THE MERCURY Sable gets its first major redesign ever for 1992: the new iook is highlighted by all-new exterior sheet metal and an u

front light bar. Inside features Include a new instrument panel, door trim and seat design.

Mercury Sable -

Quieter, smoother performance for redesigned family sedan

IT’S BEEN seven years since the first Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus were introduced and even though these cars haven't changed a great deal, they have remained supris- ingly current in their styling and engineering.

The Taurus and Sable are what I would call well-balanced automobiles, combining a par- ticularly comfortable, quiet _ ride with a roomy six-passenger inte- rior and surprisingly good han- diing for a front-wheel-drive car of this size.

The Mercury Sable shares many components with the Taurus but has slightly different styling, a higher level of standard equipment and a correspondingly higher price. The Sable has a more upscale image than the Taurus even though both cars are similar in design.

Available as a four-door sedan or station wagon in GS and LS trim, the mildly restyled 1992 Sable offers a number of refine- ments including improved 2erody- namics, a slightly bigger trunk, a quieter cabin, and a smoother ride.

The most obvious difference in appearance between the Sable and the Taurus is the trademark ‘light bar’’ extending the width of the nose between the new, narrower headlamps. Aiso unique to the Sable are new full-width rear tail lights mounted higher up for bet- ter visibility, a wrap-around rear window treatment, and a rounded-off trunk lid. The Sable’s styling is not as distinctive as the Taurus, but it is clean and

Greg Wilson

TEST DRIVE contemporary.

The Sable’s restyled interior makes some gains in practicality; however, I don’t think it’s any more attractive than the previous interior. Standard seating includes front bucket seats with a centre console and floor shifter or a three-seat split bench with a col- umn shift. :

The new instrument panel design flows through into the dashboard and a strip of artificial

wood panelling now stretches across top of the dashboard.

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Certain controls, such as remote volume controls for the radio, are located closer to the driver, and power window and decor lock but- tons are now illuminated, useful when fumbling around for them at night.

New safety features this year include integral rear-seat headrests and an optional passenger-side airbag. A driver’s side airbag is standard equipment. The Sable is also available with four-wheel disc brakes and an anti-lock brake system, both important safety features.

Equipped with a standard pushrod 3.0-iitre V6 or opticnal 3.8-litre V6 engine, the Sable is a very quiet, smooth-running automobile. Sequential multi-port fuel injection, for improved cold and hot weather starting, is standard on both these engines.

For 1992 models, Ford and Mercury engineers concentrated on reducing noise, vibration and harshness coming from the body and chassis by retuning the front and rear MacPherson struts, shock

-Technical data.

Price as tested $27,301

Base price $22,041

Engine 3.8-litre OHV V6, se- quential electronic fuel injec- tion

Horsepower 140 @ 3,800 rpm

Forque 215 Ibs.-ft. rpm

@ 2,200

absorbers and engine mounts. Quieter roller tappets were also added to the 3.0-litre engine. The result is a smooth, quiet idle, and a very quiet, comfortable highway ride.

My test vehicle was equipped

with the optional 3.8-litre V6 engine. Though it has the same amount of horsepower as the 3.0-litre motor (140), the 3.8 has much more torque (215 lbs.-ft. @ 2,200 rpm vs. 160 Ibs.-ft. @ 3,000 rpm). Put your foot down at almost any speed, and the 3.0- equipped Sable responds instantly. This is particularly useful for passing, accelerating onto the freeway, or getting out of harm’s way. I would recommend the 3.8- litre engine to anyone who buys this car if you’re willing to pay a little more for gasoline. According to Transport Canada figures, the 3.8-equipped Sable averages 9.7 litres per 100 kilometres (29 mpg) versus 9.1 1/100 kms (31 mpg) for the 3.0-litre equipped car.

Even so, both cars get unusually

Transmission four-speed automatic, electronically con- trolled

Curb weight Ibs. Wheelbase 2,692 mm/106.0 in. Length 4,882 mm/192.2 in. Width 1,808 mm/71.2 in.

1,428 kg/3,147

submitted

pdated version of the distinctive

good highway mileage, at- tributable to improved aerody- namics and Ford's electronically- controfled four-speed . automatic transmission. In overdrive, both engines turn over very low revs, reducing noise and vibration and improving gas mileage.

Speed-sensitive, variable-assist power steering is now standard equipment. By reducing steering effort at Jow speeds and firming up at highway speeds, variable assist steering provides the ap- propriate steering effort for the appropriate speed.

Additional standard equipment on the Sable GS includes elec- tronic AM/FM stereo with four speakers, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, and 15-inch radial tires. The base price of the GS model is close to $20,000, the LS $22,000. Options, including leather seats, alloy wheels, sunroof, keyless entry, and elec- tronic instrumentation can pull up the final purchase price near $30,000.

Height 1,282 mm/54.4 in.

Tires P205/65R15 radials

Trunk space 487 1/17.2 cu.ft. Fuel economy City 12.9 1/100 km, 22 mpg; Hwy 7.9 1/100 km, 36 mpg

Warranty Complete three yrs/ 60,000 kms.