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At one time reaching 300 horsepower in any vehicle was left only to the most powerful sports cars and some trucks. This number was only achieved by using a huge gas guzzling V8 engine, but not anymore. This old way of achieving horsepower was great for the powerful vehicles, but when you wanted some fuel efficiency to go with that power there was no way you were going to get it.
With the advances made in technology, manufacturers have found some amazing ways to achieve greater horsepower from smaller engines with the use of better fuel injection systems, turbochargers and superchargers. They have also found, through the use of hybrid powertrains they can gain amazing torque and eventually horsepower by using electric motors, some of which are directly attached to one of the two axles. With that thought in mind, here are the Crossover SUVs to keep your eye on if you need a new off road vehicle with lots of power to get you out of tight places.
The CX-5 offers a very enjoyable 184 horsepower from the four-cylinder engine with the SKYACTIV-G technology. With a 2.5-liter displacement this small engine that produces good power is great for fuel mileage as well, giving us a 26 city/33 hwy mpg making the CX-5 one of the best SUV’s to buy for 2016 and number ten on this list.
Not too long ago you couldn’t get 240 horsepower from a four-cylinder engine; now you can. The MKC power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine and gives you a reasonable fuel mileage of 20 city/29 hwy mpg to enjoy. With this power from the small engine the MKC is quick and efficient and makes the ninth spot on our list.
As we enter the V6 engines the horsepower moves up and for the Crossover SUV class that is awesome. The RDX is powered by a 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6 engine that produces 279 horsepower and shows up with a fuel mileage of 20 city/29 hwy mpg which is fantastic for this larger engine and puts it squarely on the list in the eighth spot.
The Sorento shows up with our next V6 engine and a horsepower of 290 from the 3.3-liter GDI. This is one of the top selling SUVs from Kia with this amount of power, which reaches so class to that magical 300 mark. The only drawback here is the fuel mileage of 17 city/23 hwy mpg which is a bit on the low side, but is still reasonable for the power received.
The MDX edges out the Sorento for the sixth spot not because of horsepower, because that is the same, but for the fuel efficiency. The MDX offers 19 city/27 hwy mpg coming from the 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6 engine which gives excellent power for this size of vehicle.
The MKX is the first of our 300 horsepower models and makes the fifth spot on this list. With that amount of horsepower and a luxury model the MKX can be one of the favorites on and off the road when properly equipped. This strong horsepower shows up coming from the 3.7-liter V6 engine giving you everything you need.
Now this is a cool setup for some power. The Volvo team really outdid themselves to bring you an awesome vehicle to drive. The XC90 is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder Drive-E supercharged 316 horsepower engine. Yes, above 300 horsepower from a four-cylinder engine, amazing right? There’s more though, this power plant brings in 20 city/25 hwy mpg giving you a very enjoyable fuel mileage to go along with this great power which shows up in the fourth spot on this list.
Pushing past the 350 horsepower mark, the Ford Explorer shows up with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine and offers a fuel mileage of 16 city/22 hwy mpg. Yes, the fuel mileage is low, but with 365 horses galloping under the hood, the Explorer should continue to be one of the most popular SUVs on the road and makes it way to the third spot on this list.
Pushing well past the 300 horsepower mark, actually past the 500 horsepower line is the GL-Class from Mercedes-Benz. This SUV offers our first V8 engine which is a 5.5-liter twin turbocharged model that comes in with 550 horsepower, more than enough to handle the challenges of off road driving if that is where you choose to take this luxury model that comes in as the runner up.
In order to be higher on the horsepower scale than the GL-Class, we have to go with the Cayenne. This awesome SUV, which shows off as the 911 of SUVs is powered by a 4.8-liter twin turbocharged V8 engine pumping out 570 horsepower and giving you everything you could want in an SUV. Is a Porsche inside and out and carries the name well, coming in as the top of the horsepower Crossover SUV.
These ten SUVs certainly give you something to look at and think about. Not only do you see the top ten for horsepower, but you see a wide variety of price ranges from the ultra-luxury down to your mainstream models. As these roll out to dealers this fall, you will be able to find a great, powerful SUV in your price range, and with a variety of power choices that give you the most bang for your buck.
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