(FORTUNE Small Business) – With automakers turning out record numbers of models, car lovers have never had more to choose from. But trying to pick a single "best car" is a sure way to start an argument. We decided to pick eight, and even that wasn't easy. What you'll find on these pages are the categories generating the most excitement, and the vehicles in each one--some just arriving on the mar-ket--that I consider standouts. I'm awaiting your comments (or complaints). Address them to me at taylor@fortunemail.com.

Midsize SUV Honda Pilot Honda stands for engineering refinement at an affordable price, and the Pilot is the latest example. Consider it a more evolved SUV--without all the extra weight and excess fuel consumption but still containing plenty of power (a 3.5-liter engine), sophisticated suspension, and a giant cargo space. $32,000

Station Wagon/SUV Volvo XC90 For everyone who loves Volvos but has grown tired of their boring personality, here's one from charm school. It has rugged good looks, extra features (like a third row of seats and all-wheel drive), and a new mission in life: to intercept all those station wagon and sedan owners who are defecting to luxury SUVs. With an optional 268-horsepower twin turbo, this could be the big success that Volvo's been looking for. It's not a steal, but Volvo's implicit promise of safety and security should make it a strong seller nonetheless. $40,000 Midsize Volkswagen Passat This is the car that gives Detroit fits: It attracts younger, better-educated buyers and surrounds them with German engineering in the style of a Mercedes or BMW. Besides sports-sedan handling, the Passat boasts perhaps the best interior in its class. With the all-wheel-drive version, you can pretend you're in an Audi. The addition of a 270-horsepower, eight-cylinder engine means you can spend close to $40,000, but I'd stick to the cheaper V-6. $30,000

Sports Roadster BMW Z4 There's a fresh design breeze blowing at BMW, and the Z4 is the latest and most successful example. Like the Z3 it replaces, the U.S.-built Z4 features a low center of gravity that, coupled with BMW's suspension magic, produces exceptional handling. Another plus: The trunk is big enough to hold two sets of golf clubs. It might be hard to justify spending this kind of money on a sports car these days, but the Z4 will be the one to own in 2003. $40,000

Gargantuan SUV Cadillac Escalade Rationality vanishes when it comes to luxury SUVs, which is why the 345-horsepower Escalade is the sine qua non of the segment. Any connection to a workaday, off-road SUV is imaginary. The real job of the Escalade is to transport hip-hop artists and the rest of the MTV Cribs crowd in conspicuous luxury, and it does its job to perfection. The massive front end and hulking stance display Cadillac's new styling cues--stacked headlamps, vertical taillights--to maximum advantage, and the interior would do credit to a 1960s Hugh Hefner bachelor pad, with wood and leather surrounding the plush seats and a premium sound system. It's the most exciting Cadillac since the tail-finned 1960 Eldorado. $50,000

Luxury Roadster Mercedes SL500 Remember Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney in Two for the Road? Should you be traveling around Europe this year, the SL500 is the car you'd want to drive. The ultimate expression of sophisticated motoring, it's sporty and fast--zero to 60 in less than seven seconds--yet luxurious and comfortable. One drawback is that you may have to send your lug- gage ahead: With the top down, the trunk of this gem holds only 7.3 cubic feet--room for just two overnight bags. $100,000

Small Car BMW Mini Cooper The Gwyneth Paltrow of small cars: racy, stylish, and oh, so fashionable. The Mini concept made its debut in Europe in 1959, but the Cooper is the 21st-century version: peppy 1.6-liter engine, short-throw gearbox, and modern suspension. It's hard to imagine having more fun in a car at this price. (Just don't ask your friends to spend too much time in the back seat.) $20,000

Station Wagon/Minivan Chrysler Pacifica Chrysler is staging a comeback, and the all-new Pacifica is leading the way. Like a station wagon, Pacifica has four doors and a tailgate, but it's built on a minivan chassis, so the roof is raised, the driver sits up high, and there are three rows of usable seats. The all-wheel-drive version could displace some rough-riding sport utilities from some drivers' garages. Best of all, nothing about this stylish crossover, with a 24-valve V-6 engine, screams "suburban soccer mom." $35,000 (estimated)