I learned to drive on the interstate at age 14 in a first generation Mercury Sable. It belonged to my grandparents, and it was the three of us on a trip from Louisiana to Florida. Within a few hours my grandfather decided it would something special for both of us to share my first highway driving experience. He was right, I’ll never forget the car not because it was an exceptional automobile, but because of what I got to do with it.

That’s the kind of legacy that the Mercury Sable leaves. It’s not meant to be a driver’s car, but instead an affordable and usable car where the memories are made from what families are able to do with the car.

2009 Mercury Sable

Specifications
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  • Model: 2009 Mercury Sable
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Exterior

Mercury is a step-through brand in the Ford Family. Ford would like nothing better for you to use the Sable to transition you from a Ford Fusion or Taurus into a Lincoln MKZ or MKS. Because of this the Sable’s identity is created from a mix of elements from Ford and Lincoln. So the profile of the Sable is unmistakably Ford Taurus (it shares an assembly line with the Taurus.) In fact, the Taurus has the exact same dimensions except the Sable is lees than an inch longer then the Taurus.

Where the Mercury distinguishes itself is that it carries the Lincoln in the details. Elements like the premium 18-inch wheels or the front grille uses the same waterfall theme that is usually seen on Ford’s premium brand.

Interior

Space is the biggest advantage for the Sable. The car has a carnivorous nature that gives almost makes the driver feel small. There is no chance of bumping your head on the ceiling as long as you’re under seven feet tall. Another big part of the spacious feeling of the car is the flat dash panels, which put controls a little further away than normal. Nothing is a tough or uncomfortable reach away, but it just feels like there’s more air in the car.

The driver wasn’t the only one with all this room. The back seat will hold three people without any problems. There will be no complaints from the kids of clients.

Just like on the Lincoln MKS we had in the test fleet, our power driver seat in the Sable would pull back a few inches when the car shut off. While this is a good feature for extra room when departing the car, it is sometimes an odd feature to used to during fast getaways.

The only thing that we felt was lacking on a $32,350 automobile was a telescoping steering wheel. Mercury gives power adjusting driver pedals instead, which provided a suitable solution. If this was you’re car it wouldn’t be a problem; it just took us some time to get comfortable the first time we got in our Sable.

Test Drive

This is not an enthusiast’s car, nor is it advertised as one. The ride is soft, which means on bumpy roads the kids won’t spill their juice, your carpoolers won’t spill their coffee, and you won’t take the long way home.

With that stated it wasn’t a completely uninteresting ride. The car shares some bloodlines with the Volvo S80 and Lincoln MKS, so there’s defiantly a small underlying feeling of sporting nature under this freeway cruiser.

A big part of the devil in an Ice Blue dress is the 263 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine. It’s part of Ford’s family that sees duty in other premium cars like the Lincoln MKS. Because this is a platform originally developed with Volvo, the V6 is mounted longitudinally. This creates a need for a large engine bay, which will effects the wheel wells. So the turning radius is slightly affected, but not anything that will be recognizable in very tight U-turns.

Conclusion

This is good mid-level luxury. The Sable is the car for the salespeople who when they take out clients, wants to give the impression that they are doing well, but still very much appreciate the business.

The Mercury Sable has plenty of room, plenty of power, plenty of features and plenty of value. It’s just missing that one key element that is personality. It’s what distinguishes a car from an appliance to a member of the family. When it’s time to go out on a family trip, then its time to take out the Sable. If you’re looking to go for an alone country drive, well, that’s why you have a second car.