This segment has been hard hit by the popularity of sport-utility vehicles. Just a few years back there were more than 12 cars in the segment and now there are just seven. Heading up the field as Best Buys are the Chrysler Concorde and Dodge Intrepid twins. They have real room for six, exceptional road manners, and plenty of power.

Toyota's Avalon and Buick's LeSabre are two Recommended choices. Both have room for five and offer a comfortable ride (with modest handling capabilities). If you are looking for towing ability, the Ford Crown Victoria with its rear-drive layout and body-on-frame chassis is an option. Ford has updated it nicely over the years and it comes at a reasonable price.

Ford Motor Company has a lock on American-traditional sedans with this Mercury and the related Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car. Basic engineering dates from distant 1979 and has thus long been paid for, and all three models have sold well enough over the years to require only infrequent major changes. Lately, though, sales have been slipping. Grand Marquis, the most popular of this bunch, was essentially flat in calendar 2000 and was down 8.6 percent from that in 2001.

Like its sisters, the big Mercury starts 2003 this summer. Highlights include subtle appearance changes, front side airbags as a first-time option, and a new frame with revised suspension and steering for claimed improvements to ride and handling. Also new, and exclusive to Mercury, is a high-performance model called Marauder, with 300 hp, handling-oriented suspension, standard 18-inch wheels, and a special "monotone" appearance inside and out. Marauder carries an announced $29,995 base price and offers few options, as a fully equipped model will evidently cost some $32,000. Mercury pegs Marauder sales at around 15,000 a year, similar to what Chevy's big Impala SS sedan did in the mid-1990s.

Further out, the full-size Mercs should join Town Car and Crown Vic in a full redesign for 2005 or '06. Detroit spies have little hard news now, and plans are in flux owing to Ford Motor Company's current cash crisis. However, all three models will probably be built on the next Lincoln LS platform, though with some elements simplified to hold the line on production costs and sticker prices.