Consumer Guide® Automotive places each vehicle into one of 17 classes based on size, price, and market position. Premium Large Cars are top-of-the-line sedans in size and luxury. Many are manufacturer flagships and/or showcases for the newest automotive technology. Some have 6-figure price tags.

Our Best Buys include the Audi A8 and Lexus LS 430. Our Recommended picks include the Buick Park Avenue, Cadillac DeVille, and Volkswagen Phaeton.

There's nothing more on the A8 radar, now that "shorty" V8 and flagship W12 models have arrived, along with Audi's big new signature grille for all three models. The only thing left to complete the lineup is a new high-performance S8, and that should surface for 2006 or '07 on the standard A8 platform. Look for a twin-turbo V8 with upwards of 500 hp, plus the usual sporty-model chassis and cosmetic upgrades.

Meantime, Audi is finishing up a mid-engine 2-seat high-performance coupe based on the Lamborghini Gallardo. Audi owns Italy's Lamborghini and helped developed the Gallardo. Audi's version, previewed by the recent LeMans Quattro concept, will share the Gallardo's all-wheel drive chassis, basic spaceframe structure and general size, but will have a softer suspension and different engines. Power will come from either a pumped-up Audi V8 with around 425 hp or a new Audi-designed 5.2-liter V10 now being developed for around 520 hp. The transmission is said to be a computer-controlled manual--what Audi calls a Direct Shift Gearbox--with automatic shift mode and 6 or possibly 7 forward speeds. Styling and some dimensions will be unique, and the Audi will have more luxurious appointments in line with its mission as a comfortable road-gobbling tourer rather than all-out sports car. Sources expect the as-yet unnamed supercar in September 2006--for Europe. U.S. sale is unclear.