Every once in a while, a mainstream automaker turns out an unexpected sleeper, an under-the-radar vehicle with the power to dispatch flashier rides pulling away from a stoplight. Sleepers come in many forms, but few offer better cover than compact crossovers. The 2006?2012 Toyota RAV4 with the optional 268-hp V-6 engine was a good example, as were the stick-shift, turbocharged Subaru Forester XT and Kia?s previous-generation Sportage SX with its 260-hp turbo four. Toyota?s fire-breathing RAV4 was extinguished in 2012 and the Forester is now stuck with a CVT, but Kia?s hot turbocharged SX trim level is back and in form following the Sportage?s redesign for 2017, and for the first time we?ve tested it without the optional all-wheel drive. READ MORE ??
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