iDUMB when you say you, do you mean me as an individual or me and my spouse? If its me alone the answer for a 5 series would be a no, if its household then we can possibly go for a 7 series
Btw, I have driven the 2010 Audi A4, the 2010 and 2011 Mercedes C class and the 2010 and 2011 Bmw 3 series, 2010 lexus IS 250. Off all these cars I found the Lexus to be most responsive in terms of pushing on the pedal. The rest were pretty similar. I would concur that the Audi A4 is the most expensive in this segment with comparable options. The interior and the exterior of the new audi is redesigned with the cool headlights,so looks wise I would rate it pretty high. The worst of the lot on this segment is the bmw 3 series. It has a classic exterior bmw look which is good but the interior is as plain jane as you can find in a luxury car. I think their interior look has not evolved enough from the mid 90's while others like Audi and mercedes has evolved much more and keeping pace with changing times. Looks wise I love the Mercedes c class only if it comes with sport package because the AMG grills give it the mean sexy look. Just because of the grill i would rate its look being the best of the lot. The lexus is250 is pretty cramped for room at the back so it is a better idea to go for the es350 instead of the is 250 since the es is the same size as a honda accord and is much more spacious, comes with a lot of bells and whistles at a price that is quite affordable.
and yes I too would rate the hyundai sonata very highly. Not the honda accord prototypes but the new redesigned one which is original looking and its a sedan that has a lot of features for the same price of a base model bmw3, mercedesC or lexus IS.