A perennial favorite, the Honda Civic, is as good as ever. We love the wide range of bodystyles, engines, and equipment. Civic is a solid car that has good performance, a nice ride, and a high degree of civility. We also love almost everything about the Ford Focus, but were reluctant to rank it a Best Buy because it was new from the ground up. After a year of living with a ZTS model, we can say that the reliability is good. Focus ranks a notch below Civic in some areas but costs less.

Topping the crowded Recommended list are the Volkswagen Golf and Jetta. They easily could be Best Buys. However, they are among the most expensive cars in this segment. Other Recommended choices include the no-frills Toyota Echo, the sporty Nissan Sentra, and the roomy Mazda Protege.

Prizm has always been a close copy of the Toyota Corolla, but somehow never had anywhere near the same sales success. Maybe it's the brand name. In calendar 2000, for example, Prizm notched a near 18-percent gain, going above 52,000, yet Toyota sold four times as many Corollas. That's one reason why Prizm is being dropped after its 2002 model run. Taking its place at the California GM-Toyota plant is the forthcoming Pontiac Vibe "lifestyle" wagon, which shares underpinnings with Toyota's related Matrix. Both debut in early 2002 as '03 models. Taking Prizm's place at Chevy dealers will be... well, nothing, which leaves just the aging Cavalier to carry Chevy's small-car banner.