New Car Review of the 2004 Mercury Sable Mid-Size Sedan and Wagon.

Description: Mid-Size Sedan and Wagon
Base MSRP Range: $21,240 - $24,740
Invoice Price Range: $19,461 - $22,611

The mid-size Mercury sedan and station wagon feel quite comfortable, with generous space in the cabin, particularly in headroom for backseat riders.

Editions for 2004 use simplified trim designations, as segmented now into GS and LS Premium models.

Cabins for sedans are configured for either five or six due to a choice in front seat style -- bench or buckets. Sable GS wagon seats as many as eight, while the LS Premium wagon fits seven or eight, with a rear-facing third bench optional for GS and standard on LS Premium.

Engines for Sable begin with the 3.0-liter Vulcan V6 that achieves 155 hp. Optional power comes from Ford's Duratec version with twin cams pumping 200 hp. The Duratec plant has a redesigned cam cover and positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system to improve on noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) aspects.

New color options this year include Medium True Blue Clearcoat Metallic and Merlot Clearcoat Metallic.