Not easy being green.(Sport utility vehicles are the more effeicient)(Product/Service Evaluation)

SMALL SUVs * FIVE TRUCKS TRY TO BEAT THE BIG BOYS IN FUEL EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY.

Three years ago, it would cost the average driver about $20 a week to power a midsized SUV like the Ford Explorer. Today, it costs about $31.

Consumers are noticing that higher gasoline prices are not an anomaly, but a new reality. Sales of large SUVs have plummeted 20 percent, and midsized SUV sales have been flat from a year ago, according to our analysis of data from Ward's Automotive Reports, which tracks vehicle sales. However, sales for smaller, more fuel-efficient SUVs have risen 10 percent in the same period.

The best small SUVs get about 21 mpg overall. The five we tested here get between 18 mpg and 26 mpg--much better than the 13 to 16 mpg that many midsized SUVs manage.

While they're called small SUVs, each easily seats five and has at least adequate cargo space. All offer all-wheel drive, or with the truck-based Xterra and Liberty, more rugged four-wheel drive with low-range gearing.

The Ford Escape Hybrid and Jeep Liberty Diesel are at the high end of the group at around $31,000, and their unique powertrains price them at several thousands higher than their conventional versions. The Hyundai Tucson and Honda CR-V EX are about $22,000 and $24,000, respectively.

The Honda CR-V, which gets 21 mpg overall, easily topped this group and finished just behind the Subaru Forester, our top-rated small SUV, which also gets 21 mpg. For 2005, the CR-V received a five-speed automatic transmission and an extensive safety package that includes standard ABS, electronic stability control (ESC), and side-curtain air bags.