page_title: Mercury Sable
section_title: Fourth generation (2000–2005)
hierarchical_section_title: Mercury Sable / Fourth generation (2000–2005)
caption_attribution_description: 2004-2005 Mercury Sable photographed in College Park, Maryland, USA.
context_page_description: The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles that were manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced on December 26, 1985 as the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercury product range to front-wheel drive.
  For its entire production life, the Sable served as the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Taurus, slotted below the Grand Marquis. From the 1986 to 2005 model years, the Sable was produced as a mid-size vehicle; four-door sedan and five-door station wagon body styles were offered. For 2006, the Sable was withdrawn, replaced by the full-size Montego and mid-size Milan. For 2008, the Sable was reintroduced as a full-size car, offered solely as a four-door sedan.
  Due to declining sales, the Sable was discontinued after the 2009 model year, leaving no Mercury counterpart of the sixth-generation Taurus. The final Sable was produced on May 21, 2009; in total, 2,112,374 Sables were produced during its 1985–2005 production.
  The Mercury Sable nameplate was derived from the sable, a weasel-like mammal from Russia that is valued for its smooth, dark fur.
context_section_description: The Sable received another redesign in 1999 for MY 2000, which minimized some of the oval design elements from the 1996 model, replacing them with more conventional styling. The redesign also featured a taller roof over the rear-passenger space, to increase passenger headroom that had been sacrificed by the tapered 1996 design. The taller and roomier trunk also served to make the vehicle more functional. The interior was completely changed for a much more conservative design. Certain elements of the interior were retained from the 1996 model, such as the integrated control console, which combined the sound system and climate controls into one panel; but the shape of that panel was changed from the controversial oval to a more conventional and conservative trapezoid. The suspension was also softened to appeal to a broader, non-sporting audience. To reduce the price and increase profitability, many features such as four-wheel disc brakes were eliminated  on the sedan; station wagons retained four-wheel disc brakes.
  The 2002 Sable included extra equipment on every trim level, including a CD player and power driver's seat on the GS, and a power moonroof or leather interior on the LS. Side airbags and traction control were added as options on all models. For 2004, the Sable received minor cosmetic changes to the front and rear fascias, most noticeably the grille was made fully chrome. Inside were a new instrument cluster and steering wheel.
  Due to the Mercury brand's discontinuation in Canada, the fourth generation Sable was never available in the Canadian market.  Thus it was unique to the US and Mexico.
  The 2005 Mercury Montego and 2006 Milan were launched as replacements for the Sable. Shortly after the Montego's introduction the Sable was discontinued, along with the Taurus wagon; the Taurus sedan continued to be produced, but primarily for the fleet market. The last Sable left the Atlanta plant on April 29, 2005.
caption: 2004-2005 Mercury Sable GS sedan
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