We review the Porsche Macan from price to economy and all its features

THE Porsche Macan really is a bit of a fraud - it's meant to be an SUV but drives more like one of the firm's legendary 911s.

It looks like a cross between a compact SUV and beautifully sculpted coupé but feels far racier.

Defying physics ... Porsche Macan SUV

Porsche's Cayenne SUV got close to sports car performance, but its size and bulk meant that the car never quite handled like one.

But the Macan does.

At just 4.6m long, it loses the bulk of the Cayenne and has enough power to deliver the pace, agility and handling drama that you expect from a Porsche sports car.

Push the motor to its considerable limits on Porsche's race circuit and the Macan consistently defies the laws of physics, to take it beyond the boundaries of any other SUV.

This beauty gets close enough to sports car handling for any normal driver to be deeply impressed and fully entertained.

Macan consistently defies the laws of physics, to take it beyond the boundaries of any other SUV

The figures for the 3.6litre 400bhp turbo tell you everything about the Macan's performance - 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds, a top speed of 165mph and even reasonable fuel economy at 31mpg.

Its blistering acceleration is heightened by ultra-fast gear changes thanks to the seven-speed gearbox. An auto lever reads the road ahead and changes gear automatically.

But should you prefer, you can also change gear manually, by using the lever or by paddle shifts on the steering wheel.

Yet it's the Macan's sheer precision steering - which allows it to handle with the agility of a sports car but comfort of an executive motor - that makes it special.

The entry-level 3litre petrol Macan is rapid - 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds.

And even the 3litre turbo-diesel is no slouch, capable of 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds and a top speed of 143mph but with the bonus of 46mpg fuel economy.

Both models sound like a sports car, with a glorious rasping tone from both the V6 petrol engines - while the 3litre turbo-diesel has a low, throaty sound that makes it sound nothing like a diesel.

All the luxury and comfort that you would expect from an executive car

The Macan also has the cockpit of a sports car. You sit low down, surrounded by a beautifully laid out sloping centre console and the same racy three-spoke steering wheel as Porsche's new 918 Spyder supercar, which costs £715,000.

The driver and front-seat passenger sit 7cm lower than in a Cayenne, while the rear-seat passengers are 10cm lower, accentuating the sports car feel of the Macan.

But unlike any sports car, it has room for four adults and useful boot space of 500 litres that increases to 1,500 with the split rear seats folded flat.

It also has all the luxury and comfort that you would expect from an executive car.

And the final joy is that the all-wheeldrive Macan is a more than competent off-roader, making it a totally practical car for any conditions.

I can see it appealing to women buyers as well as men, but it is going to attract any driver who likes speed, style and a degree of practicality that no other sports car or SUV can offer.

Porsche has invested half a billion euros to build the model at its Leipzig factory.

But there are already 50,000 first-year orders on the books, which confirms the Macan as a winner before it has even hit showrooms.

And that's despite the fact prices start at £43,300 for the Macan S and rise to £59,300 for the Turbo when they go on sale in April.

Very expensive - but this is an exceptional SUV.

Speed, style, practicality