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 Audi A8 and Lexus LS 430. Our Recommended pick is Cadillac DTS.

Buick Lucerne is new or significantly redesigned.

The A8 line revives a sporty model and gets a redesigned V8 for 2007. The latter stays at 4.2 liters, but Audi's FSI direct fuel injection and other changes add 20 hp for 350 total. The high-performance S8 returns with a new 450-hp 5.2-liter V10. The engine is based on a design by Audi-owned Italian sports-car maker Lamborghini. Audi claims 0-60 acceleration of around 5 sec. As in other A8s, a 6-speed automatic transmission allies to Audi's quattro all-wheel drive. The S8 also comes with a performance-tuned adaptive air suspension, 20-inch wheels, steering-linked headlamps, specific grille and interior trim, keyless entry/starting system, full-length curtain side airbags, and torso side airbags front and rear. Other A8s see only minor changes for '07.

A redesigned A8 is expected in late 2009. The 2010 model said to be about 4 inches longer and should have a crisper, more sculpted look. No word yet on U.S.-market powertrains, but we'd expect the complex W12 engine to be exchanged for a detuned version of the new S8's V10.

Due to arrive sometime in 2008 is the A7, a "4-dr coupe" to rival the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Underskin components will likely come from the next-gen A8 and midsize A6, but A7 reportedly sports close-coupled 2-dr-like styling with a low arcing roofline, muscular bodysides, big wheels, an in-your-face nose treatment, and semi-concealed rear-door handles. Look for V8 and possibly V10 power, plus standard AWD, of course.