Our only Best Buy in this class is the fun-to-drive Acura RSX. It offers plenty of thrills for the money with impressive acceleration and great handling.

Formerly a Best Buy, Volkswagen New Beetle still features interesting blend of styling, comfort, performance, and economy. If raw performance is what you are after, we Recommend Toyota Celica. This car offers a lot of bang for your buck, but, like all sporty coupes, may not be the greatest daily driver. New to the class is the Mini Cooper, a well-mannered small car, with sophisticated driving dynamics spoiled only by a ride that too easily becomes harsh on imperfect pavement. Because it is new and available in limited numbers, dealers are not discounting.

A Ralliart coupe and convertible will likely join the Eclipse line for 2004. Ralliart is Mitsubishi's in-house "tuner" operation that has long devised performance upgrades for various overseas models. Mitsubishi is trying to win over more youthful buyers here, so it's also introducing Ralliart-branded parts and accessories for sale through U.S. dealers. The expected Ralliart Eclipses will probably follow the formula of the new 2004 Ralliart Lancer subcompacts, so look for more power and various "hot car" styling add-ons. We'll have more specifics soon, so keep checking back with us.

Sources expect a redesigned Eclipse for 2006, with a possible summer-'05 launch. This will be the third result of the "Project America" midsize design program that has already delivered the Endeavor SUV and redesigned 2004 Galant sedans. Its heart is a so-called "flexible" platform that will also serve the next-generation Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Stratus sedans. DaimlerChrysler owns a controlling interest in Mitsubishi Motors of Japan, and is aiming to cut costs at both units by sharing more components through efforts like Project America. Industry gossips have little else to say now, but we wouldn't be surprised to see a new all-wheel-drive Eclipse Turbo aimed at Gen-Y hotbloods. If we're right, it would use one of two force-fed 4-cyl engines: a version of the 2.0-liter unit that powers the rally-inspired Lancer Evolution, or the Chrysler-designed 2.4 found in the PT Cruiser Turbo and Dodge Neon SRT-4.

A raft of incentives like 0-down and 0-percent have been helping to prop up Eclipse sales in a brutal market. On a year-to-year basis, deliveries edged up 2.4 percent in 2002 after a 1.3-percent slip in '01.