If you don't want a brute, try a mini-ute

By RICHARD WILLIAMSON

Scripps Howard News Service

If you want all-wheel-drive but you don't want to drive a brute, you might prefer a mini-ute.

In the food chain of sport utility vehicles, mini-utes are cute little bobcats next to a king of beasts like the Ford Excursion.

While you are unlikely to strike fear in the hearts of your fellow motorists, you will weather just about any storm in the mini-ute and ride in relative comfort. You also get the fashionable sport utility vehicle body that expresses your rugged individuality.

Few mini-utes are really designed for off-road duty, despite appearances. Most ride on the chassis of popular passenger cars, which is why they are known in the industry as hybrids.

Automotive experts expect hybrids to be the fastest growing segment of the industry in the next few years. Though sales of standard-sized SUVs like the Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Blazer and Jeep Grand Cherokee have soared, rising prices have left some buyers behind.

New entrants are on the way, but here is how I rank the current top five 2000 contenders:

Chevrolet Tracker

($13,000 to $16,000)

Sold in two-door or four-door versions, the Tracker also can be equipped with 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive.

While the four-door version really fits the description of our mini-ute contestants, the two-door model is more of a fun little runabout that matches up better with the Jeep Wrangler.

In its four-door form, the Tracker is roomy enough for a small family and rugged enough for real off-road duty. Unlike the hybrids, Tracker and its Suzuki Vitara platform mate really were built to endure unpaved torture.

To put the Tracker in 4-wheel drive, you shift a lever and can put it in 4-low for really tough conditions. Being able to choose the drive wheels is a plus if you really plan to go off-road.

The four-door tracker is powered by a 121-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine that is fairly impressive, especially when linked to a 5- speed stick. Though the interior is short on frills, comfort isn't a problem.

Toyota RAV4

($15,000 to $23,000)

Built on the Corolla platform, the RAV4 features a cunning design and an all-wheel-drive system that performs well in slick conditions. With a 127-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine, the RAV is six horses stronger than the Tracker. A short wheelbase of 94.9 inches means the RAV tends to jump on bumps while cornering quickly. Noise often intrudes into the passenger compartment.

But as a hybrid, the RAV is designed to stay on the road. At the upper end of the price spectrum, the RAV4 is intruding on the turf of some larger competitors such as the Jeep Cherokee.

Honda CR-V

($18,000 to $21,000)

Like the RAV4, the CR-V is a hybrid, built on a Civic platform. The CR-V has always offered better ride and handling than the RAV, with a 103.2-inch wheelbase. But now the Honda has a lot more power than the RAV. When the original 4-cylinder engine failed to impress the public, Honda boosted the power to 146 horses, which makes the powerplant as strong as a lot of V6s.

Steering of the CR-V feels somewhat numb, and road noise intrudes. But the interior design is comfortable, with instruments and gauges well placed for easy driver control.

Subaru Forester

($19,000 to $24,000)

Frankly, I don't know how Subaru does it. Its horizontally opposed 4-cylinder engine is so brisk and strong that most V6s can't keep up with it. The minute I get behind the wheel of an all-wheel-drive vehicle, I know I am in for some really torpid acceleration. Not so with the Forester. This thing really scoots off the starting line and is a joy to drive. With 165 horses, the Forester is the strongest of the mini-utes.

You have to wonder why it took Subaru so long to develop a vehicle like this. As a company that makes its living off "the beauty of all- wheel-drive,"

The Forester is in reality a hybrid, riding on an Impreza platform with a 99.4-inch wheelbase.

Suzuki Grand Vitara

($17,999-$19,999)

When Suzuki replaced its four-door Sidekick with the Grand Vitara, the Japanese automaker made some major changes. The styling of the GV is probably the best in the mini-ute class, and it is the only member of the group to offer a V6 engine as standard equipment. The 2.5 liter, double overhead-cam engine outperforms the Honda CR-V's, and you get a lot more vehicle for the money.

Copyright 1999
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