If you're in the market for a 2000 sedan, a good starting point might be General Motors' offerings: GM's sedans drive away with six Best in Class and Best New Car awards this year in Kiplinger's annual guide to car buying.
The exclusive scoring system is based on our appraisal of design and styling, safety features and objective measures of performance and value.The roomy Chevy Malibu moves to the top of the $13,000-to-$18,000 price category with a peppy V6 engine, and the new Saturn LS -- finally, a bigger, move-up car for Saturn aficionados -- wins Best New Car.
In the $18,000-to-$25,000 category, Buick's LeSabre Custom, with its true big-car ride for six, is Best in Class, while the redesigned Pontiac Bonneville -- an upscale sports sedan with a powerful V6 -- zooms to Best New Car status.
In the over-$35,000 category, the Chevrolet Corvette convertible edges out all the rest to win Best in Class. Its raw power and practical trunk help push it to the top. And the slimmed-down Cadillac DeVille, with an even smoother and more fuel-efficient V8 (that no longer needs premium fuel) wins Best New Car kudos. The DeVille handles even better than in the past and boasts Desert Storm Night Vision technology to help you see ahead and an ultrasonic feature to help as you back into parking spaces.
Beyond GM, there's plenty to grab your attention, too. For 2000, Toyota's flagship Avalon shows off a roomier redesign and an array of safety features, such as side-impact air bags and vehicle skid control. It's the Best New Car in the $25,000-to-$35,000 category.
Infiniti's I30, with a 20 percent more powerful V6 than last year, wins Best in Class in the same price category. Subaru's redesigned all-wheel-drive Legacy, Nissan's silkier and more powerful Maxima, and the redesigned, ever-popular Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable also deserve a place on a sedan buyer's test-drive list.
In the over-$35,000 category, be sure to check out Ford's dynamic rear-wheel-drive duo: the Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type. The millennium also sees the return of the sizzling V12 engine -- a smooth, 326-horsepower beast for BMW's 750iL.
At our Web site, www.kiplinger.com, you can sort through the car data by the criteria you choose, figure payments on a car loan or lease, and find scads of additional help in your search for the right car.