As a very interesting vehicle, the Macan leaves some with questions as to what it might be and others thinking they know. The Macan is a compact SUV that is small enough to be put into categories with hatchback cars, but also adds a performance and luxury that really makes it confusing. Whether this was the aim of Porsche or just an accident the Macan is a stylish and highly engineered compact SUV that has a lot of luxury features and feel to offer anyone who chooses this as their next automotive purchase.

As the smaller sibling to the Cayenne the Macan offers an opportunity for Porsche lovers who want a smaller vehicle to head into the woods and take of some light trails while hauling a load and looking great doing it. There are no new features to report for the Macan because the entire vehicle is all new ready to roll of the line to show off in ways that give the feeling of a beefed up Porsche 911.

Driving the Macan gives the expected feeling of any Porsche, precision, aggression and performance while delivery a comfort and luxury very few automakers can offer. The vehicle is fitted with one of the most finely tuned suspension on the planet called the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system that allows the vehicle to take on any road defect with ease and handle light off road duties with control and precision. Add to this the steering that is ultra-responsive to any and all inputs from the driver that allows this SUV to outperform many cars in turns and corners. The towing capacity of this luxury compact SUV is likely the best in the class at 5,291 in the Turbo model. Along with all this under the cabin performance comes one of the quietest cabins on the planet allowing occupants to truly enjoy their music choices instead of being bothered with the road noises outside.

Under the hood on either model of the Macan is found a very powerful V6 engine. The base S model shows up with a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine that has 340 horsepower and 339 lb.-ft. of torque to give great power to any owner. This engine is married up with the seven-speed PDK double-clutch automatic transmission allowing a fuel efficiency of 17 city/23 hwy mpg to be enjoyed.

For the Macan Turbo, the engine is a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 offering up massive power at 400 horsepower and 406 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine is the real jewel of the pair offering a zero to sixty time that comes in under five seconds. When matched with the same transmission as the S model the fuel efficiency comes in at 17 city/23 hwy mpg, nicely the same as the smaller engine. The Turbo version has a “Sport” button that increases the shift points and redlines of the engine allowing for much more speed and power to be enjoyed by the driver.

Anyone in search of a luxury laden interior can stop at the Macan and know they have gotten what they were looking for. With two distinctly different models, Porsche adorned them with two different interiors. The S model shows off with piano-black trim and Alcantra seats while the Turbo offers leather upholstery and brushed aluminum trim to offer a pampered feeling to any occupant. The dashboard is full of large gauges to keep the driver informed of what is going on under the hood and the steering wheel is a multifunction masterpiece that reminds the occupants they are driving a Porsche. The 17.7 cubic foot rear cargo space can be expanded to 53 cubic feet or adjusted to a multitude of configurations with the 40/20/40 split folding second row of seats.

With an aggressive looking front end that has a wide mouth grill and a pair of top placed headlights the Macan is handsome and menacing at the same time. The lines are long and low giving a feeling of a sports car in an SUV body and the curves lead to a very nicely angles rear hatch. The Macan is adorned with great exterior features such as fog lights that are integrated below the air intakes and a full set of spoked 19-inch wheels that seem to disappear when in motion as well as a beautiful set of twin tailpipes that give a feeling of power and speed.

The standard features offered for the Macan include bi-xenon headlights, a multifunction steering wheel with paddle shifters, dual-zone climate control, an automatic rear liftgate, eight-way power adjustable seats for the S model and 18-way adjustable seats for the Turbo model, a 14-speaker Bose audio system, brushed-aluminum trim and the PASM system. All of this would be enough if not more than enough for most owners, but Porsche offers a long list of optional features on the Macan as well.

The optional features offered for the Macan include a 16-speaker Burmester High-End Surround Sound audio system, a panoramic roof, adaptive cruise control, the 360-degree Surround View camera system, a full team of advanced safety features to keep all occupants safe and give the driver the most information possible, cross-drilled ceramic-composite brakes, 21-inch wheels, electronic cornering optimization and the integrated stopwatch and g-force display when the Sport Chrono Package is chosen. When adding all these awesome features to the Macan, every drive can be a different adventure and use a variety of equipment to measure the performance of that particular adventure.

As a much dialed down version the Macan S model starts out with a price around $51,000 while the Turbo model comes in with a starting price around $73,300. Adding any or all of the optional features will greatly increase the price of either model, but when buying a Porsche that is high on performance, power, towing capacity and awesome looks the price may become quickly inconsequential to shoppers who can afford this awesome compact SUV.