Though this segment has cooled somewhat with the rise in fuel prices, it's still one of the hottest. Our Best Buys are the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban.

Recommended are the Ford Expedition and GMC Yukon. For a few more bucks you can get the Toyota Land Cruiser. Its high price is the only thing holding back this refined and drivable SUV. We love the size, comfort, and power of these big SUVs but wish they got a few more miles per gallon.

Even well-heeled folk can sneeze when the economy catches the flu. As proof, perhaps, consider that year-to-year sales of the snooty Range Rover fell 15.5 percent in calendar 2000 and another 15.6 percent for the first nine months of 2001. Then again, we're only talking some 6000 sales a year, mostly to the Park Avenue and Rodeo Drive set.

An all-new Range Rover may have those swells agog when it goes on sale in fall 2002. And new it is. Despite very familiar styling, the 2003 RR shares not one component with the vintage-1994 series it will replace.

It's ushered in by Ford Motor Company, but is the mostly the work of Land Rover's previous owner, BMW. Indeed, the '03 carries the 4.4-liter V8 and 5-speed automatic transmission of BMW's X5 4.4i model, as well as several BMW features like Dynamic Stability Control traction/antiskid system and head-protecting tubular side airbags. Retained from today's Range Rover, though with new components, are all-wheel drive with low-range gearing, off-road-oriented Hill Descent Control, and a self-leveling suspension. The last automatically lowers ride height at highway speeds to reduce gas-eating air drag; flipping a switch provides extra ground clearance for fording streams and climbing boulders.

In two major firsts for Land Rover's flagship, construction switches from body-on-frame to unitized, which is claimed to improve crashworthiness, and solid front and rear axles give way to fully independent suspension, which implies a smoother on-road ride. The new RR is also larger than the old in every dimension, weight included, though we don't have figures yet. We do know that base wheel/tire diameter is 18 inches, with 20-inchers optional, vs standard 16s and available 18s now.

Otherwise, the '03 looks much like the current RR save fashionable multi-element projector headlamps, clear-lens taillamps, and a pair of vertical vent louvers ahead of each front door. Seating for five continues, along with a separate liftgate and tailgate, but there's more room for people and packages, plus a higher-class cabin ambience achieved with plenty of wood, leather, and even graphite trim. BMW-sourced hardware is evident on a new dashboard housing a navigation system as an apparent standard feature.

Speaking of which, pricing and equipment won't be decided for awhile yet. But it seems a safe bet the new Range Rover will have most everything standard--and a higher price, maybe $70,000 to start. Options will be few, but owners will apparently have a huge choice of custom colors and interior trims. We'll have more specifics as launch time nears, so keep checking back.