Editors' Most Wanted Vehicles for 2001

Midsize Luxury Coupe Over $30,000

Winner: Mercedes-Benz CLK

Rich folks have it all. Not only can they order the soup and the salad with their meal, they also get to drive cars like the CLK. It delivers nonpareil performance with no pulse-pounding drama, but with a quiet excellence that befits its aristocratic heritage. It doesn't loll for the attention like some flashy trollop; its understated elegance gains a deferential appreciation, from both the driver and passerby. Available with a 3.2-liter V6 rated at 215 horsepower or a sonorous 4.0-liter V8 with 275 horses, this car pleads to be driven hard on the highway; its superior brakes and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) will aid you in saving your butt while you're foolishly nurturing your inner driving demon. Both of these cars are, of course, available in the convertible version, should you care to do some topless cavorting. Get behind the wheel of this gorgeous Teutonic belle and you'll be surrounded by burled walnut wood, cool gizmos like TeleAid and FOOP! windows, and high-quality leather. Driving a CLK is an experience unlike any other. It lifts the sometimes mundane chore of driving and transcends it to a whole new realm.