Perennial Best Buys Honda Accord and Toyota Camry continue to shine with refinement, model diversity, and comfort. Both come in coupe and sedan forms, offer economic 4-cylinder or sporty V6 power, have room for four adults, and are reasonably priced.

Recommended models include the smooth Chevrolet Impala, the import-flavored Chevy Malibu, the sporty Nissan Maxima, surprising Olds Intrigue, and the good-looking Pontiac Grand Prix. All come with V6 power, offer lots of standard equipment, and have pleasing road manners that will suit a variety of driving styles. We've also added the Ford Taurus and clone Mercury Sable to our Recommended list.

For the third year running, Camry claimed title as America's most popular car line with calendar-2000 sales of nearly 423,000, including Solara coupes and convertibles. However, that represented a 5.6-percent decline from 1999, reflecting a continued general softening in midsize car sales as more and more buyers desert the segment, mainly for compact and midsize SUVs. By contrast, runner-up Honda Accord was essentially flat, while third-place Ford Taurus was up slightly but still well behind its Japanese-brand rivals.

Camry sales may spark this fall with release of redesigned 2002 sedans. The counterpart ES 300 at luxury division Lexus shares the new basic architecture and powertrain updates wrapped in different styling and packaged with more standard features.

Toyota always plays new-model cards very close to the corporate vest, but we can tell you that the '02 Camry has a sharper, more dynamic look than the outgoing design, with a profile and proportions reminiscent of the Cadillac Seville, believe it or not. Exterior dimensions don't appear greatly changed, judging by the one photo we've seen, but Toyota will likely eke out a little extra passenger and cargo space. Few other specifics are confirmed, but one industry source says Camry's 4-cyl engine will be punched out to 2.4 liters for around 150-160 hp. Also mooted are new cylinder heads that eliminate the need for periodic valve adjustments on both the 4-cyl and V6, an area where Toyota has lagged behind many rivals.

The 2-dr Solaras should stay pretty much as is for a while, but will inevitably be redesigned on the new sedan platform. Timing is unclear, but a model-year 2004 changeover seems likely, with sales perhaps commencing by the middle of calendar '03. Keep checking back with us for further information on all these new Toyotas as it becomes available.