This is by far the hottest market segment right now. Crowded with more than 20 vehicles, midsize SUVs vary in size and type but nearly all seat five adults and offer V6 or V8 engines. Our Best Buy is the car-based Lexus RX 300. Though it lacks a low range in 4WD mode, it's the most carlike to drive and offers all of the versatility of a truck-based model.

Our Recommended choices are all traditional SUVs: the Dodge Durango, which offers optional third-row seating; the best-selling Ford Explorer clone Mercury Mountaineer; the Teutonic Mercedes-Benz M-Class; the utilitarian Nissan Xterra; and the refined but expensive Toyota 4Runner.

Now in its fourth model year, M-Class is one the older midsize SUV designs, yet it's selling better than ever, jumping 16.7 percent in calendar 2000 to near 52,800 units. Confirmed for 2002 is a mild facelift, with the face itself most visibly altered, plus detail updates elsewhere, though specifics on those weren't available for this report.

M-Class is on an 8-year product cycle, so a full redesign won't happen for at least another four years. Still, European sources are already reporting that the next generation will switch from body-on-frame to a new aluminum-intensive unibody platform, which will also serve a planned "crossover" spinoff of the redesigned 2003 E-Class. Like the crossover, the next M-Class is said to adopt a standard air-spring suspension and 6-speed automatic transmission, plus more powerful V6 and V8 engines with four valves per cylinder (versus three now) and direct fuel injection (versus today's indirect "rail" system). The SUV might also ape the crossover in offering a longer 7-passenger wagon with fold-away 3rd-row seats in addition to a shorter 5-passenger model. That's the current scenario as we know it, though much could change between now and then depending on how DaimlerChrysler fares financially.

Meantime, Mercedes adds a second SUV starting this fall. Called G500, it's built in Austria to a basic design originally created for the German army in the late 1970s. "G" stands for Galaendewagen or "cross country vehicle". Civilian models were later added for Europe and developed a small "cult" following in the U.S., prompting one New Mexico entrepreneur to privately import a few G-Wagens each year and modify them to U.S. standards. Until now, Mercedes didn't consider this model's small sales worth bothering with.

Though numerous engines and equipment choices are available elsewhere, the U.S. G500 comes as a single luxury-equipped 4-door wagon. A 300-hp version of Mercedes' 5.0-liter V8 mates to a 5-speed automatic transmission and a permanent 4WD system with electronically controlled low-range gearing that can be engaged on-the-fly at up to 15 mph. Like M-Class, G500 has body-on-frame construction and 4-wheel traction/antiskid control, but offers increased off-road capability via front, center and rear differentials that can be manually locked for maximum traction in severe low-grip situations. Other no-cost equipment includes 4-wheel antilock brakes with Mercedes' full-power Brake Assist feature, 18-inch wheels, leather-and-walnut interior, heated front/rear seats, 10-way power front seats with memory, automatic climate control, premium audio with CD changer, Mercedes' TeleAid assistance service, and the company's COMAND dashboard screen that controls a GPS navigation system along with audio and trip computer functions. Brush guards and a voice-activated portable cell phone are among the few options. Base price is $72,500 vs upwards of $125,000 for recent "personal import" models. U.S. sales will be no more than 2000 a year, as Mercedes is pitching the G500 as a "celebrity" SUV against top-line Range Rovers and BMW X5s.