Ford Excursion Limited, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Prius

  • PRICE: $42,350

  • ENGINE: 6.8-liter V10, 310 hp, 425 lb-ftt

  • CURB WEIGHT: 7190 lbs

  • DRIVETRAIN: 4wd, four-speed automatic

    It must be written somewhere in the law books that left lanes be built wider than other lanes. How else do you explain why you'll never see an Excursion anywhere else? The reason must have something to do with the vehicle's sheer girth; it's certainly not because the drivers of these urban tanks go any faster than the rest of us. Not that they could if they wanted to. With 425 lb-ft of torque on hand at just 3250 revs, you'd think the Excursion would move out, and it does. Sort of. Just remember that that 425 lb-ft also has to get a three-and-a-half-ton behemoth rolling, not easy to do under any circumstances. Now hitch a 10,000-pound horse trailer to the rear and see how quickly you make it through the chicanes.

  • PRICE: $13,860

  • ENGINE: 2.0-liter I4, 140 hp, 133 lb-ft

  • CURB WEIGHT: 2635 lbs

  • DRIVETRAIN: fwd, four-speed automatic
  • Hyundai ELANTRA

    It's not that the Elantra is that slow. Granted, it's not exactly the fastest thing on four wheels, with its little four audibly (and palpably) working hard to keep up enough revs to maintain forward motion. More than that, though, the Elantra is a car everyone around you thinks is slow. After all, it's no Tiburon. Both cars use the same 2.0-liter dual-cam engine and the same transmission, but the Elantra screams econocar where the Tiburon-with its swoopy lines, hatchback design and two-door configuration-at least makes an attempt at looking speedy. The Elantra makes for a perfect rush-hour commuter, especially in automatic form.

  • PRICE: $20,855

  • ENGINE: 1.5-liter I4, 70 hp, 82 lb-ft; 25-kW electric motor, 34 hp, 258 lb-ft

  • CURB WEIGHT: 2765 lbs

  • Toyota PRIUS

    Zero to 60 in under 12 seconds and the quarter-mile at 76.6 mph. With those numbers you can be sure the NHRA isn't holding its breath for a Prius Pro Stock entrant. Toyota didn't design the Prius to be a smoker off the line-or a vehicle for smokers-but an environmentally friendly, fuel-sipping green machine "so conscious of air quality that it will not feature an ashtray." All that tech-continuously variable transmission, electric motor, regenerative brakes, hydrocarbon absorber, etc.-also makes the Prius a much better vehicle for touring the 25-mph sites of our super land than it is suited to the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega.

    Then there's the E. Sometimes one is forced to take the scenic route. It's a slower, less white-knuckled ride, perfect for the car that will never know what three digits feels like. Other times those sedate empty byways beg for more action, more excitement, more style and grace. That's where the E430 steps in, with its 275 horses, thrilling rear-drive setup, sparkling silver and chrome dress coat and three-pointed star. Of course, you don't have to use all those ponies. There's something to be said for sniffing roses. But open the E up and Mayberry won't know what hit it.

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