Face-Off Lite: 2008 Chrysler 300C AWD vs. 2008 Mercury Sable AWD

Recently I was scheduled back-to-back in a new Mercury Sable AWD — in the new Premier trim level — and a Chrysler 300C AWD. Besides a big difference in price and engine sizes, the two large family sedans serve pretty much the same purposes, and I thought it might be interesting to see how they match up.

Looks

I was pleasantly surprised with how good-looking the Sable was. Everyone knows the 300C, and you see plenty of them around these days. The Merlot Clearcoat Metallic on the Sable was quite handsome, and I thought the taillights were actually cool with slivers of silver accents cutting through the clear plastic. The 300C’s Dark Titanium Metallic was a little dreary for winter but still looks imposing with the high beltline and small windows.

Winner: Tie

Best Cash-Back Finds: 01.25.08

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury are dolling out pretty darn good deals through the end of February, and we had to be selective about which ones we picked for this round of our top finds. We could have gone with the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner with decent cash back, or numerous SUVs, but we went a different way. We also added one fun-to-drive model that’s surprisingly still in decent supply. For a complete list check out Cars.com's Incentives page.

2008 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable

MSRP: $23,485/$23,780
Cash back: $2,000
Percent off MSRP: 8.4-8.5%   
Expires: 2/29/08
5-Year Ownership Costs

Just this week, Ford’s CEO said the company is going to redesign the Taurus completely for 2009. That kind of move would usually have us telling folks to wait and see, but the Taurus and Sable were just updated this year, and we just spent a week in the new Sable and found it to be a great daily driver. The new Premier trim had a pretty nice interior, too. Both also look much better in person and offer a ton of space in the second row and trunk.

2007 Chicago Auto Show: 2008 Mercury Sable

Like the new Taurus and Taurus X, the Sable also used to be known by another name, Montego. The Sable has an updated front end, with a smaller grille and larger headlights, while the inside gets a slight upgrade in materials. Again, the big improvement is under the hood, where the same Ford 260-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 rests along with a six-speed automatic transmission. Like the outgoing Montego, the Sable will also have all-wheel drive available as an option. It will also have Ford’s new Sync music and mobile entertainment system available as an option.   

The Sable will go on sale this summer, and we’ll see if the name change, new engine and minor cosmetic surgery does the job.

Related:
2007 Chicago Auto Show: 2008 Ford Taurus
Next Up, Sable: Mercury to Rename Montego