eight people; while over two feet shorter than the 1991 Mercury Colony Park, the Sable wagon became the sole eight-passenger vehicle offered by Lincoln-Mercury (as the Mercury Villager minivan seated seven). 1995 was the final model year of the second-generation Sable; the rare LTS trim level was added. It featured leather bucket seats, Taurus LX-style alloy wheels, special cladding, and many leather wrapped interior trim parts. The LTS trim had either the standard 3.0 L Vulcan V6 or the optional 3.8 L Essex V6. Models Production Third generation (1996–1999) The third-generation Sable was introduced for the 1996 model year. The platform used for the previous two generations underwent an extensive revision, redesignated as the DN101 platform; the wheelbase was extended from 106 to 108.5 inches. As before, the Sable returned as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon. While mechanically identical to its Ford Taurus counterpart, the sedans of the two model lines shared less sheetmetal than before, with only the front doors, hood, and front fenders common between the Taurus and Sable (as before, the Sable served as the basis for Ford and Mercury station wagons). In contrast to the oval-influenced roofline of the Ford Taurus, the Sable was styled with a sloped roofline with a rectangular rear window; the model received its own front and rear fascias. In place of the long-running lightbar, the Sable received a chrome-trimmed grille with oval headlight housings. In a design first for the model line, the Sable was fitted with the same interior as the Taurus (with the exception of seat fabrics). The trim lines saw a minor revision, with the Sable G introduced as a new entry-level model and the Sable LTS discontinued. The Sable G was offered solely as a sedan, with several standard power options (but only an AM/FM radio). For higher sales volumes, the GS and LS made their return, offered both in sedan and station wagon form. For the Sable G and GS, the standard engine was the 3.0L Vulcan V6, producing 145 hp. For the Sable LS, the standard engine was a 3.0L DOHC Duratec V6, producing 200 hp; optional in the Sable GS, the Duratec engine was an enlarged version of the engine from the Mercury Mystique. For 1997, the Sable underwent several cost-cutting revisions; several features of the LS became available on the GS as options. For 1998, the Sable underwent a mid-cycle revision,