The Sable is equipped with four-wheel independent suspension. The front axle is fitted with MacPherson struts and a stabilizer bar; the rear axle on sedans is a coil-spring 4-link layout (also with MacPherson struts), while the rear suspension on station wagons was a coil-spring double-wishbone design (short/long arm), along with a stabilizer bar. As with the Marquis, the Sable was equipped with front disc brakes and rear drum brakes; station wagons were fitted with larger rear brakes. For the first year on the market, Sable buyers had the choice of a 90 hp HSC 4-cylinder mated to a three-speed automatic transaxle or a 140 hp Vulcan V6 with a four-speed automatic, with the latter having much higher sales. 4-cylinder Sable sales were so poor that the engine was dropped in 1987 (it remained an option for the Taurus until 1991). Ford's 3.8 L "Essex" V6 was added to the line-up in 1988. Although the power output was rated at the same 140 hp (104 kW) as the 3.0 L engine, this large V6 produced 215 ft·lbf (291 N·m) of torque, a welcome addition, especially in the heavier station wagons. However, the 3.8 suffered from premature head gasket failure, which was primarily a fault with Ford's supplier of gaskets, not with the engine itself. Some also attribute this to reduced under-hood cooling. Unlike the Taurus, no manual transmission was offered in the Sable. The first-generation Sable was offered in two body styles: a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon. In an extensive departure from its Marquis predecessor, the Sable sedan shares only its doors and roof stamping with the Taurus; with the exception of its front fascia, the Taurus wagon derives its body from the Sable. To differentiate its roofline, the B, C, and D-pillars of the Sable sedan were blacked out for a "floating roof" effect. In a design that would be adapted by the Mercury Topaz and Tracer (and other automakers in the early 1990s), a low-wattage "lightbar" was fitted between the headlamps. The lightbar design element further showcased the lack of a conventional grille, a design pioneered by the Citroën DS and shared with the Ford Mustang SVO and Ford Sierra.