more ground clearance than a sedan, a sport-utility vehicle inevitably

has a high center of gravity.

A high center of gravity is not your ally when it comes to quick avoidance

maneuvers, something many sport-utility drivers seem to forget. The word

sport in this application has to do with something other than handling;

by their very nature, sport-utility vehicles--all sport-utility vehicles--are

going to feel tippier than passenger cars.

And because they tend to be much heavier than passenger cars, they offer

more resistance to changes in direction. We're talking about physical laws

here: if you try to herd a sport-utility vehicle through a set of slalom

cones at the same speed as, say, a BMW sedan, you're much more likely to

encounter unhappy consequences.

The Trooper and SLX aren't as handy in double lane change maneuvers

as some sport-utes, but they are thoroughly predictable and also stable

at higher speeds. If you see videos of someone getting a Trooper--or any

other sport-utility--up onto two wheels it's because that person has challenged

the laws of physics and exceeded the laws of common sense.

While the Trooper and SLX aren't slalom champs, they do have exceptionally

precise steering, and very good brake feel. And their ride quality scores

as better than average, thanks to suspension components tuned more for

all-around driving comfort than heavy-duty off-road use.

Engine performance, as noted, is so-so, but good gearing gives the Trooper

decent stoplight getaway and at freeway speeds the 3.2-liter V6 is smooth

and quiet.

In low-speed off-road crawling, there's enough power to get the job

done, and the 4WD system does a good job of clawing through gooey going.

The relatively soft suspension tuning isn't the ideal setup for tough off-road

conditions, but there's sufficient ground clearance--8.5 inches--to handle

the dirty driving most owners are likely to take on.

Our only criticism of the Trooper's drivetrain in this regard is the

absence of a full-time 4WD system, which is fairly common among its competitors.