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.

It's no secret that Aztek has been a sales dud, running at only about a third its projected annual volume. There's also no secret about the reason. It's styling. Not since the Edsel has a vehicle's appearance bombed so badly with critics and the general public. Aztek has also been cited as too expensive for the mainly younger buyers it was supposed to reach. To its undoubted embarrassment, General Motors quickly slapped on incentives to kick-start sales, but even that hasn't done much so far.

GM probably can't do much about prices, nor the Aztek's basic design, but it will address some styling issues for 2002. Though specifics weren't available for this report, those who have seen the facelift say it works wonders through considered changes to the size, shape, color and placement of exterior trim. While even a minor second-year restyle is highly unusual nowadays, it only shows how desperate GM is to turn things around. In other respects, Aztek should remain pretty as is for '02.