2004 Mercury Sable LS Premium Wagon: Meet mkp51's new "mail hauler!"

Well, folks… it was finally time to do it. After three years and 60,000 miles (added to the 50,000 already driven before I owned it) the time had finally come for me to retire my 1994 Dodge Caravan. My venerable old “mail hauler” had begun to balk at the notion of going out on the road every day. Repairs were getting very frequent and very expensive. So, I fixed it up as best as I could afford, and reluctantly put a “For Sale” sign in its windshield...

Today, right beside the old van, sits its replacement: a 2004 Mercury Sable LS premium edition station wagon that I bought on November 11, 2006. Now, here’s a car that took my breath away when I first saw it! It’s sleek and aerodynamic, whereas my van is boxy and frumpy looking. The Sable’s glorious dark burgundy color (called “Merlot clearcoat metallic”) gleams brightly in the sun, whereas my white van is beginning to shed its coats of paint (as many Dodge vehicles of that era are prone to do). My new Mercury Sable LS has a gorgeously well-appointed and luxurious interior, complete with leather seats, as opposed to the rather ho-hum cloth-and-plastic interior of my Caravan. Most important, my 2004 Sable performs beautifully; has exquisite “road manners;” and gives pretty good fuel economy. In short, it’s everything I need from a vehicle that’s gonna double as my daily “mail hauler” and the family car.

So, what did I get with my 2004 Mercury Sable LS premium wagon? Here’s a partial list of “goodies:”

* 3.0 liter V-6 201 hp dual overhead cam (DOHC) 24-valve Duratec engine
* Automatic transaxle with overdrive
* Power rack-and-pinion steering
* Four-wheel anti-lock brakes (front and rear disc)
* Front/rear stabilizer bars
* Solar tinted glass
* Electronic climate control system with air conditioner
* Rear window defogger
* Intermittent windshield wipers
* AM/FM stereo cassette player and 6-disc CD changer
* Fog lights
* Second generation dual air bags
* Auto dimming rear view mirror
* Heated side mirrors
* Cruise control
* Passive anti-theft system

When I purchased the new Merc it had one previous owner who had put just over 40,000 miles on it. Since November 11th, I’ve put it through its paces in just about every kind of driving situation imaginable for the area in which I live. It’s been getting a pretty good mix of highway cruising, moderate stop-and-go driving; and my daily 25-mile commute to my second job. In each of these situations, my Sable has not only lived up to my expectations – it has far exceeded them. Here are my impressions of the 2004 Mercury Sable LS wagon thus far:

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS:

* Powertrain: The 3.0 liter, 24-valve Duratec engine is an excellent performer in every respect. Acceleration from a stop is quick and responsive; just a touch of the accelerator, and off you go! At cruising speeds, the engine runs very smoothly and quietly, with no evidence of being under any kind of strain. A barely audible, throaty “thrum” is all one hears. The engine is reasonably fuel efficient. It averages about 26 miles per gallon (mpg) on the highway, and 19 mpg while I’m delivering the mail.

The Sable’s computer-controlled four-speed automatic transaxle is designed to “learn” the driver’s habits so as to minimize “shift shock.” It shifts very smoothly indeed through the gears. In fact, shifting points are barely perceptible; in most cases the only way I can tell when a shift has occurred is when I see the tachometer needle drop.

* Handling: Although it’s classified as a mid-size car, the Mercury Sable LS wagon is actually pretty big and heavy. It’s 198 inches (16.5 feet) long, 73 inches (6 feet) wide, and 58 (4 ft 10 in) tall, and weighs in at a hefty 2,800 pounds. You’d think a car this size would wallow on the road like a “land yacht,” but that’s not the case. As with everything else in the Sable, the suspension is computer-controlled to provide superb handling… and it delivers nicely. My Sable is very agile on curves, with not even the slightest hint of body lean. Steering is precise and responsive. The car pulls neither right nor left, and wherever you aim the steering wheel is exactly where the car will go.

The brakes are excellent. I tested them out in a simulated “panic” stop before I bought it, going from 50 to 0 MPH in only a few seconds. The four-wheel anti-lock brakes gave their usual “shudder” while bringing the car to a straight and true stop. I didn’t notice any “fishtailing” or wheel lock.

* Excellent styling inside and out! One of the reasons the Mercury Sable and its cousin the Ford Taurus were so popular for so many years was their exterior and interior styling. In the early 2000’s, the Sable/Taurus line took on an exterior styling that was more rounded and bulbous than in previous years. To put it succinctly, the 2002 and 2003 Sables and Tauruses were just plain mud-ugly, a fact borne out by poor sales figures for those model years.

For the 2004 model year, Ford Motor Company restored the Sable and Taurus’ superb styling of the late 1990’s, while somehow managing to incorporate much of the sleeker, aerodynamic look consumers look for in cars of the 2000’s. The result for the Sable is a car that looks fantastic! The “Merlot clearcoat metallic” (new for 2004) is an especially appealing color.

As is to be expected in a mid-size station wagon, the interior is very roomy, both for passengers and cargo. I am 6 ft 3 in tall and weigh 215 pounds. There’s ample legroom and headroom for me in all six passenger positions. The cargo area, while not quite as large as the one in my van, provides ample room for all the parcels and extra trays of letters I deliver every day, as well as any extra mail delivery equipment I need. The genuine leather covered seats are very comfortable indeed. They all provide excellent support for the lower back, rear end, and thighs… especially important for long trips and my daily mail run. The leather seats are also very durable. The driver’s seat has power controls that allow the driver almost unlimited positioning, in order to maximize comfort.

Access to the interior is surprisingly easy as well. As the largest member of my family, I have no difficulty getting into or out of any of the four available passenger doors.

* Excellent ergonomics: Ford’s engineers obviously worked overtime to make the Sable LS an ergonomically pleasing car. The instrument panel is simple in design and easy to see and read. Included are analog fuel and temperature gauges; and an analog speedometer and tachometer. All gauge face plates appear silver during the day and black at night. Speedometer and tachometer numbers are large and easy to pick out at a glance. Needles are bright red. The standard array of “idiot lights” grace the instrument panel, below the fuel and temperature gauges.

In the center of the instrument panel, directly below the "Temp" and "Fuel" gauges, is a digital “information center” that includes the car’s odometer; a trip odometer; and readings to show average miles per gallon; miles to go until fuel tank empty; a trip odometer; and a trip timer. A conveniently located button allows the driver to cycle through the information (although it is strongly recommended never to do this while the vehicle is in motion.)

The transaxle’s shifting lever is on the steering column – a particularly important feature for me as a rural mail carrier, since I must operate the vehicle from the passenger’s seat while delivering the mail. The shifting lever is large without being obtrusive. The gears – P,R,N, D(O), D, and 1 – are well lit and easy to see in daylight or dark. Gearshift indents are firm yet smooth, so once you’ve shifted, you’ll stay there until you want to change. The emergency brake handle is located to the left of the steering wheel. The emergency brake holds the vehicle firmly in place.

All environmental controls reside on an attractive console in the lower center of the dashboard. Included in the console are the AM/FM stereo cassette player; and digital air conditioning and heater/defroster controls. The driver has the option of allowing the car’s on-board computer to control the interior climate, or of operating the climate controls manually. In either case, The air conditioner, heater, and defroster are all very efficient. One pleasing fact: the air conditioner seems not to place any strain on the engine, and does not seem to have much of an effect on gas mileage.

* Passive anti-theft system: My 2004 Mercury Sable is the second vehicle I've owned that comes with a passive anti-theft system. However, whereas my 2001 Ford Ranger’s system was pretty much "bare bones," consisting only of a coded key to start the truck, my Sable has a very extensive anti-theft system that includes a coded key; combination locks for the two front doors; remote entry transmitters; and an very loud anti-theft alarm.

The coded key is literally the "key" to the system. Try to start the car with a non-coded key, or with a key programmed with the wrong code, and you are simply out of luck; the anti-theft system disables the engine and transaxle, and keeps it disabled until a properly coded key is used. The system automatically arms itself whenever the the vehicle is placed in "Park" and the engine is turned off.

Each front door has a combination lock keypad that enables you to gain entry without a key... that is, as long as you know the five-digit combination. The car comes with a factory pre-set combo, but it’s pretty easy to change to whatever numbers you like. (Sorry – no 12345 or 11111 style combos are allowed!) The car also comes with a remote transmitter that locks/unlocks either the driver’s door only, the liftgate only, or all doors at the same time. You can also set the anti-theft alarm with the transmitter...

...And that alarm really works, as I found out the first time I went to put CD’s into the CD player. I took the magazine from the car, but had left the liftgate up and the CD player open. After about ten seconds, the horn started blowing, and the headlights and taillights began flashing. I didn’t try it out, but the owner’s manual says when that happens, the engine is automatically disabled. All in all, I think it’s a very well designed security system.

* Entertainment system: All components of the four-speaker stereo system (AM-FM radio, cassette player, and CD changer) have above average sound. The factory-installed six-disc CD changer (located in a storage compartment in the rear of the vehicle) is controlled from the combined entertainment system/climate control system console in the center of the dash. The controls are large and easy to use.

A couple of “nit-picky” gripes: I’ve pretty much fallen in love with my Sable, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect car. In the three weeks I’ve owned it, I’ve found two minor annoyances:

* Automatic door locks: Whenever the engine is running, the transaxle is in drive or reverse, and the car’s speed reaches 3 miles per hour, all five of the car’s doors automatically lock. I suppose this is a safety feature, but it’s a major inconvenience for me when I have to get out of the car several times a day while delivering the mail. Hopefully, I can turn this feature off…

* Rear window wiper: is way-y-y too small for the window, and only clears about the upper one-third of the rather large sheet of glass back there. Why Ford’s engineers didn’t locate the wiper in the lower center of the liftgate (like most vans do) I’ll never know…

* MY VERDICT ON THE 2004 MERCURY SABLE LS PREMIUM WAGON: The Mercury line of cars has traditionally been marketed as an upscale cousin to the cars bearing the Ford badge (although not quite as upscale as the Lincoln brand.) Considering the high level of advanced engineering included in the Sable, it certainly is in a league far exceeding that of its “Blue Oval” cousin, the Ford Taurus. (I think it's a genuine pity that Ford has discontinued both the Sable and Taurus lines. The Sable wagon was discontinued after the 2004 model year, and the Sable sedan a year later. The Ford Taurus ended production in October 2006.)

The Sable is luxurious without being ostentatious; performs brilliantly in all driving conditions; provides good fuel efficiency; and is a lot of fun to drive!