Unlike some of the other reviewers of this car... I actually own one. So my opinions stem not only from a first impression, but from a few happy months of ownership and maintenance.

Why I Bought a 2001 Mercury Sable:
My father is the General Manager at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership. My husband and I are in our twenties and we have two sporty cars - my car, a Chrysler Sebring and my husband's Olds Cutlass Supreme. We decided to get a new car to replace his. While a Sable is not necessarily known to be a "sporty" type of car, it is indeed a quick one. The price was right, it had the sleek sporty look but still looks like a classy car. I wanted a larger car and this was the perfect solution. My father has always said that the Mercury Sable was by far the best car for the price. So, we trusted his opinion and this car has proven him right!

The Exterior:
The new Mercury Sable's exterior is often described as being sophisticated, classy and somewhat sporty. I agree, this new body style has curves in all the right places. The body of the car looks proportional everywhere. If I could describe the looks in one word, I would choose "smooth." My previous car was white and I loved it to pieces. I wanted to drive white cars forever. However, the Sable in white just looks a little too plain to me. But I wanted to stay with something timeless and elegant, so I chose Silver Frost. And luckily, my father was able to find one of a kind 16" 7-spoke crome wheel rims, which bring the look of the car over the top! The wheels available for the 2001 and 2002 Sable's are a 16" deluxe wheel cover, 16" 7-spoke aluminum wheel rims and 16" 5-spoke crometec wheel rims. So, I love that no other Sable looks like mine.

The Interior:
The interior of the new Mercury Sable is quite impressive. I chose leather (Medium Graphite - which is a nice, crisp grey color) and I absolutely love it! It looks very rich inside, very similar to a Lincoln. I have driven many Lincolns and I'll be honest, I can barely tell the difference when I'm driving my Sable. This car has more room than I would ever need in the interior of my car. But I love it, I feel really safe. Every control is within an arm's reach. Power seats and adjustable gas and brake petals make it easy for a short person like me to fit in such a big car. Whenever I have guests in the backseat, I am ALWAYS complimented on the great space back there. Plus, it's nice that the rear passengers also get their own air/heating vents. That's one pet-peeve of mine, cars without rear vents. The rear seats fold down in case you ski or buy something large. And the trunk? My goodness, the trunk is enormous! Seriously, it's twice the size of my previous car. My parents are frequent travelers and can you guess who they call for a ride to the airport with their huge luggage? Oh, by the way...this car seats 5 adults very comfortably.

One other detail regarding the interior is an option that I am so thankful I chose. The upgraded sound system was an additional $1,200 or so, but it gave us a Mach Audio System with 6 powerful speakers (instead of 4 stock speakers) and a 6-disc CD changer. And we also selected the Secure Package which gave us driver and front passenger side-impact head/chest airbags and all-speed traction control (does wonders during a Chicago winter storm).

How Does It Drive?
My Sable drives like a million bucks. I had to have the larger engine and features of the LS model. If you are considering a Sable, I would highly recommend the LS model, which is the best/top model. The GS has a very weak 155 horsepower, 3.0 liter, 12-valve vulcan V6 engine with less torque than the LS. The GS just does not have enough kick, it's a slug. The LS on the other hand has a 200 horsepower (huge difference!), 3.0 liter, 24-value Duratec V6 engine. The increased horsepower and valves make all the difference. My Sable is QUICK! I was surprised the first time I drove it alone and peeled out of an intersection. It really knocked my socks off. And guess what? Gas mileage is outstanding! My Sable gets 20 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon of highway driving. And another thing worth mentioning, the ride is very smooth in the Sable. My Sebring had a very tight, sports suspension. I felt every bump in the road. The Sable is a super smooth ride without having that "big-boat-floating" feeling of cars like a Grand Marquis. I didn't want to feel like I was in a boat. The Sable is the perfect feel, very smooth.

Specifications:
In case you were curious, I thought I would throw out a few additional specifications of the Mercury Sable. It's fuel tank capacity is a whopping 18 gallons, our other 2 cars both had 16. It is 16.65 feet long, 4.625 feet tall and 6.641 feet wide (including mirrors).

Safety:
The Sable is a very safe vehicle. It has the Personal Safety System, which has dual-stage driver and front passenger airbags, crash severity sensor, front outboard safety belt usage sensors, driver's seat position sensor, front outboard safety belt pretensioners and front safety belt retractors which are meant to lessen the force of seat belts on a passenger's chest during impact. This car also offers side-impact airbags, which are very effective in protection during side-impact collisions. As an option, you can also have side-impact head/chest airbags. This option is part of the "Secure Package" which I chose on my Sable and would recomend if safety is a main concern of yours. I would have to add all-speed traction control to the list of safety features because it has prevented a few accidents for me when I drove on icy roads. Well, are you ready to hear the best news? The Mercury Sable has earned the maximum 5-stars in U.S. government frontal crase performance testing...for 3 years in a row! Who wouldn't feel at ease driving in this vehicle?

Conclusion:
If you are considering the Mercury Sable for your next car, I think you are making an intelligent choice. Check-out the competition, compare and you'll see the difference. And if you are really torn, take a test-drive. You'll be sold when you see how impressive the Sable really is. You can read opinions and facts about every car, but you need to see for yourself. And the true value is probably the one top reason you will choose the Mercury Sable. I am so happy with my car, I would definitely do it over again! And I highly recommend it to others.

Good luck to you in your car search! :-)
Amount Paid (US$): 23,000.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: LS Premium