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.

Lincoln's best-seller hasn't been selling as well as it used to. On a year-to-year basis, Town Car was down 19.7 percent for the first nine months of 2001 after losing 4 percent in calendar 2000 and 13 percent in 1999. We think the main problem is too little recent change in the face of stronger class competition, though an economic downtown hasn't helped.

But Town Car finally gets some changes of substance with the 2003 models, which Lincoln says will start sale in March 2002. Appearance is broadly similar, belying mostly new outer sheetmetal, but the tail is reshaped to provide more luggage space, accessible through an 8-inch wider opening, and a new front end houses an uprated 4.6-liter V8 with 300 hp instead of 225/240. Wheels grow from 16- to 17-inch diameter, allowing larger brakes, and the frame, suspension and steering are all reengineered for claimed improvements in structural stiffness, ride comfort, and handling poise. High-intensity headlamps will be available on selected models. We'll have more details soon, so keep checking back with is.

Down the road, sources say Town Car will be replaced by an all-new big Lincoln sedan designed with less "American luxury" and more European style, performance and handling--a quasi-rival to larger BMW and Mercedes models. Timing isn't firm yet, but Detroit detectives think model-year 2005 or '06. We'd guess the current Town Car will hang on for a year or two after that, if only to give its more conservative buyers time to adjust to the new order.