If you missed New For 2001: SUV And Truck Edition, Volume One, you missed commentary on the Acura MDX, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Sequoia and Pontiac Aztek. But being the nice guy that I am, I’ll give you a second chance to read it, simply by clicking here.

2000 vehicles are already becoming a thing of the past, making way for the 2001s. This is great news for those of you looking to buy a vehicle that’s brand new to the market: your chance to own a first edition.

Acura, Pontiac, Mazda and Buick -- among others -- have all decided to get into the SUV action in 2001. And if you aren’t a big fan of SUVs, prepare yourself for some disappointment. 2002 will bring even more new SUVs to the market. Hybrids, like the all-new Ford Explorer Sport Trac, also are growing in popularity. Here is the second batch of featured SUVs that have been, or soon will be, released.

Ford Explorer Sport Trac

Why choose between a truck and an SUV, when you can have the best of both worlds? The Sport Trac offers the comfort of an Explorer, with the conveniences of a Ranger. Well, not quite. The short bed isn’t as versatile as a standard truck bed, but the optional cargo cage does provide an additional 22.6 inches of cargo space.

The Sport Trac has comfortable seating for five and four doors for easy passenger entry. And Ford offers plenty of options and packages to fit your needs. Sport Trac’s 4.0-liter V-6 produces 205-horsepower for decent pick-up-and-go power. A five-speed manual transmission comes standard in all Sport Tracs, and automatic transmission will add about $1,100 to the base MSRP of around $22,000.

Ford Escape

Is it time for an Escape? Ford thinks so. This year, instead of trying to outdo the size of the Excursion, Ford has scaled it down a bit. The Escape is replacing the Explorer as the baby of the Ford SUV lineup.

Much like the new Sport Trac, the Escape has room for up to five and quite a bit of cargo space with the rear seatbacks down: 63.3 cubic feet, to be exact. Escape’s standard features include a roof rack, air conditioning and a 130-horsepower four-cylinder engine, with manual transmission. The four-cylinder can be upgraded to a 200-horsepower V-6, which is probably worth the extra cash. The Escape is already on the market, selling for a base MSRP of around $18,000.

Buick Rendezvous

If you’ve ever wanted to be like Tiger Woods, but constantly are haunted by a wicked slice and misguided putts, why not drive the same vehicle as he does? The first Rendezvous to come off the production line will be handed over to Woods. Good thing too, because he probably wouldn’t be able to afford one!

But will the 185-horsepower V-6 be enough to equal Tiger’s powerful drives? No, but it’ll pack enough punch for the average consumer. Much like the Lexus RS300 and the new Toyota Highlander, it has car-like handling, the luxury of a sedan and traits of a mid-size SUV. If you’re interested in the Rendezvous, though, you’ll have to be patient. The release date and official pricing has not been revealed yet.

GMC Sierra C-3

OK, so you could contend that the new C-3 is just a new Sierra trim level -- a valid argument. But it does have some really cool features; therefore, I couldn’t leave it out.

GMC boasts that the C-3 will change the definition of a full-size pickup, and they might be right. First and foremost, the C-3 is the only full-size pickup with a full-time, all- wheel drive system. But its new features don’t end there. Its 6.0-liter V-8 produces a forceful 325 horsepower and 370 pounds per foot of torque. It also offers a high capacity suspension system, Dynamic Brake Proportioning System and Onstar communication system. What a machine! Prices for the C-3 haven’t been released yet, but it will be available this fall.

Mazda Tribute

Read the Ford Escape specs above, and there is really no need to read this Tribute text. These vehicles are so similar it’s uncanny. The engine in the lowest trim level is a 130-horsepower four-cylinder, and the other engine offered is a 200-horsepower V-6. Sound familiar? And the exterior designs of the Escape and the Tribute are almost identical, as well. The MSRP is between $17,500 and $25,800. Ford or Mazda? It’s your choice.