Article: 2002 Honda CR-V is roomy, family-friendly and well designed.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Cute ute. Soft-roader. Mall hauler.

There's always been an edge of snideness in descriptions of compact sport-utilities like the Honda CR-V.

The implication is that these truckettes, built on the bones of passenger cars, are somehow, well, unmanly. Unfit for the rigors of field, stream or local NRA meeting.

But the occasional snicker hasn't stopped the masses _ women and men _ from flocking to the CR-V, Toyota RAV 4 and their car-based kin. Even the hardy truck designers of Ford, who probably sleep in lumberjack flannel, have gotten on board with the Escape.

Most of today's sport-ute buyers want to hear about ride, room and amenities ...

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