Consumer Guide® Automotive places each vehicle into one of 17 classes based on size, price, and market position. Premium Midsize Cars sport interior dimensions similar to Midsize Cars. Premium Midsize Cars offer more luxury, performance, and prestige when compared to Midsize Cars. This segment is one of the industry's fastest-growing categories.

Our Best Buys include the Acura TL, Cadillac CTS, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Our Recommended picks include the Acura RL, Infiniti G35, and the Lexus ES 330.

The 9-5 is basically in a holding pattern through 2008. There's been talk of styling and equipment tweaks for 2006 or '07, but the changes, if any, won't be drastic.

Continuing meager sales had cast doubt on the 9-5's long-term future, but Saab-parent GM has apparently decided to keep the model, at least in name. One British source says the next 9-5 will be a 4-dr fastback sedan on the same Lambda platform as upcoming, domestic-GM crossover SUVs. It's said to feature sleek, very un-Saab styling, available all-wheel drive (in lieu of front drive), and turbocharged V6 power. Lending credence to this scenario are rumors of a Lambda-based Saab sportwagon for the same timeframe to replace the just-launched 9-7X. A second possibility is morphing the 9-5 into a stretched version of the 9-3 sedan. The 9-3 is due to be redesigned for 2007 or '08 on GM's next-generation Epsilon global platform and will be built at GM's German Opel subsidiary, not in Sweden. We think the next 9-5 will go this route, as it likely means lower production costs than a Lambda-based design.