This diverse segment offers the widest price range. It covers everything from the $33,000 Saab 9-5 to the $128,000 Mercedes-Benz SL500. Obviously our Best Buys are somewhere in between. We think that the Acura RL is a steal at $42,000 fully equipped. Though it is a front-drive V6 in a field of V8 rear-drive models, it has a great ride, plenty of power, and is quite luxurious. In the same vein, the more-expensive Lexus LS 400 continues to impress, excelling in every way except for handling. If you are looking for something a bit more sporting we recommend the BMW 5-Series, Jaguar S-Type, or Lexus GS 300/400. If your taste ranges more toward the luxury end, then take a look at the new Cadillac DeVille or Mercedes-Benz CLK.

The XK8 will get a 2-seat companion sometime in 2002, likely priced in the $40,000-$50,000 bracket. Called F-Type, it is said to be a takeoff of the like-named concept car that wowed crowds at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show. The showroom version will be the first true Jaguar sports car since the legendary E-type went out of production in the early 1970s. Few details are currently available, but the F-Type will likely be built on a cut-down version of the platform used for Jaguar's S-Type sedan and the Lincoln LS. That means rear-wheel drive, though the platform will accept an all-wheel-drive powertrain. Insiders say the standard engine will be the 240-horsepower V6 used in the base S-Type, with an available 300-hp supercharged version possible. However, we think it more plausible that the F-Type will use the forthcoming 4.2-liter enlargement of Jaguar's 4.0 "AJ8" V8, if only to keep the car "pure Jaguar," as the S-Type V6 is based on the mass-market Ford "Duratec" unit. We also expect a standard 5-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift capability, but a full manual, perhaps a 5-speed, could well be offered too.
Assuming the Detroit concept car is an accurate forecast, F-Type styling should be very rounded and curvy in the classic E-type mold, matched by a "retro modern" cockpit. The concept was about the size of a Porsche Boxster or Audi TT, but dimensions will probably be enlarged a bit to provide more passenger and cargo space.
As for the XK8, it should see no major change for the next few years, but it's almost certain to adopt the larger 4.2-liter V8 being prepared for Jaguar's new-generation XJ sedans, which arrive in late 2002. Jaguar is also working on an even larger 4.5-liter V8 for a stretched 2004-model XJ sedan, and this could also find its way into the XK8, with a supercharged version an outside possibility.