Crossover SUVs drive like a car but play like a truck.

No wonder their popularity is soaring.

We combed through 2008's growing number of crossover sport utility vehicles to find four standouts. The Mazda CX-7 and Nissan Murano offer unsurpassed sportiness. The Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander provide exceptional utility.

Crossovers borrow most of their structural and mechanical components from cars, not trucks. That's why they're lighter and more nimble than traditional truck-based SUVs, get better gas mileage and have front-wheel rather than rear-wheel drive.

All offer a sophisticated level of standard equipment, which means our favorites have power everything and lots of safety features, including traction and stability control, anti-lock brakes and lots of airbags to protect passengers in side-impact and rollover accidents.

Honda Pilot

Although a totally redesigned Pilot is coming for 2009 there are still plenty of reasons to praise the current model for its exceptional flexibility.

It can carry five adults and three kids with the second and third row seats up, or an amazing amount of stuff with the seats folded flat.

The cabin is a model of good ergonomics, quality materials and easy-to-use controls (although a bit dated compared to newer crossovers on the market).

The Pilot feels a bit heavy in corners, but it's not too big or unwieldy to drive. A 244-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and 5-speed automatic transmission gets you going and towing up to 4,500 pounds.

Yet you'll get an acceptable 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 on the highway with front-wheel drive and 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway with all-wheel drive.

For 2008, Honda gives you four versions to choose from, starting with the new Value Package and topping out with the gotta-have-it-all EX-L.

Honda does such a good job of equipping its vehicles, we recommend a Pilot VP with all-wheel drive for $28,995 including delivery charges.

Far from being a bottom-rung entry, the VP models include such standard excellences as a rear spoiler, alloy wheels, XM satellite radio, and a 7-speaker audio system with a 6-disc in-dash CD changer.

Toyota Highlander

All new for 2008, the Highlander offers more room, more power and more quietude than the model it replaces, in a bigger overall package -- making it a model of utility.

Looking tough, like a truck-based SUV, the Highlander borrows most of its structural and mechanical components from the midsize Camry sedan, which ensures a comfortable, very carlike ride.

All three Highlander trim levels -- Base, Sport and Limited -- are generously equipped and enjoy the strong, smooth acceleration of a new 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and 5-speed automatic transmission.

This engine also has a fuel-sipping story to tell, delivering an impressive 18 mpg city, 24 highway with front-wheel drive and 17 mpg city, 23 mpg highway with all-wheel drive.

The first two rows of seating in the Highlander are basketball-player friendly, while the standard third-row seat is habitable, if not quite adult-sized. The interior also boasts a clean, appealing design, quality materials and even more storage room than the Pilot when the rear seats are folded down.

For maximum utility, we suggest an all-wheel-drive Sport model ($32,085) outfitted with the Towing Prep Package ($575), boosting the 7-passenger Highlander's towing capacity to 5,000 pounds and its total price to $32,660.

The Sport also gives you 19-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, loads of upscale accents inside and out, a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, a 3.5-inch information display screen, and leather on the steering wheel and shift knob.

Mazda CX-7

If you're after a midsize crossover that's more fun than practical, you've got to consider the CX-7.

Although it projects a solid SUV spirit, with two roomy rows of seating for five, the CX-7 has less than half the cargo capacity of the Pilot and Highlander. Its sleek European-inspired exterior, 18-inch alloy wheels, dual stainless-steel exhaust tips, and edgy-yet-functional interior give away the CX-7's true calling.

Even the CX-7's 2.3-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission are tuned for sport. Turbo "lag" keeps the 244-h.p. Mazda from rocketing off the line, but once the engine spools up, the SUV turns into a sports car.

Handling and braking, too, are so decidedly impressive as to be uncharacteristic for an SUV.

As for fuel economy, the CX-7 gets 17 mpg city, 24 highway with front-wheel drive and 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway with all-wheel-driver -- kind of blah for this class.

For 2008, Mazda offers three CX-7 models: Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. We recommend the elegance of the front-wheel-drive Touring model that costs $26,135 and includes leather upholstery, an 8-way power seat for the driver with lumbar support, and heated front seats.

Nissan Murano

Just as the Honda Pilot is the classic utility player in midsize crossovers, the 5-passenger Nissan Murano has become the venerable standard for midsize crossover style and performance.

Based on the impressive underpinnings of the Nissan Altima, the redesigned 2009 Murano arrived this past winter. It comes in three trim levels -- S, SL and LE -- with front- and all-wheel-drive, and a 3.5-liter V6, now producing 265 h.p.

Combined with a smooth-as-silk continuously variable automatic transmission -- no gears, just seamless acceleration -- the engine delivers top-drawer fuel economy, posting 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

True to its high-spirited nature, the 2009 Murano stands near the top of its class in acceleration, cornering agility, ride comfort, and braking.

It has also taken a step up in terms of interior refinement. You could easily mistake the Murano cabin for that of one of the Japanese luxury makes, with its nicely contoured (and roomy as Texas) front and rear seats, pushbutton ignition, and 6-speaker, 6-CD, MP3/WMA-capable audio system.

About the only thing that could be interpreted as a shortcoming is the limited cargo capacity -- one-third as much as the Highlander.

We say that if you're going for a Murano, really go for it: Get the all-wheel-drive LE model that costs around $35,900.

Yes, that's way more than our other favorites. But you'll be treating yourself to sumptuous leather seating -- heated front and rear -- a genuine iPod interface, 20-inch wheels, and just about anything else you can dream of.

By Richard Homan

Interest.com Contributing Editor

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