Ignored in the past, compact SUVs are now some of the hottest-selling vehicles around. Though our Best Buys, the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Mazda Tribute don't offer true off-road ability, they do mix ride comfort, cargo capacity, and versatility with all-weather traction. The V6 Tribute/Escape offers more power, comfort, and space than any in its class.

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, but it blends excellent on-road manners with SUV styling.

Though the redesigned Explorer has had early sales troubles, Ford's compact SUV has been more than taking up the slack, drawing a healthy 124,000 orders from its late-2000 launch through the third quarter of 2001. Evidently, early recalls to fix minor problems haven't dampened Escape's sales appeal.

Minor styling and equipment changes are due for 2003, along with a new "green" model with hybrid power, the first such Ford available to the public.Though full details have yet to be released, the Escape HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) harnesses a small 4-cyl gasoline engine--probably the current 2.0-liter unit--with an electric drive motor and a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, supplied by Japan's Sanyo. As in Honda's Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system, the HEV's gas engine handles all driving except full-throttle acceleration, when it's temporarily boosted by the motor/battery pack. Also like Honda's IMA, the gas engine shuts off when the HEV is stopped or coasting, and a regenerative braking feature turns the motor into a generator for keeping the batteries juiced, so no external charging is required.

Ford has been mum so far on battery range, but has said the HEV will go 500 miles on a tank of gas and achieve a combined EPA city/highway rating of 40 mpg. Ford also touts a 1000-pound tow rating and acceleration comparable to that of a standard V6 Escape. HEV is expected to cost some $3000 more than that V6 model, in current dollars. No word yet as to when it hits dealers, but we'd expect it by next spring at the latest.

Insiders are also talking about an Escape-based "baby Sport Trac," a four-door SUV/pickup like the larger Explorer-based model. Though only a rumor as far as we know, the idea makes sense given the strong demand for both Escape and the bigger Sport Trac. No word yet on when or if this will appear, but one source says it could hit showrooms as early as the 2003 model year.