When Ford Motor Co. announced last year at the Chicago Auto Show that they were renaming the Ford Five Hundred, Ford Freestyle and Mercury Montego, it eclipsed pretty much every other change surrounding the trio.
And when the new vehicles -- the Ford Taurus, Ford Taurus X and Mercury Sable -- hit the streets with the same shape but a new name, it was easy to overlook the biggest change of all: A new powertrain.
2008 Mercury Sable
Taurus returns
Ford brings back Taurus
Built at the Chicago Assembly Plant on the flexible assembly line, all three vehicles get the new Duratec 35 V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, which accounts for 30 percent more power.
My first chance to test the revamped vehicles came in the form of the 2008 Mercury Sable. I actually liked the Montego, placing it as the No. 1 large sedan I’d driven. So, I have to admit I was curious about the “new” Sable.
Behind the slight facelift and new taillights (P.S.: I liked the old ones better), the Sable is very much like its former self, and it still ranks tops in my books amongst large sedans.
I’m beginning to feel like a broken record when I say this, but: It snowed during the test week when I had the Sable. One of the first things I remember about the Montego, which I also drove during a major snow dump a couple years ago, was how well the all-wheel drive model handled in snow. It was buried beneath 6 inches of snow, and drove like a champ on unplowed Chicago side streets. The AWD Sable was no different. All week, it managed to traverse my unplowed alley without a hint of being stuck.
The ride in the Sable is as you would expect it to be, smooth but not peppy. Even though it has 263 horses under it hood, it is after all a large sedan. Entry onto the highway wasn’t going to win any races, but the power was adequate. There are no jerky gear shifts as the six-speed automatic transmission moves through the gears almost imperceptibly. But with the clean, cool power, there is no burst of acceleration. I miss the burst of acceleration.
With the new powertrain comes improved fuel economy. The new Duratec 35 gets a 10-percent increase over the outgoing model, and city/highway EPA estimates ring in at 17/24 mpg for the AWD model and 18/28 mpg for the front-wheel drive model. If you look at other large sedans with a V-6, the Sable is better than most, beating other AWD models and either beating or coming very close to the other two-wheel drive models.
Though the Sable is a large vehicle, I found a great driving position with the power adjustable seats. And that was before I realized the test vehicle had the optional adjustable pedals. A lot of women look for this feature to help keep them further way from the steering wheel, but I actually found I didn’t need them.
I had great visibility out the front and rear, and I felt perfectly confident maneuvering through tight areas and backing into my parking space.
One thing Mercury does really well is clean and simple interiors. The intuitive placement of gauges and controls – even with the optional navigation system – wins the Sable high marks. I especially like the HVAC controls that are separate from the vehicle’s computer. The only downside is that some of the materials on the center stack are a bit plasticky.
The test vehicle was a Premier AWD model, which comes standard with the new Sync system. After some initial difficulties syncing my phone with the system via Bluetooth, I was quite impressed. The commercials really do show the truth, and making a phone call is as simple as calling out “Dial Mom and Dad.” Because even your iPod commands are voice activated, the auxiliary input jack in the center console makes sense. You hide your iPod and don’t have to worry about removing it every time you leave the car.
The base price of the new Sable is $24,685. Bumping up to the Premier model with AWD, will also bump up the price tag. Base price for the test vehicle was $29,930. It also added a bevy of options, including navigation ($1,995), adjustable pedals ($195), Advance Trac ESC ($495), a cargo management system ($200), Sirius Satellite Radio ($195) and a reverse sensing system ($295). So, the as-tested price was $33,305.
Whether or not the name will bring buyers to this large sedan has yet to be seen. Regardless, Sable is a very nice vehicle with a great ride. I’m still relatively nonplussed by the name change because a Sable is a Montego is a Sable. But if the iconic name makes you take a second look, so be it. This vehicle is worth it.
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