Acura TL

Audi A4 2.0

Buick LaCrosse

Cadillac CTS 2.8

Chrysler 300

Chrysler 300C

Lincoln LS 3.0

Nissan Maxima

Subaru Outback

     This comparison looks at a surprisingly large section of the marketplace: sedans that are more than mainstream but less than luxury. Some are designated by size, some by feature content, some by things like refinement, interior quality, or ride/handling compromise, some by brand, and all by price.

     The cars in this group would all fit into one of two categories: premium mainstreamers (the highest-end sedan in a more mainstream lineup, such as the Toyota Avalon) or low-end luxury (the lowest sedan in a premium lineup).

      The criteria were not exclusive for admittance into this comparison test. The twenty-six vehicles above needed only to have a CarsDirect target price of between $29,000 and $35,000, have leather seating and an automatic transmission, and be in some way a "premium" vehicle in more than just price. Leather-equipped Accords and Camrys do not belong here. Up to two engine choices of the same car can be included here, if a car has multiple powertrains. Cars such as the Lincoln Zephyr and Buick Lucerne were excluded for the simple reason that they are not on sale (and not yet available for editorial evaluation), and cars such as the Buick Park Avenue and Volkswagen Passat that are set to be discontinued or redesigned after 2005 were also ineligible.

       The criteria above brought in cars ranging from 176 to 198 inches in length, with engines as small as a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with 168 horsepower and as large as a 5.7-liter, 340-horsepower V8, and with prices filling the entire spread allowed, from $29,136 to $34,817.

        Obviously, not all twenty-six cars are direct competitors. Some are designed with drastically different audiences in mind, and it could be said that attempts should be made to separate these vehicles into different comparisons that better-reflect their individual purposes. But quite simply, readers wishing to see the review with certain vehicles omitted only need to skip past their pages, but those wishing to see a vehicle in the test that was excluded based on its intended audience would be out of luck. Also, all twenty-six vehicles are essentially competing for the buyers looking for an upscale sedan in the low $30,000s.

       These vehicles were ranked and rated in two main ways. The most important factor was the vehicle's simple merits versus its demerits, evaluations of refinement, comfort, value, and other aspects that should be important to consumers shopping in any class. The other factor deals with how well they distinguish themselves from the mainstream; what exactly separates these vehicles from a leather-equipped Accord or Camry, and whether it is worth the price premium over such a vehicle. Read on to see which ones fared the best.