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.

Though a sales runner-up to big sister Elantra, Accent keeps movin' up the chart--perhaps no surprise, as people often turn to less expensive products with the sort of economic troubles seen in 2001. In fact, Accent's year-to-year sales rose 20.7 percent in the first nine months of '01, following a near 62-percent gain in calendar 2000.

Hyundai's U.S. branch apparently nixed a minor 2002 restyle as all wrong for American tastes, so expect an acceptable facelift for '03. Industry sources forecast a full redesign for the 2005 Accent. Its basic architecture will serve an overhauled entry-level Rio at Hyundai-owned Kia, now expected for '06. Each version will have its own styling, with Accent a bit more upscale in features and maybe power.