Trucks (along with minivans and sport utility vehicles) now account for more new vehicle sales than passenger cars. But when it comes to annual awards, they definitely remain second fiddle.

What used to be called the Big Three, and especially their full-size pickups, have dominated the North American Truck of the Year awards. The bestselling Ford F-150 won in 1996 and 2004. The Dodge Ram won in 1994, and Chevrolet’s Silverado won in 1999. Import SUVs have done OK, too, as the Mercedes-Benz ML 320 (1998), the Nissan Xterra (2000) and the Volvo XC90 (2003) took this award.

This year’s list of eligible candidates reflects how the definition of what we call a “truck” continues to expand. It includes small (Hyundai Tucson), medium (Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder), large (Infiniti QX56) and fancy (Land Rover LR3) SUVs. There are three new midsize trucks – the Dodge Dakota, Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma.

Ford’s massive F-Series Super Duty pickup also is a candidate.

From that list, I was most impressed by the new Land Rover and the Tacoma truck that is built in Fremont, Calif.

But the two vehicles I found most intriguing came from Ford.

The Freestyle is Ford’s serious attempt at capturing the crossover utility market that is now dominated by the likes of Toyota and Honda. This is not a groundbreaking vehicle, but it has good packaging and is a smart value.

It seats seven and comes with all-wheel drive. The 3.0-liter Duratec V-6 is proven, but the continuously variable transmission is innovative and helps the vehicle get decent fuel economy (20 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway in front-wheel-drive configuration). Prices start at $25,595.

My top pick is another Ford SUV, the Escape Hybrid. Its blend of two seemingly disparate trends – the continuing thirst for sport utility vehicles and the increasing awareness of hybrids with their fuel-stingy gas-electric powertrains – sounds unreal. Like something out of a Hollywood movie. And, ironically, Ford chose the studio where “The Wizard of Oz” was filmed for the vehicle’s press launch.

The Escape is a full hybrid, which means it can move using just its electric motors and battery, which is a very good thing. Prices start at $26,970.

On the down side, waiting lists exist, production is limited and some dealers are adding markups. On the up side, its 36 mpg in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway are tops among all SUVs, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.