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.

Late word from Europe has the current 5-series design (what BMW calls "E39") being replaced in September 2002. The new '03 models ("E60") boast sleeker styling with new low-profile multi-element headlamps, a squatter "twin kidney" grille, and a boxy but shapely sedan tail for increased luggage space. Also on hand: lightweight aluminum suspension components, a new 6-speed automatic transmission, and electric instead of hydraulically operated steering. Engines will be similar to today's group, but adoption of BMW's new Valvetronic variable-valve-timing system is said to push the 2.5-liter six to around 195 hp, the 3.0-liter to 230, the 4.4-liter V8 to 300 or more, and the next M5 to 450 hp. A new option will be "i-drive," which replaces conventional controls with a central can-size master dial used in concert with appropriate displays on a dashboard screen. Per BMW's usual practice when renewing a model line, sedans will bow first, wagons soon after. The latter may include a hot M5 version.

March 2003 should usher in a new 5-based coupe ("E63") reviving the 6-Series badge last seen in 1989. It's likely to arrive here as an early 2004 model; a companion convertible reportedly follows a year later. The new 2-doors use a short-wheelbase version of the 5-Series platform, but engines may be limited to base and high-tune V8s. In appearance, the reborn 6-Series is said to resemble the angular Z9 concept first shown in late 1999.