In the transition from Montego to Sable, Mercury has had to spend the time and money to make the two vehicles look as dissimilar as possible, so the new Sable has a completely new and quite different look.
Although both cars have multi-pieced brushed-aluminum waterfall grilles, the hoods, grilles, headlamps, bumpers and intakes are completely different on the two cars, and there are differences across the rear panel as well to make the Sable as distinct from the Montego as was possible in a very short turnaround time. The new taillamps have white lenses and LED lighting, the rear quarter panels and decklid have been redone, and the rear bumper has been redesigned with exposed dual exhaust tips. Front to back, there's a bit more bling on the Sable than there was on the Montego, but it's far from overdone.
The most welcome interior feature of the new Sable is the sheer space inside it, 108 cubic feet inside, with a 21 cubic-foot trunk, according to EPA measurements, making it by far the largest interior in the class at 129 cubic feet total. With folding rear seats and a flat-folding right front seat, you can put a nine-foot-long object inside the car.
After you notice the space and the limo-like rear-seat accommodations, you then begin to notice that every piece in the interior, the instruments, controls, shifter, seats, console, and dashboard, has been redesigned, with a more luxurious feel and lots more chrome trim here and there. And they've added a standard MP3 player auxiliary plug inside the center console as standard equipment on all models.
There's more choice for interior schemes with Sable, beyond the basic chrome and aluminum scheme, including faux carbon fiber, guitar maple, and something called San Macassar, all complementing the two-tone interior theme.
Sync offers integration with all Bluetooth-enabled phones and music players, including iPods, via electronic and USB 2.0 connections. Sync can read text messages aloud and features voice recognition for control of both phone and music functions, and phonebook transfer. The system is upgradeable for future players and for additional functions scheduled to arrive in 2009 models.
Our test Sable Limited AWD, with a base price of $29,180 was loaded down with options, including AdvanceTrac electronic stability control, a roof-mounted rear-seat DVD entertainment system, heated front seats, convenience package, wood package, power adjustable pedals, a moonroof, voice-activated touch-screen navigation, Sirius satellite radio, and reverse sensing system, bringing the bottom line to $34,200 and making it the most-loaded Sable it is possible to order.
The new 3.5-liter engine is extremely quiet and smooth at idle, and uses a pendulum mounting system that effectively separates its motions and vibrations from the rest of the car. It sounds healthy, powerful and smooth at full throttle, makes the Sable much quicker in acceleration and passing situations, and settles down to a whisper in sixth gear, as it should. At freeway speeds, the Sable is very, very quiet inside.
If you were blindfolded and taken for a ride at full throttle in the new Sable, you'd never believe it's basically the same car as the old Montego. The engine's power, thrust and torque are of a much higher order than the weak old 3.0-liter V6 engine, and the six-speed transmission shifts very quickly with very little time lapse or power loss between gears. It sounds much more powerful without being harsh or intrusive, and it provides some real driving joy when the accelerator pedal is pushed all the way down at the flash of a green light.
The ABS disc brakes were equally powerful, with easy modulation and a very nice, powerful progression at the pedal, and not a lot of dead space at the top of the pedal's travel. Braking starts right at the top and gets progressively better, with electronic brake force distribution to keep the car stable, and full ABS whenever you need it. These brakes are not sports-car large or thick, they just do their job very well for regular passenger car brakes.
The normal front-wheel-drive Sable carries a 3.16:1 final drive ratio for acceleration performance, while the all-wheel-drive version uses a substantially higher ratio of 2.77:1, presumably to keep powertrain noise to a minimum at highway speeds. That was perfectly alright with us, and the car turned out to be a very enjoyable traveling companion in terms of noise, vibration, harshness, and powertrain intrusion.
With traction control and optional AdvanceTrac stability control, the computers take over whenever there's a negative encounter with rain, snow, ice or mud, to keep the car going in its original, intended direction, flat and stable, and we count that well worth the additional $1850 for the AWD system.
The new electric power steering system is overboosted at parking and low road speeds to suit the tastes of most American customers who like effortless steering, but it is also accurate, with good feedback, and is not overly assisted in high-speed or highway driving. The new Sable's ride is soft and compliant, with 10 percent more suspension travel built in, with some body roll in the fast corners, and it has a noticeable upward pitch of the front end on hard acceleration, but most of the time, the 2008 Sable is a very pleasant car to be in.
We found the Sable to be very quiet and smooth on the open road, with excellent outward vision in all directions because of all that tall glass, with a nice, high seating position, very comfortable and supportive front bucket seats, and instruments and controls that were easy to look at and easy to use.
The navigation system was easy to learn and use. The gray graphics of the system don't match the blue-green graphics on the rest of the instruments, however.
The 2008 Mercury Sable ($23,540) comes in standard and Sable Premier ($27,330) trim levels. All-wheel drive comes on the Sable AWD ($25,390) and Sable Premier AWD ($29,180) models. (All prices are MSRP; destination charge is $750 for all models.)
Options include a Convenience package ($475) with a universal remote control, a reverse sensing system, a cargo net, and memory adjustable pedals; a wood package ($195); a DVD entertainment system ($995); AdvanceTrac electronic stability control ($495); moonroof ($895); voice-activated DVD navigation ($1995); 18-inch chrome wheels ($695); engine block heater ($35); Sirius Satellite Radio ($195). The new communications software, the optional ($395) Sync system developed by Ford with Microsoft, is available on all Sable models.
Safety features are complete and include front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, and traction control. AdvanceTrak electronic stability control is optional. With its large physical size and this standard package of safety features, the new Sable has been awarded a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and full five-star ratings from the federal government.