This diverse segment offers the widest price range. It covers everything from the $34,000 Saab 9-5 to the $130,000 Mercedes-Benz SL500. Obviously our Best Buys are somewhere in between. We think that the Acura RL is a steal at $42,000 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. Mercedes-Benz E-Class, though a bit long in the tooth, also continues to impress with its impeccable road manners and luxurious comfort.

If you are looking for something a bit more sporting we recommend the BMW 5-Series. If your taste ranges more toward the luxury end, then take a look at the Cadillac DeVille or Lexus GS 300.

The 7-Series suffered a 9-percent year-to-year drop in U.S. sales for calendar 2000. The sharp fourth-quarter economic slump was doubtless a factor.

Sales may get a boost this fall when fully redesigned 7s arrive with a slightly longer wheelbase and extra body width that help improve interior space despite little-changed overall length. Styling is trademark BMW, but more purposeful than the outgoing design: wider and lower, announced by broader grille "kidneys" and smaller round headlamps behind clear "double-bubble" composite-plastic covers. A raised deck shoukd mean more trunk space, and there are big triangular "intelligent" taillamps that vary in brightness according to how hard the brake pedal is pushed.

Engines and model choices should stand pat initially, though numerous internal modifications reportedly bump the 740 V8 from 282 horsepower to around 320. Come 2003 or so, the top-dog 750iL will exchange its 5.6-liter V12 for a new-design 6.0-liter unit pegged at around 400 hp. All models should claim improved performance and fuel economy by being about 15-percent lighter than current 7s. Also aiding efficiency is a new 6-speed automatic transmission from German maker ZF. An all-wheel-drive option, with hardware borrowed from BMW's X5 sport-utility, is whispered for an unspecified later date.

Directly answering Mercedes' latest S-Class sedans is a bevy of so-called "telematics" features new to the 7-Series. These include Internet access and the expected navigation system, both controlled from a dashboard screen, plus emergency assistance and concierge services. To handle these and many other gadgets, BMW may install a unique fiber-optic electrical system running at 42 volts instead of the usual 12, though this could be delayed a year or more. The new 7s will definitely offer "smart" cruise control from day one, as well as a new "active safety" suspension with computer-controlled air springs; the latter is designed to counteract body roll in hard cornerning, front-end dive in hard braking, and rear-end squat in hard acceleration and is a reply to Mercedes' similar Active Body Control system. Airbags should number no fewer than 10, with the usual front four, two rear side-impact cushions, and BMW's tubular front/rear Head Protection System restraints above the side windows.

Prices were far from being set as we filed this report, but BMW insiders say the new 7s won't cost much if any more than the outgoing models. Keep checking back with us for further details as they become available.