This hotly contested segment has a clear benchmark, it is the Acura TL (and its 2-door cousin Acura CL). The TL succeeds in blending comfort, style, luxury, and sport into an efficient package at an affordable price.
But the Acura's not for everyone. We also recommend the sporty and Euro-flavored Audi A6, the comfortable Buick Park Avenue, the affordable and fast Infiniti I30, and the luxury-orientated Lexus ES 300.

The A6 lineup will continue to expand with the arrival this fall of the 2001 Allroad Quattro, Audi's answer to the growing number of car-based sport-utility vehicles like the Lexus RX 300. Based on a concept shown at the 1998 Detroit Auto Show, the Allroad is basically an A6 Avant wagon sporting SUV appearance cues and a beefed-up version of Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive with separate low-range gearing on models equipped with 6-speed manual transmission. A 5-speed automatic will also be available, but apparently without the manual's two-speed transfer case. Instead of the regular A6 suspension, the Allroad rides on air springs that adjust to one of four body heights to suit conditions from low-speed off-road slogging to high-speed pavement running; the suspension lowers the body automatically as speed rises to reduce air drag and boost fuel mileage. To insure the Allroad has speed as well as lugging ability, the Allroad is motivated by the twin-turbocharged, 250-horsepower 2.7-liter V6 used in the compact S4 sedan and the A6 2.7T. Claimed maximum payload is 1430 pounds, with towing capacity of some 5000 pounds. Externally, the Allroad differs from regular A6 wagons in having chunky alloy wheels and wheelarch flares, stainless-steel skid plates, larger bumpers, and bright-finish roof rails. Audi has not released prices yet, but we'd expect the Allroad to start in the low-$40,000 area.
Besides the Allroad, Audi may treat U.S. buyers to an even hotter V8 A6. Called S6, it comes as a sedan or wagon powered a tuned version of the A6 4.2 model's V8; horsepower is 340 in European form, channeled through either 5-speed Tiptronic or 6-speed manual transmissions. Basic styling is shared with the A6 4.2, but the S6 has a wider stance, checkerboard grille, and 17-inch alloy wheels wearing 225/40-series high-performance tires. The S6 has not yet been confirmed the S6 for U.S. sale, but the success of the smaller S4 has got Audi thinking about offering more S-models here to create a performance "sub-brand" targeting BMW's M-cars and the various Mercedes AMGs. The S6 has been on sale in Europe since mid-1999.
Audi is also giving serious thought to a flagship high-performance coupe combining the S6 chassis with styling like that of the little TT. It's rumored to be a full 4-seater with V8 power, but a rumor is all it is right now.