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SEE ALSO: Mercury Specs, Pics and Prices - Mercury Buyers Guide
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD
WITH CAREY RUSS
2008 Mercury Sable Premier
The Sable was the core of the Mercury lineup from its debut inmodel year 1986 until it mysteriously vanished for model year 2005, to bereplaced by the Montego. And then, for model year 2008, the Montegodisappeared, replaced by the new Sable.
Which looks much like the Montego. Which should be no surprise,as it is the car that was expected to have been named Sable, that insteadwas called Montego, but with some important upgrades. Confused? Don't be.Mysterious are the ways of automotive marketing.
As has been the case since the beginning, the Mercury Sable isthe upscale cousin to the Ford Taurus. Compared to the last Sable, today'sis noticeably larger, especially inside. And the Montego's power deficiencyhas been eliminated by replacing the venerable 3.0-liter "Duratec" V6 witha new 3.5-liter engine, which adds 60 horsepower and 42 lb-ft of torque andimproves fuel economy thanks to design improvements and the use of asix-speed automatic transmission. A stiffer unibody structure and increasedsoundproofing improve safety, ride quality, and interior quiet.
Mercury's brief has always been near-luxury to entry-luxury,American-style. That niche has changed over the years, and Mercurys havechanged with it. Gone is the overly soft suspension tuning that was thehallmark of the American luxury car of the (thankfully) now-distant past.Ditto for the sometimes garish exterior and interior styling. Not too longago, Mercury might have called the newest Sable "European-influenced". Nowit's merely mainstream American, and that's good.
Available in base and upscale Premier trim levels, with front- orall-wheel drive, the new Sable is a sedan that can be an alternative to acrossover. It's lighter in weight, and has a lower center of gravity, forbetter fuel economy and handling compared to a higher, heavier crossover.The trunk is huge, the split-folding rear seat is easily wide enough forthree people, and the front passenger seatback can be folded flat forwardto help carry long items.
A front-wheel drive Sable Premier has been my ride for the pastweek. It was pleasantly smooth and quiet on the highway, and capable on thebyways. I had occasion to transport friends, and the six-footers in therear seat were happy. It's not your great-uncle's Grand Marquis. ThePremier's audio system sees to that, with SYNC connectivity for Bluetooth¨phones and audio players, and playback capability for all current CDformats.
APPEARANCE: Mercury now has a cohesive look. Stylistically, the Sablefits neatly into the lineup with the smaller Milan sedan and the Marinerand Mountaineer SUVs. The Sable's center section, passenger cabin anddoors, shares sheetmetal with the late Montego, but revised front and rearstyling gives it a more youthful appearance. The flat-topped satin chromewaterfall grille and bright headlight clusters do the trick. At the rear, aneatly-truncated tail and taillights that use large clear triangular coversover red LEDs presents a contemporary look. The sides are clean, and thewheels fill the small, functional wheel arches. Dark plastic around thelower perimeter visually lowers the car and provides lower bumper androcker panel protection.
COMFORT: Inside as well as out, the Sable is clean, uncluttered, andtasteful. And the spaciousness given by its size is enhanced by efficientdesign and use of all possible nooks and crannies. The car's size meansmore than ample room for five adults, plus plenty of trunk space. Interiorstorage includes not only the usual door pockets (with bottle holders, andin all four doors) and glovebox, but a dual-layer console box (withmini-jack, USB connection, and power point in the lower section for audioplayer connectivity) and a covered dash-top compartment that can hold itemsfrom coins and toll tickets to CDs. At the Premier level, perforatedleather covers the seats, and the power-adjustable front seats havetwo-level heating elements. The steering wheel is tilt-adjustable, butoptional power-adjustable pedals allow perfect driver placement, for bothcomfort and safety. The instrument panel is simple in design anduncluttered, with plastic "wood" and "brushed aluminum" trim appropriate tothe Sable's price point. The main instruments are readily visible andshaded from glare. With the optional navigation system, as fitted to mytest car, navigation, audio, and trip computer functions are available viatouch-screen and voice interaction. Control is very simple and intuitive;perusal of a thick manual is not normally necessary. Audio choices includeall currently-popular formats, AM, FM, and (optionally) Sirius satelliteradio, plus standard, MP3, and WMA CDs and MP3 players or iPods. MicrosoftSYNC connectivity integrated cell phones and audio players. Dual-zoneelectronic climate control is separate from the touch screen, controlled bysimple and well-marked buttons. Perimeter lighting adds convenience andsafety at night.
SAFETY: The 2008 Sable is built on the same platform as the Montego,which was based on the first-generation Volvo S80. So safety is expected,and delivered. The new Sable scored a five-star rating in all NHTSA crashtest categories. It's rated Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. Standard safetyequipment includes dual stage front airbags, seat-mounted front airbags,Safety Canopy(tm) full-length side curtain airbags, four-wheel antilockdisc brakes, and traction control. The AdvanceTrac¨ stability controlsystem is available.
RIDE AND HANDLING: On the road, the new Sable is polite and quiet.Improved sound-deadening materials and structural revisions see to that.The Macpherson strut front, multilink rear suspension is the same basicdesign as that of the Montego, but detail improvements make a difference.The engine is now mounted directly to the body with hydraulic mounts, notto a subframe, and springs and shocks are new, tuned for compliance withoutexcessive bounciness. The Premier gets "plus-one" 225/55 HR18 tires onalloy rims, which improve turn-in response a touch. If you haven't been ina mainstream American car in a while, a drive in the Sable could leave youpleasantly surprised.
PERFORMANCE: The 3.5-liter Duratec V6 is just what the Sableneeded. The Montego was marginally underpowered, with the 3.0-liter,203-horsepower V6. The new engine, like its forebear an aluminum alloydesign with dual overhead cams, 24 valves, and continuously-variable camphasing on the intake cams, is considerably more powerful, with 263 horses(at 6250 rpm) and 249 lb-ft of torque - versus 207 - (at 4500 rpm). Curbweight has only increased by around 100 pounds, so performance isconsiderably improved, to the tune of about two seconds less for 0-60. Allthe better for the cut and thrust of traffic. The transmission is asix-speed automatic. There is no manual mode, which should bother thetarget buyer not at all. "D" works just fine, thank you.
CONCLUSIONS: The 2008 Mercury Sable combines style, space, andcomfort with useful versatility.
SPECIFICATIONS2008 Mercury Sable Premier FWDBase Price $ 27,330Price As Tested $ 31,455Engine Type aluminum alloy 24-valve dual overhead cam V6 with variable cam phasing on the intake camsEngine Size 3.4 liters / 213 cu. in.Horsepower 263 @ 6250 rpmTorque (lb-ft) 249 @ 4500 rpmTransmission 6-speed automaticWheelbase / Length 112.9 in. / 202.1 in.Curb Weight 3741 lbs.Pounds Per Horsepower 14.2Fuel Capacity 20 gal.Fuel Requirement 87 octane unleaded regular gasolineTires P225/55 R18 97H Pirelli P6 Four SeasonsBrakes, front/rear vented disc / solid disc, ABS standardSuspension, front/rear independent MacPherson strut / independent double A-armDrivetrain transverse front engine, front-wheel drivePERFORMANCEEPA Fuel Economy - miles per gallon city / highway / observed 18 / 28 / 200 to 60 mph 6.8 secOPTIONS AND CHARGESAdvanceTrac stability control $ 495Navigation system $ 1,995Cargo Management System $ 200Sirius Satellite Radio with 6 months service $ 195Reverse Sensing System $ 295Adjustable pedals with memory $ 195Destination charge $ 750
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