This diverse segment offers the widest price range. It covers everything from the $34,000 Saab 9-5 to the $130,000 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. Mercedes-Benz E-Class, though a bit long in the tooth, also continues to impress with its impeccable road manners and luxurious comfort.

If you are looking for something a bit more sporting we recommend the BMW 5-Series. If your taste ranges more toward the luxury end, then take a look at the Cadillac DeVille or Lexus GS 300.

The RL had been rumored for V8 power and a full redesign for 2002, but now we know those reports were premature. Instead, Honda's premium brand will get its new flagship sedan as a 2004 model, with introduction likely during calendar '03. The V8 is still on track, but given the notoriously tight security at Japanese automakers, no one can say for sure whether the RL will remain front-drive or switch to rear-wheel drive. We're betting on the latter, as Acura officials paint the next RL as a challenger to rear-drive class stalwarts like BMW's 5-Series, the Lexus GS 430 and Mercedes' E-Class.

Most sources peg the new V8 at 4.0 liters, but we think something close to 4.3 is more likely, if only to match engine sizes of the above-named competitors. Expect hp to check in at 300, perhaps a little more. Some industry gossips say Acura will retain the current RL's 3.5 V6 for a price-leader model, but we'd bet product planners are thinking twice about that in light of the soon-to-be-deceased Oldsmobile Aurora, which offered the same two-engine lineup. Acura wants greater credibility--and sales--in the premium-sedan field, which makes a V8 the logical and only choice.

Other information is hard to come by, but we'd expect more expressive styling than today's fairly conservative RL, plus a few new features. Keep checking back with us for further details as they become available.