Price: $31,770

Re-establishing the Taurus nameplate, Ford redesigned this large sedan for 2010. Its distinctive exterior wraps around a roomy, comfortable and quiet cabin. A 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter, V-6 funnels output through a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting capability. By EPA estimates, fuel economy is a healthy 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway.

A generous rear-seat area provides plenty of room to stretch out in this luxury car. The trunk is positively huge. In addition to leather seating, the interior provides 10-way power front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, full-power accessories, auto-dimming rearview mirror, tilt-telescoping steering wheel with paddle shifters and audio controls, and a seven-speaker audio system with a six-disc, in-dash CD player, satellite radio, auxiliary input and MP3 integration. Also standard is Ford's intuitive Sync electronics interface offering voice command of system controls, Bluetooth cell phones and MP3 players.