With wide price ranges and numerous body configurations, this diverse segment has two clear Best Buy choices--the refined Lexus LS 430 and the unique Audi A6. The LS 430 can't be beat for comfort and features at around $55,000, while the A6 earns Best Buy status for its blend of space, performance, design sophistication, powertrain choices, and workmanship at prices below those of most rivals.

We Recommend the Acura RL--a steal at around $45,000 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. If you are looking for something a bit more sporting, we Recommend BMW 5-Series. If your taste ranges more toward the luxury end, then take a look at the roomy Cadillac DeVille.

Jaguar's sporty 2-drs have been XJ sedan spinoffs since the mid-1970s, so the clean-sheet 2004 XJ should be the logical starting point for a next-generation XK. The only question involves timing. Some sources still say model-year 2005, but the replacement could be delayed to '06 or even '07 depending on the succcess of cost-cutting efforts now underway at parent Ford Motor Company and Jaguar itself.

Whenever it debuts, Project X150 will deliver a much lighter XK coupe and convertible on a cut-down version of the new XJ's aluminum body/chassis structure. Suspension hardware and electronic systems will also be borrowed. Styling should become somewhat sleeker, but not radically different in theme or proportions. Dimensions reportedly expand, but perhaps only enough to make the back seat something more than a token gesture. Look for the convertible's fabric top to power beneath a metal cover instead of riding on the body.

As with other Jags, XK sales have been sliding: down 23.7 percent year-to-year in calendar 2001 and another 24.4 percent in 2002. Of course, the XK isn't a high-volume item, so the numerical losses aren't huge, but they did contribute to Jaguar's worldwide loss of nearly $500 million in '02.

The next XK was slated to spawn a new Jaguar sports car, a uniquely styled 2-seater that had been shelved after Ford's own big loss of 2001. However, some insiders are saying the so-called F-Type has only been put on indefinite hold, implying it may still have a chance if and when Jaguar's financial outlook improves.