2008 Mercury Sable Limited AWD

A card table will lie flat on the trunk floor with room to spare! That's the first comment I have to make after a 300-mile weekend in the Sable. The back seat is quite spacious, too.

The driving experience isn't nearly as notable, unfortunately. That said, the floaty Sable (nee Montego) performs noticeably better, now that the 3.0-liter V-6 and the CVT have been replaced with Ford's solid 3.5-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic. The steering is actually pretty decent, too, considering the soft character of this car. Hustling it down curvy back roads can actually be somewhat entertaining, because--even at posted speed limits--the heavy Sable will squeal its tires, indicating that it's already nearing its own understeering limits.

Frequent chiropractic patients will likely appreciate the Sable's tall seats, but I wasn't a big fan because the chairs are so firm. Finally, I still like using the Ford/Microsoft Sync feature, but when I used the Bluetooth function with my Motorola Razr phone, I experienced some weird interference issues. Plus, the car had a hard time understanding the names I was saying, so I ended up dialing via the handset.