Among compact pickups two vehicles really stand out: The Dodge Dakota and the Ford Ranger (and clone Mazda Truck). Dakota is the only one to offer a V8 engine, full-time 4WD, and near-full-size cargo and towing capacity. Ranger is the most refined and probably the best daily use vehicle.

This year we are limiting our Recommended choice to the Toyota Tacoma. It's every bit as good as the Ranger in daily use, just a tad more expensive.

After approaching archrival Toyota Tacoma in calendar-2000 sales, Frontier dropped 18.3 percent year-to-year in the first nine months of 2001 vs a small gain for Tacoma. That's telling, considering all the effort and money Nissan has put into Frontier updates over the last two model years.

But this basic design wasn't that great to begin with, and it's apparently still got a few more years to go. Sources say Nissan is giving priority to getting out a planned full-size American-built pickup, leaving Frontier to carry on as best it can through model-year 2004 at least.

The big rig, as yet unnamed, reportedly bows for 2004. It's said to be larger than Toyota's Tundra, aiming to be a more direct challenger to full-size domestic-brand pickups. In line with that, sources say only a V8 may be offered, either a 4.5-liter and/or a 5.2-liter based on Infiniti's division's Q45 flagship sedan engine. Styling will be brawny to match the size, though nothing as wierd as Nissan's recent Alpha-T concept truck. Further details aren't available, but the model menu should show 4x2s and 4x4s in 4-dr crew cab and perhaps 2-dr extended-cab styles, but maybe not a 2/3-seat regular. Not surprisingly, this truck will parent a new full-size Nissan SUV that's also due to be launched for 2004.