Truck, truck, goose; Loads of sport/ute debuts (and a few cars) at the New York show.(Brief Article)

Once you make your way past the bevy of trusty sport/utility vehicles debuting at the New York auto show, there are some ``autos'' worth seeing when the show is open to the public March 29 through April 7 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

SUVs, especially smaller ones aiming for the new ``sports tourer'' segment, are big in the market as automakers continue to look for the sweet spot between do-everything-haul-it-all SUVs and the more driver-oriented packaging of sedans.

Leading the charge is the Nissan Murano (below), a small SUV built on the same front-wheel-drive platform as the 2002 Altima, the North American Car of the Year. The 2003 Murano also comes with all-wheel drive and the same 240-hp 3.5-liter V6 used in the Altima and Maxima. A continuously variable transmission will be an option when Murano goes on sale this fall.

Not to be left behind in the SUV sweepstakes, Mitsubishi debuts the 2003 Outlander, an entry-level compact crossover due later this summer. Based on the Lancer chassis, the Outlander gets a bigger, 140-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, front-wheel or all-wheel drive and a price starting at less than $19,000.

The biggest entry, relatively speaking, is the midsize 2003 Aviator-a Lincoln-ized Ford Explorer, which itself was fresh for 2002. Aviator adds Lincoln luxury as well as a 300-hp, four-valve-per-cylinder 4.6-liter V8 (compared to 240 hp for Explorer) and a number of chassis refinements. Aviator arrives this summer.

At the extreme end of the range, look for the preproduction debut of Honda's Model X, now called Element. Element continues the Model X concept's B-pillarless design with four ``swing wide'' side doors. Based on the compact platform underpinning the CRV, Element gets CRV's 160-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder, a four- or five-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Element arrives by year-end, starting at $16,000.

Finally, shining light into that ...