This diverse segment offers the widest price range and obviously our Best Buys are somewhere in between. We think that the Acura RL is a steal at $44,000 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. The refined Lexus LS 430 can't be beat for comfort and features at just under $55,000. 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 roomy Cadillac DeVille or Lexus GS 300.

BMW's number-two U.S. seller posted a near 4-percent calendar-year sales gain for 2000 to just over 39,700. The economy then started crumbling, but the 5-Series held its ground, scoring an additional 302 sales in 2001, a gain of less than 1 percent.

A redesigned 5-Series is being prepped for what should be an early-2003 U.S. launch, perhaps as an '04 model. Recent spy photographs of late prototype sedans reveal styling like that of the new 7-Series flagship, but slightly more conservative, especially at the rear. The next 5 reportedly shares many new 7-Series features, including available 6-speed automatic transmission and, as an option for some models, BMW's "i-Drive" control for audio, climate, navigation and other functions. Engines will be upgraded with BMW's Valvetronic variable-valve-timing system. Insiders say the 2.5-liter six will go to about 195 hp, the 3.0-liter to 230, and the 4.4-liter V8 to around 300. Per BMW's usual practice in renewing a model line, sedans will bow first; wagons and a new high-performance M5 sedan follow a year or so later. Rumors say the M5 will pack around 450 hp and may be offered in a first-time wagon version.

Expected to be unveiled by April 2003 is a luxury sports coupe reviving the 6-Series badge last used in 1989. It should arrive in the U.S. as a 2004 model, followed by a companion cabriolet convertible for '05. Both these 2-drs use a shortened version of the new 5-Series platform, but engines may be limited to base and high-tune V8s. Recent spy shots of late prototypes show well-formed styling with a sharply sloped coupe roofline, a relatively large wheel/tire package, and a low, wide BMW "twin-kidney" grille.