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.

Year-to-year XK sales rose 9.3 percent in calendar 2000, then tumbled 12.6 percent in the worsening economic climate of 2001. Then again, these are high-priced low-volume niche models with typical U.S. sales of only 5000-7000 a year.

A fully redesigned XK is being readied for model-year 2004 as project "X150." It shares key underskin components and some architecture with Jaguar's all-new 2003 XJ sedans, which means a new, largely aluminum inner structure and a weight reduction of several hundred pounds over today's all-steel XKs. Also borrowed from the new sedans' are a computer-controlled air-spring suspension and a more sophisticated traction/antiskid system. Engines will again comprise regular and supercharged V8s, but with respective horsepower lifted to 300 and 400 via a displacement boost from 4.0 to 4.3 liters. Coupe and convertible body styles continue too, but with slightly expanded dimensions for roomier, more comfortable rear seating. Spy photos suggest evolutionary styling, but the ragtop's fabric roof will power beneath a metal cover instead of riding on the body.

Also coming in 2004 is the eagerly awaited two-seat F-Type, Jaguar's first true sports car since the last classic E-Type models of 1975. F-Type had been on-again/off-again for several years until Jaguar gave it the public green light in early 2001. Recent British reports say the design follows the Ford Thunderbird formula in using a shortened, modified Lincoln LS/Jaguar S-Type sedan platform, but clothed in a unique convertible body with more than a few visual links to the slinky E-Type. As in the next-generation XKs, the fabric top powers beneath a hard cover. A 300-hp 4.3-liter V8 should be the mainstay engine, but a 400-hp supercharged version seems likely sometime later on. Intriguingly, Jaguar describes F-Type as a "more affordable" compliment to the XK line, which bolsters insider talk of a base price in the $40,000-$50,000 range.