Mercury Sable (D186). 2000–5 (prod. n/a). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/F, 2985 cm³ (V6 OHV), 2966 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Taurus twin, made more conventional, with softer suspension, and the deletion of four-wheel disc brakes on the sedan. Doors and glass carried over, but larger in other respects. Good safety equipment for the time, though getting outclassed by the likes of the Toyota Camry (XV20) and Honda Accord (1998–2002), more so as their successors were launched during the Sable’s run. By 2005, Sable—once radical and a more luxurious Taurus—was selling on low price, with low-grade interior materials, and firmly behind its main competitors.

Manufacturing location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago, Illinois, USA

Marque: Mercury | Model: Mercury Sable | Predecessor: Mercury Sable (1996–9) | Successors: Mercury Montego (2005–7), Mercury Milan, Mercury Sable (2008–9)