditional American luxury but at a price point with no goal of trying to make it one of the best in the world concerning the interior. If they would have aimed to make a best in the world interior with a bean counters out of the room it might have had a chance.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Thanks for taking the time to share your input as always. Wise words. Mercury had a few good hits, there are a few models I wouldn’t mind owning myself.

[@colinschmitz8297]

@@MotorMaster_Stunticon thank you. Which models from Mercury would you like to own if given the chance? For myself, the second to last generation cougar, Grand Marquis, front wheel drive Montego 6 speed, first generation Milan V6

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

A ‘75 Grand Marquis coupe. ‘71-‘73 Cougar. Definitely the 1998-2002 Grand Marquis. The 2003 Marauder without a doubt. The 1987-88 Cougar (with the composite headlamps) 1996-1999 Sable. Always loved the way those look, especially in the rear. The 1999 Cougar looked pretty cool. Come to think about it, I actually like the Australian-built Capri with the pop-ups. And a 2006 Milan to top it off.

[@colinschmitz8297]

@@MotorMaster_Stunticon Wow, some excellent choices. I have a cousin who has a 96 Sable. They have had it since 99. Dark green. A friend had a 99 Cougar back in the day. I didn't drive her's but I did get to test drive a similar one. Quite fun. I have driven both a 94 and I think around the 98-02 era Grand Marquis. They are very nice. I did drive a Milan once. I should have bought it. The rest I haven't had the opportunity to drive but look nice.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Yeah the Grand Marquis are nice. What’s your opinion on the Australian-built Capri?

[@johnnymason2460]

Lincoln revitalization? Yeah, that didn't work. Lincoln simply ended up going downmarket. It basically is what Mercury once was. It is no longer in the same category as Cadillac. It is more near luxury than actual luxury. Such a debacle. Mercury needs to be brought back to push Lincoln back up to where it should be.

[@anthonyrivera0917]

Lincoln is like Acura and Infiniti these days, as they're all just upscale (not luxury) brands of their parent companies.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

I highly doubt it would be beneficial to revive Mercury. Nowadays, if the brand was still around, it would only be fancier Ford SUVs.

[@johnnymason2460]

​@@MotorMaster_Stunticon It would be better for Lincoln. That brand is not considered a true luxury brand like Cadillac, Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Having Mercury there would push Lincoln back to where it belongs. I can't take Lincoln seriously over Cadillac and other true luxury brands right now. Mercury was a brand for challenging Buick, Chrysler, Acura, and Audi. Lincoln is right now in that category. That is unacceptable to me.

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

The STATION WAGON of the Sable would be replaced by the Ford Freestyle based Mercury Magellan...which never came to be.

[@spencerolson1532]

I love the milan

[@DoubleH2279]

Chevy Lumina, Saturn Aura and Kia Rondo retrospective please

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Already did both Luminas… As far as the rest, in due time

[@user-yw9gj7ns6t]

I still don't understand why the Mercury brand had to be killed 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️ had they just differentiate it from Ford more it could be the Buick of Ford. Buick does GREAT SALES!

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Sales were dropping and it wasn’t needed since Ford offered trim levels that were just as upscale.

[@baronvonjo1929]

I feel like Mercury and Plymouth were really the saddest of all the American brands after the 60s. They don't really seemed to have ever gotten a serious chance, investment, and R&D. I've noticed some automotive groups that control many brands don't know what to do with them and barely try with em. Look at Kia and Hyundai. That's how you rebadge a car. Then look at what Ford did with Mercury. Not how you rebadge a car.

[@spencerolson1532]

It was after 2011 when they shut the mercury brand down

[@garlantyrell8030]

I thought the 2010 mercury milan refresh was well needed and brought the Milan slightly more upscale than the fusion cousin from ford

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Yeah the refresh was neat, but I still preferred the pre refresh. Of course, looks are subjective.

[@spencerolson1532]

I've always thought that mercury was better then ford

[@justinwhite9689]

Rusting out one by one in MN right now.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Wouldn’t doubt it.

[@doug6191]

8:14 - I feel no loss with the demise of Mercury. It was such an irrelevant brand, as it had been for decades by the time it perished. Badge jobs defined most of the brand's products throughout my lifetime (born 1978.)

[@johnnymason2460]

I have a problem with the loss of the Mercury brand. It basically caused the Lincoln brand to go down market. Lincoln is no longer in the same category as Cadillac, Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. That is a huge mistake by Ford.

[@doug6191]

@johnnymason2460 Lincoln hasn't been relevant in that league in ages, with or without Mercury in the picture.

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

@doug6191 agreed. Although I liked a few of their models, the brand as a whole faded into irrelevancy.

[@spencerolson1532]

I love this car because it would kick a subrus a** and it would live to tell the story

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

You think so?

[@EricFortuneJr.]

They literally flipped the headlights upside down for the 1998 Mountaineer and called it a refresh..

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Haha yep pretty much

[@adamogden5212]

I hate Fords but had a soft spot for Mercury's. Mercury suffered the same problem oldsmobile suffered from near luxury brands when the parent company had a true luxury brand seem to suffer as the 2000s and 2010 continued on because why buy a near luxury vehicle when a base model lincoln or Cadillac was 4 to 5 grand more? Old people bought near luxury brands because they had always budget there money and knew what they could afford but if you a business man or a lawyer about to make the team and you show how successful you are and a luxury car is 5 year car loan vs a 3 year car loan but you look way more successful they people are gonna make the payment work for the image of success. American luxury brands need to truly compete with the Germans and raise prices and make the product more high quality. I don't think owning a Cadillac or Lincoln has really meant anything since the 90s maybe 70s.

[@spencerolson1532]

My question is why couldn't they keep the mercury brand going and get rid of mazda instead mercury was better then ford

[@MotorMaster_Stunticon]

Mercury became irrelevant. I see if they had unique models, but there was really no point in the brand continuing.

[@arabicelvis]

They fell victim to badge engeringering should have learned from gm !

[@spencerolson1532]

2010 cars have allot of electrical problems

[@ShaneAcree]

The transmissions are horrible in the Fusion and expensive to repair.

[@kc0lif]

sable ok but Milan nah.