Small SUVs four contenders in this test group can't challenge the category's top performers.(SECOND STRING)(sports utility vehicles, )(Product/service evaluation)

Not one vehicle stands out in this month's group of four small SUVs. The offerings from Ford, Jeep, Kia, and Saturn don't come close to dethroning the best vehicles in the category: the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Forester, and Toyota RAV4.

Offerings in the small SUV segment have expanded greatly in the past several years as those vehicles have become an alternative to station wagons and family sedans. They typically come with all-wheel drive, have roomy interiors, and offer cargo versatility. Most now have standard stability control and many have three rows of seats. Small SUVs can also handle some light off-road duties and light towing, and they get significantly better fuel economy than larger SUVs.

The best two vehicles in this test group, the Kia Sportage and the redesigned Saturn Vue, fall only midpack in our Ratings.The Kia offers a lot for its price, and features a V6 engine at the cost of some four-cylinder models. It is well rounded, but unexciting. Redesigned for 2008, the Vue highlights General Motors' global resources: It is of Korean design, fine-tuned by GM's European Opel division, features an American powertrain, and is built in Mexico.The redesigned Vue is pleasant to drive and has standard stability control but still has several strikes against it.The Sportage and Vue got the lowest fuel economy in the group.

We also tested the freshened Ford Escape and the new Jeep Patriot, both of which rank at the bottom of our small SUV Ratings. Big news for the Escape is the welcomed addition of standard electronic stability control on all non-hybrid models. However, the Ford demonstrated exceedingly long braking distances in our tests.The Escape's test also applies to the nearly identical Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute.

We were also disappointed by the Patriot, which looks like the old Jeep Cherokee but proved to be slow, noisy, and crude. Our "Trail Rated" Patriot made it up our rock hill and through our off-road course, but not without a struggle.

Prices for the vehicles in this group range from $22,290 for the Kia Sportage to $27,970 for the Saturn Vue. Of the four vehicles, the Sportage is recommended.The Vue is too new for us to have reliability data.The Escape and Patriot scored too low in our testing to be recommended.

Some new small SUVs are hitting the market and we will be testing them soon: