Winter auto guide.

reviews of 16 vehicles arriving in 2001

Based on the Honda's leading Odyssey minivan, the Acura MDX solves the dilemma of those who really need the minivan but desire the look and feel of an SUV.

A 240-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine supplies smooth and ample power for service in a luxury vehicle. The interior is attractive and functional. It is filled with gadgets that prove both useful and entertaining. Starting in the mid-$30,O00 range, expect one with a satellite navigation system and "touring package" to hit in the upper-$30,O00 range. For that price you'll find the MDX more comfortable, easier to handle, and functionally superior to nearly any truck-based SUV.

Acura MDX | www.acuracars.com

Audi TT Roadster | www.audicars.com

Audi's TT is a solid hit in the marketplace. Dealers can't keep them in stock, and buyers really enjoy the detailed and engaging styling features.

For that reason, the company recently added two versions: the quattro all-wheel-drive TT and the Roadster. Best of all, you can get a Roadster quattro, making this the only top-down, all-wheel-drive car you can buy without paying an exotic car price. While the TT starts out at a genteel $32,000, the full-boat, open-air model adds about 10 grand to the package.

You only get seating for two and a tiny trunk, but your troubles will drift off into the breeze when you apply the 1.8-liter turbo engine's 225 horsepower. The TT Roadster is a delight whether you drive it or just look at it.

Every model year it seems BMW brings out new and more interesting iterations of its compact car. At the tail end of the 2000 model year, the new convertible arrived to breathe fresh air into the mix. A sport wagon also made its debut, for those who prefer more function with the fun of a performance car. With sedans starting in the high-$20,O00 range, this is a relatively affordable way to obtain this much sophistication. By the time you take off the top and load it with options, you'll push well into the $40,000 range.

Regardless of which 3 Series your budget and fancy allow, it's nice to know this is a car filled with performance, safety, and panache. It's also the one everybody else wants to mimic.

BMW 3 Series | www.bmwcars.com

Chevrolet Corvette | www.chevroletcars.com

The Corvette manages to provide a level of sophistication that is not readily apparent. After all, this is one of the largest cars built that will hold just two. Of course, the engine remains as ferocious as always, with a thundering 350 horsepower available from the 5.7-liter V8. Not enough? Try the Z06 with another 35 ponies ready to gallop.

Those not thoroughly trained in motor sports will have a difficult time taming this unwieldy beast. But Chevrolet intends to sell Corvettes to anyone with the $40,000 to $50,000 required. To keep things from getting out of hand, the active handling system combines traction with stability control. It uses electronic throttle and brake overrides to help prevent sudden loss of control.

Is there anyone who isn't in love with this little economy wagon? The surprise is that this really is a small economy vehicle; fewer than 20% of the parts are shared with the Neon model, plus the PT has the extra function of a station wagon design.

Concerned the cheeky styling will wear thin before the payments run out? Unlikely. The 150-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is just powerful enough and quite economical. There's room for four in comfort and a fifth can

squeeze in. Best of all, with the clever way Chrysler designed the seats and cargo hold--there are plenty of flips, folds, removability, and versatility--this is a car that would be worth its $17,000 to $22,000 price.

Chrysler PT Cruiser | www.chryslercars.com

Chrysler Sebring Coupe | www.chryslercars.com

The Sebring brings at least some amount of elegance to an affordable class of car. This new generation arrives in three forms: coupe, convertible, and sedan. The sedan serves to replace last year's Plymouth Breeze--the entire Plymouth brand now goes to car heaven--and the Chrysler Cirrus. The coupe actually shares underpinnings with Mitsubishi's sporty Eclipse. The Sebring gets more interior room, including a useful back seat. Ride is geared a bit more toward comfort than all-out sporting performance, although there are still plenty of grins left in the suspension. The base 2.4-liter, four-cylinder offers up 147 horsepower, enough to keep things interesting. But the 200-horsepower, 3.0-liter V6 is the choice for those who like to feel empowered when stomping on the throttle. You'll get this pizzazz starting in the low $20,000 range.

Although this vehicle was conceived and designed by Mazda, Ford bought controlling interest in the company in time to have plenty of its own input. The Escape differs from Mazda's Tribute in both appearance and demeanor.

One reason Ford wanted this vehicle is to escape from the heat it is taking from environmentalists because of its overbearing and socially unacceptable Excursion. Coming in 2003, Ford will also bring out a gas/electric hybrid version of the Escape that the company claims will offer seriously low emissions and fuel economy ratings far better than those of any other Ford SUV.

Meanwhile, this remains a compact offering that competes in the same category as other small-car-based SUVs.

Ford Escape | www.fordcars.com

Jaguar XKR | www.jaguarcars.com

The Jaguar XKR is pure sensuous automotive pleasure. But this is not the soft, coddling sort of machine Jaguar produces with four doors. This is more sporting and adventuresome.

Whether maintaining an air of seclusion in a coupe or exposing yourself in the convertible, the XKR provides lavish entertainment before you even start the 370-horsepower engine. Chrome, wood, and leather create an environment that continually reminds the owner that he or she is most certainly financially successful. The basic XKR begins around $67,000, but the supercharged XKR requires as much as $85,000 to procure. High levels of performance mean the XKR can make a quick exit, but always with the utmost grace.

Lexus' success has depended upon a reputation for extreme comfort, ergonomic interiors, amazing durability, and copious customer service. Now the company would like to add "fun" to the agenda. It started with the current generation GS model, but the company needs to attract new customers at a more affordable level. Thus, starting around $31,000, you can have a ear-drive compact IS300 powered by a 3.0-liter, in-line six pumping out 215 horsepower.

The IS300 is the sporting approach to a small luxury car. There is no manual transmission yet--it's coming next year--although there are buttons on the steering wheel to semimanually shift the five-speed automatic.

Lexus IS300 | www.lexuscars.com

Lexus L5430 | www.lexuscars.com

A complete renovation of the Lexus flagship could almost go unnoticed based on the cautious styling of this model. But style is the one area where Lexus feels tradition is important.

Lexus reigns as the king of luxury car ergonomics, and the LS430 solidifies its position. There's no space here to list everything this car can do. There are lasers to maintain your position in traffic while the car is in cruise control. More lasers help you park and locate hidden obstacles. Front seats can be either heated or cooled while the rear seats recline, heat, and massage. Plan to start in the mid-S50,000 range but approach $70,000 after you add all the gizmos and an ultra high-end Mark Levinson audio system with six-disc CD changer in the dash. The ride is so quiet and the seats so comfortable, this car may replace your living room.

When Ford bought its controlling interest in Mazda, it required the company to put Ford engines in its upcoming compact SUV. The modest 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is designed for an economy car, not a truck. The 200-horsepower V6 will prove far more popular. This makes the Tribute among the quicker vehicles in its class.

That class is the newest breed of passenger-car-based SUV. You get the look of a truck, but the driving comfort and on-road handling of a car. The interior is well designed and roomy. Even the front seats are raised a bit to give the passengers in the rear some extra toe room. You have a choice of front--or all-wheel drive. The latter actually does a pretty good job for light off-roading.

Prices begin well under $20,000. Options will cost thousands more.

Mazda Tribute | www.mazdacars.com

Mercedes-Benz C-Class | www.mercedescars.com

Mercedes-Benz has finally replaced the C-Class with a much more modern and refined sedan. There are no more four-cylinder versions. We now have the C240 and C320. Although the latter is named appropriately for its 3.2-liter V6, the C240 actually has a 2.6-liter V6. The C240 represents a pretty good value. Although the specifications say it has 47 fewer horses than the 215 of the C320, the car simply feels nearly as strong and lighter on its feet.

Beginning just above $30,000, the C-Class incorporates a host of safety and comfort features, including ESP stability control, Brake Assist, Tele Aid, and eight air bags.

Whether or not you liked the first Aurora could have little bearing on your feelings toward this all-new second-generation car. This is a different sort of beast: smaller and lighter. Yet there is more room inside for people. There are now two engine choices, a 215-horsepower V6 or a 250-horsepower V8. The less potent version is actually better balanced for improved handling. and except for the Magnasteer system, the Aurora's cornering ability is first-rate. Beginning around $31,000, Oldsmobile packs this car full of equipment, including leather, burl walnut trim, power driver's seat with memory, climate control system, and plenty of other accoutrements. You can push the price into the upper $30,000 range with the V8, BOSE audio system, and sunroof.

Oldsmobile Aurora | www.oldsmobilecars.com

Saab 9-5 Aero | www.saabcars.com

Perhaps affected by the stark winter landscape of central Sweden, Saab's heritage is fiercely minimalist. this may explain the corporate philosophy of building sensible and versatile vehicles. Saab engineers disdain the use of large, multicylinder engines: inefficient and superfluous. Beyond their austere outward appearance, you'll find Swedes do have a penchant for fun. The 9-5 Aero demonstrates a well-rounded approach. You can choose either a sedan or an exceptionally practical station, wagon, each a tad over $40,000.

Saab makes do with just four cylinders for economy and environmental sensitivity. But a turbocharger entices 230 horsepower from the2.3-liter power plant. The result is plenty of fun.

Why settle for just one power plant when you can have two? For the price of a common automobile (just over $20,000), the Prius is powered by both a traditional gasoline engine and an electric motor. The battery pack never needs to be plugged in: It's charged by the engine. This hybrid gas/electric car is exceptionally frugal and low in emissions. It will get around 50 miles per gallon of gasoline and, unlike the only other hybrid on market (Honda's two-seat Insight), holds four adults in reasonable comfort. The whole idea is that you have all the practical features and functions of a traditional small car, yet there's some amazing technology going on inside. You can see what is happening via a screen in the dashboard. It shows you where power is coming from and where it's going to.

Toyota Prius | www.toyotacars.com

Volvo 580 | www.volvocars.com

The S80 was the last all-new Volvo to be introduced before Ford bought the company. It is also the second Volvo to break away from the bland, blocky shapes of prior Volvos. The S80 departs from the corporate styling theme and, as we're seeing in upcoming models, it is starting a new one.

Prices vary from just under $37,000 to $41,000. the interior has reasonable room and some quirky ergonomics. There is notable improvement under the hood. rather than the odd five-cylinder engine of the 70 Series, the S8 has an in-line six. This is either a 2.9-liter version with a pleasant 201 horsepower or a smaller, but turbocharged 2.8-liter that pumps out 268 horsepower.

SUV's Continue To Gain Speed

After a record-setting 1999, manufacturers are gearing up for another great year. To sell off older and less beloved cars and trucks, they're using buying incentives. And while this may reduce their profits slightly, it keeps the factories humming, the workers employed, and gives purchasers a nice financial break.

Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) continue to replace cars, but there is a change in direction. Trucks are on the verge of outselling cars altogether. (They now make up about half of the market, up from less than half that 10 years ago.) But the newest trucks aren't really trucks at all. They're cars built to look like trucks. In other words, people still prefer the way cars drive. They just enjoy the extra size and roominess that come with SUVs. New models arriving this year include the Acura MDX, the Mazda Tribute, the Ford Escape, and the Chrysler PT Cruiser (shown at left). These are all classified as trucks, but underneath they look a lot like cars. With behemoth vehicles like the Ford Excursion faltering and clever ideas like the PT Cruiser flourishing, it seems that American consumers may just have more sense than some automotive marketers would suppose.

--Jay Koblenz