Dodge Dakota and Ford Ranger (and clone Mazda Truck) are our Best Buys. 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.

Toyota Tacoma is our Recommended choice. It's every bit as good as the Ranger in daily use, just a tad more expensive.

The current Ranger design is now 11 model years old, ancient by Motown standards. Factor in a turbulent market and stronger competition, and it's hardly surprising that year-to-year sales plunged 25 percent in calendar 2001 and another 17.5 percent in the first half of '02. Even so, Ranger remains America's favorite compact pickup.

But that could change, because a scheduled 2003 redesign has been put back to 2006, possibly 2008, and redesigned rivals are expected well before then. This unusually long delay reflects Ford's staggering $5.45 billion loss in 2001 and the resulting need to cut costs while somehow bringing out new products as soon as possible. Nevertheless, Ranger's redesign has apparently taken a back seat to other new car and truck programs, though the pickup still generates considerable sales even at its present lower level.

What will the redesign involve? Way too soon to say for sure. Earlier rumors spoke of a slightly larger "wide-body" Ranger on a new platform with room for a first-ever V8 option, but we'd bet planners have mostly started over to account for the added delay--and what competitors might do in the meantime.