ONLY Porsche would use a race track to demonstrate a 4x4.

Yet when that 4x4 is flagged as the sports car among SUVs it's probably appropriate.

Porsche says that its new Macan has been benchmarked against the legendary 911 and there is no doubt that this is a 4x4 with attitude.

The Macan - it's pronounced Macahn and is the Indonesian word for tiger - packs plenty of firepower and is set up to perform.

It will compete against the likes of the Audi Q5, the Range Rover Evoque and the BMW X3 - premium models where the name says it all.

Porsche has already confounded critics by proving it can mix it in the luxury 4x4 league with its bigger Cayenne and the move into the compact SUV zone is a natural progression.

Nevertheless the Macan is not only serious kit but also serious money.

Prices for both the Macan S and Macan S Diesel start at £43,300 and the mighty Macan Turbo is £59,300 which for a car of this size is top dollar, even before extras.

With options galore the cars we sampled came in at £63,660 for the diesel, £57,355 for the petrol-powered Macan S and £69,973 for the turbo - and that is in Range Rover Sport territory.

However, the additional equipment such as air suspension and torque vectoring control are special to Porsche in this class of SUV and give the Macan peerless characteristics.

Wider rear tyres - it sits on 255/55 rubber at the back and 235/60 at the front - are a feature right out of the sports car world and allied to automatic four-wheel-drive give the Macan masses of grip.

The balance is smack on and there is respectable weight to the steering which aids precision.

Factor in quick-fire gear changes from Porsche's seven speed PDK dual clutch auto box combined with multi-mode power and suspension settings and the driving experience is out of the top drawer.

Through corners the Macan is absolutely flat yet even on our bumpy roads the ride is completely accommodating and in no way harsh.

The diesel is a three-litre V6 developing 258bhp, the Macan S uses a twin turbo of similar capacity with 340bhp and the Turbo is a 3.6-litre V6 boosted to 400bhp.

The performance statistics are pure Porsche with the diesel doing 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds topping out at 142mph, the petrol V6 5.4 seconds topping out at 157 and the Turbo has an electrifying acceleration time of 4.8 seconds with a maximum of 165mph - incredible for a car of this type.

On the road we drove the diesel and the Macan S and while both impressed the economy of the diesel gave it an edge.

Porsche claims an official figure of 46.3mpg with emissions of 159g/km and we managed to average 38 to the gallon even under brisk conditions.

The S is rated at 32.5mpg with a CO2 figure of 204g/km but on a similar route it returned only 22mpg even though all Macans come with stop/start and a coasting function to help economy.

On the track - but in the wet - the Turbo showed huge potential for those who crave excess. Its grip, poise and power are pure sports machine - only its looks are SUV.

During the circuit session at Goodwood it was showing an average of just 10mpg and that was not at full pelt because of the weather.

As a performance SUV the Macan is without match in this league and it is styled in stand-out Porsche character inside and out.

The interior is very cockpit oriented with sporty instrumentation - the dials are centred on the rev counter and flanked by the speedo and a digital display module. Plush trim and upholstery make it a comfortable five seater and it's also nicely practical.

Boot space ranges from 500 to 1,500 litres, the loading height can be dropped by more than 1.5-inches thanks to the air suspension and its off-road mode can be engaged at the push of a button at speeds of up to 50mph reconfiguring the drive for added traction.

In every way the Macan is a formidable piece of equipment and it's destined to hit the mark as only a Porsche can.