This segment has been hardest hit by the huge popularity of sport-utility vehicles. Just a few years ago there were more than 12 cars in the segment and now there are just seven. Heading up the field as Best Buys are the Chrysler Concorde and Dodge Intrepid twins. They have real room for six, exceptional road manners, and plenty of power.

Toyota's Avalon and Buick's LeSabre are two Recommended choices. Both have room for five and offer a comfortable ride (with modest handling capabilities). If you are looking for towing ability or don't mind having a rear-drive car, then we recommend you take a look at the Ford Crown Victoria. With its rear-drive layout and body-on-frame chassis it's a dinosaur in this class, but Ford has updated it nicely over the years and it comes at a reasonable price.

Ford Motor Company has a lock on American-traditional sedans with this Mercury and the related Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car. Despite basic engineering that dates back to 1979, this trio has long sold well enough to require only infrequent major changes. Lately, though, demand has been slipping. Grand Marquis, the most popular of the three, was essentially flat in calendar 2000 (some 122,500), and the other two suffered modest declines.

But Ford may have anticipated a slowdown, as all these models will reportedly get a minor facelift for 2002. Grand Marquis should wear a somewhat flatter, wider grille, suitably reshaped hood and headlamps, and probably different taillamps. That assessment comes from last winter's Chicago Auto Show, where Mercury announced a hot rod Grand Marquis as an addition to the line for 2003. It reaches dealers in mid-2002 as the Marauder, a name lifted from Mercury's biggest 1960s "muscle cars."

That very early unveiling was calculated to counter months of rumors that Mercury was about to follow Plymouth and Oldsmobile to automotive Valhalla. Not surprisingly, officials say "the new Marauder will make Mercury a stronger brand"--which only makes us wonder why they're waiting so long to start selling it. That aside, the '03 Marauder will pack more than 300 hp from a tuned version of Grand Marquis' 235-hp dual-exhaust 4.6-liter V8. Other announced features include a beefed-up automatic transmission with console shift instead of a column lever, a tighter rear axle ratio for faster takeoffs, a limited-slip rear differential, 18-inch forged aluminum wheels with high-speed tires, a leather-trimmed interior with front bucket seats instead of a bench, extra instrumentation including tachometer, and any paint color you want as long as it's black. Price hasn't been set, but it, too, will be carefully calculated, doubtless with an eye to the over-50s who remember the Marauders of old.

Available now are two new options that push Grand Marquis a little further up the luxury scale. Traditionalists should gravitate to the Limited package with its "light parchment" leather upholstery, wood interior accents, and steering-wheel audio, climate, and cruise controls. The sportier LSE group comprises a specially tuned suspension, lacy-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels, center shift console, power 8-way front buckets, automatic temperature control, and the 235-hp dual-exhaust V8.

Looking ahead, Ford is said to be eyeing a stretched Lincoln LS with a simpler rear suspension and other cost-saving change for a possible 2004 or '05 debut. Though sources aren't sure, this car, known within Ford as project Fairlane, could be planned to replace the current Grand Marquis and its sisters.