Honda Civic continues to be the car to beat with a 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. Also a Best Buy, Ford Focus doesn't offer the refinement of the Civic, but doesn't cost as much either.

Topping the crowded Recommended list are 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 redesigned but still reliable Toyota Corolla, the sporty Nissan Sentra, and the roomy Mazda Protege. Each of these is a valid alternative to a Best Buy if price is your major concern.

Lancer greets 2004 with a fairly heavy facelift, new Sportback wagon models, and a sporty Ralliart sedan and wagon with a larger engine and more power. Mitsubishi revealed these and other changes at the 2003 New York Auto Show.

All '04s get a bolder nose aping that of the hotshot Evolution, plus revamped taillights and interior trim. The Sportback comes in LS and Ralliart versions with a 162-hp 2.4-liter 4-cyl engine, which is also standard for the Ralliart sedan. ES, LS, and O-Z Rally sedans continue with a 2.0-liter unit. Both wagons include 4-wheel disc brakes, air conditioning, keyless entry, and power windows/locks/mirrors. The Ralliart pair come with ABS, firmed-up sport suspension, 16-inch alloy wheels, lower-body skirts, plus front side airbags and racier cabin appointments including more heavily bolstered front bucket seats. The sedan wears a rear spoiler.

Prices haven't been announced, but Mitsubishi says the Ralliart sedan should start under $18,000, a mighty $12,000 below the fast-and-furious turbo 2.0-liter Evo. Both Ralliart models target Ford Focus SVT, Honda Civic Si, Nissan Sentra SE-R and other "pocket rockets". They're part of this year's U.S. rollout for Mitsubishi's performance brand, which also involves offering Ralliart speed and appearance accessories through dealers. All this is aimed at the Gen-Y crowd, as Mitsubishi seeks to improve on its overall 2002 sales gain of 7 percent vs. calendar '01. The Lancer itself is selling pretty well too, drawing over 94,000 orders from its late-2001 debut through the end of '02.

Despite all this activity, sources say a redesigned Lancer is already in the works for 2007. It's reportedly based on a Mitsubishi-engineered platform that's also destined for the next Dodge Neon and Chrysler PT Cruiser. This plan reflects continued cost-cutting efforts by DaimlerChrysler, which owns a controlling interest in Mitsubishi Motors of Japan and is looking to share more components and platforms among similar Mitsubishi and Chrysler Group models.