- sedan 111,976
- 8,995 high price
- Kansas City, KS
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- autoshopper.com
- sedan 111,976 diesel silver automatic
2008 mercury sable review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Big and roomy and quiet, with powerful new v6. introductionfor 2008, mercury has rescued the good parts of the old montego sedan, dumped the rest, and made what ford motor company says are more than 500 individual improvements. So much has changed that the division has gone back to the old sable name for the car, to see if it brings this product any greater recognition and/or market success. as we said, mercury has made some 500 changes, changes that were already scheduled for the mid-cycle freshening of the montego, to the new sable but were pulled ahead in time for the name change. The big kicker in all of this is that, with all the new styling, interior, engine, transmission and standard features upgrades, the price hovers only about $250 above the bland, slow ford five hundred when comparably equipped. this family of vehicles, including the ford taurus sedan and ford taurus x crossover, is built on the same platform as the volvo s80 luxury sedans, with some detail changes to the suspension systems to keep the price in mercury territory. When all-wheel-drive is ordered for a sable, it uses the same swedish haldex all-wheel-drive system as the volvo s80 sedans and xc90 crossover suvs. the sable is powered by a new 3. 5-liter, 24-valve v6 engine that makes 30 percent more power and 22 percent more torque than the 3. 0-liter v6 it replaces. The new 3. 5-liter v6 is the same ford-designed engine that powers the larger and heavier ford edge and lincoln mkx crossovers and mkz luxury cars. It's paired with a new six-speed automatic transmission built and shared by ford and gm. needless to say, this new engine and transmission combination is much quicker, much quieter and much more responsive than the old montego powertrain. The new engine/transmission combination not only makes more power, it also gets 10 percent better fuel economy, even after adjusting for the new 2008 epa method now used for fuel economy labeling. lineupthe 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. 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. Sync can read text messages aloud and features voice recognition for control of both phone and music functions, and phonebook transfer. 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. 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. 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. MP3 Player✔ Bucket Seats✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Navigation System✔ Bluetooth✔ DVD Entertainment System✔ Chrome Wheels
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