Ignored in the past, compact SUVs are now some of the hottest-selling vehicles around. Though our Best Buy Honda CR-V doesn't offer true off-road ability and has milquetoast acceleration, it does mix ride comfort, cargo capacity, and versatility with all-weather traction.

Another car-based mini-SUV, the Subaru Forester, is our Recommended choice. Like the CR-V it doesn't have a low range for serious off-road use, it blends excellent on-road manners with SUV styling.

New this year are the Ford Escape and clone Mazda Tribute. We have been very impressed with early production models and may elevate these two to Best Buys after we get more seat time.

Ford speaks of itself these days as a "green car" company, and it's not all talk. Come 2003, Escape will be the basis for the first hybrid-power Ford vehicle ever sold to the public. Ford made the announcement in late March 2000, but was vague on certain aspects of the gas/electric powertrain and its performance.

So what has Ford said so far about the Escape Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)? First, it will have an electric drive motor harnessed to a small 4-cyl gasoline engine, perhaps the currently available 2.0-liter. A nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, supplied by Japan's Sanyo, powers and is recharged by the motor. As in the Honda Insight's Integrated Motor Assist system, the gas engine is used for all driving except full-throttle acceleration, when it's temporarily boosted by the motor/battery pack. Also like Honda's system, the gas engine shuts off when the HEV is stopped or coasting, and a regenerative braking feature turns the motor into a generator for charging the battery pack. Like Insight and Toyota's Prius hybrid sedan, HEV requires no external recharging. The battery pack itself is vaguely described as "suitcase sized." Ford hasn't yet decided on its location, but is said to favor a middle or rear position to minimize loss of passenger and cargo room.

Ford hasn't talked about battery range, but it does claim the HEV will go 500 miles on a tank of gas and achieve a combined EPA city/highway rating of 40 mpg. It's also said to have a 1000-pound tow rating and acceleration comparable to that of a standard V6 Escape. HEV is expected to cost some $3000 more than model, in current dollars. Company reseachers determined that this is what most consumers are willing to pay for better mileage and cleaner air. How clean will this hybrid be? That awaits formal EPA tests.

The HEV may reach dealers by summer 2003, but will likely be a 2004 entry so as to be in sync with the facelift scheduled for all Escapes that model year. No word yet on other near-term changes for this newest addition to Ford's SUV lineup.