In the movie Scarface, explaining how things work in America, would-be drug kingpin Tony Montana explains, “You gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, you get the women.”
As car guys, we’ve never been especially good at getting women, but we do know a little bit about power, and it turns out, Tony was wrong about the money—at least when it comes to small crossovers. The fact is, you can tap a fair amount of power for a relatively modest amount of money in this class; you just have to know where to look.
For these decently tidy-size vehicles, premium power comes from one of two engine types: V6s, and turbocharged 4-cylinders. In each case below, the featured engine is the top dog in that model’s lineup, and available only on certain models.
Midsize Muscle: The 5 Most-Powerful Midsize Sedans
Jeep Cherokee: 271 Horsepower/239 pound-feet of torque
Engine: 3.2-liter V6
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Models availability: Lattitude, Limited, Trailhawk
Base price: $27,385 (Front-drive Lattitude)
Kia Sportage: 260 horsepower/269 pound-feet of torque
Engine: Turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Model Availability: SX
Base price: $28,995 (Front-drive)
Subaru Forester: 250 horsepower/259 pound-feet of torque
Engine: Turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT
Model Availability: 2.0XT
Base price: $29,345 (with standard AWD)
Ford Escape: 240 horsepower/270 pound-feet of torque
Engine: Turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Model Availability:SE, Titanium
Base price: $27,150 (front-drive SE)
Mitsubishi Outlander: 224 horsepower/215 pound-feet of torque
Engine: 3.0-liter V6
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Model Availability: GT
Base price: $29,045 (with standard AWD)
Check out Consumer Guide’s compact-crossover Best Buys
Most powerful small crossovers
