A perennial favorite, the Honda Civic, is as good as ever. We love the 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. We also love almost everything about the Ford Focus, but were reluctant to rank it a Best Buy because it was new from the ground up. After a year of living with a ZTS model, we can say that the reliability is good. Focus ranks a notch below Civic in some areas but costs less.

Topping the crowded Recommended list are the 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 no-frills Toyota Echo, the sporty Nissan Sentra, and the roomy Mazda Protege.

Despite negative publicity surrounding several early recalls, Ford's latest "world car" racked up a strong 342,000-plus sales from its late-1999 debut through the end of 2000. The pace has since cooled a bit, with year-to-year orders in 2001 off 10.9 percent through the third quarter, but only the Honda Civic does better business in the U.S. subcompact market.

Ford is readying a redesigned Focus for 2005, with a new "P1" platform that will also underpin the next-generation Mazda Protege and Volvo 40-Series. Ford hopes to cut costs by using this one platform for three high-volume models with combined worldwide sales of well over 1 million a year.

Insiders say the Focus redesign will usher in a much stronger inner structure, upgraded interiors, and sleeker yet more mature styling, though still of the curves-with-angles "New Edge" school. Sedans, hatchbacks and wagons will continue, joined by a high-body "multiactivity" four-door wagon with three-row seating. P1 will also spawn a small 2-door Volvo coupe and perhaps a Ford-badged version to replace the aging ZX2 as well as the slow-selling Mercury Cougar. V6 power is possible for sportier P1 models regardless of nameplate. The mainstream 4-cyl. will reportedly gain power and efficiency from a new direct-injection system that squirts fuel right into the cylinders instead of delivering it from a central "rail." All-wheel drive is said to be in the works for Volvo models, but could also find its way into a new high-performance Focus. Other whispered improvements include a switch from hydraulic to electric power steering and a more sophisticated rear suspension.