2014 Porsche Macan revealed

With images of the all-new Porsche Macan leaking onto the internet this morning, the German carmaker has revealed official images of the car in tandem with its debut at Los Angeles motor show.

The Macan -- which is likely to outstrip the top-selling Cayenne for Porsche's bottom line benefit -- will start rolling out early in 2014 and be the cheapest way to get into the Porsche family.

Although taking some cues from its bigger sibling, the Macan looks sportier and more dynamic with a more steeply sloping bonnet, strongly raked front and rear glass and sweeping roofline.  Air ducts on the nose vary in size according to the model, giving a clue as to what's under the bonnet even before you see the badge. The cabin carries over even more from the Cayenne, with the same styling and layout.

The Macan is based on the same platform as the Audi Q5, but carries several innovations that one-up its stablemate. The 'clamshell' bonnet is designed to give better airflow to the engine bay, while radiator shutters behind the front air duct close can at high speeds to reduce drag. An optional air suspension system lets the driver adjust the ride height by up to 40mm to give a maximum 230mm clearance for heading offroad. Also on the options list is a torque vectoring system to optimise handling and stability. Traction-oriented off-road mode is activated via a button at speeds up to 80 km/h, while another button switches on the hill control between 3-30km/h.

Porsche says the Macan will launch here with a three-model all-wheel drive line-up, all powered by V6 engines mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission. The range kicks off with the Macan S carrying a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 developing 250kW of power and 460Nm of torque, delivering a 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 254km/h with claimed fuel economy of 8.7L/100km.

The Macan Turbo is powered by a new twin-turbo 294kW/550Nm 3.6-litre that gets to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and tops at 266km/h, with 8.9L/100km fuel economy. The 190kW/580Nm 3.0-litre turbodiesel in the Diesel S delivers 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds and a top speed of 230km/h with frugal 6.1L/100km fuel economy.  Later models will include a future base variant with a turbo 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder and a fuel economy leader with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel.