We drove an $81,000 Porsche Macan GTS to see if it's a sports car in an SUV body — here's the verdict

Porsche Macan GTS

The Porsche Macan GTS is one of the six versions of the Macan compact SUVs available in the US.
The GTS sits in the middle of the Macan line up. It slots in above the Macan, Macan S, and Macan Sport Edition but below the Macan Turbo and Turbo with Performance Package models.
The base 2018 Porsche Macan starts at $47,800 while the top-spec Macan Turbo with Performance Package starts at $87,700.
The Macan GTS starts at $68,900. With options and fees, the as-tested price came to $81,310.
The Macan GTS impressed with us with its traditional Porsche sporty demeanor and solid feature content.

The Porsche Macan is one of the great automotive success stories in recent memory. The Macan is Porsche's best selling model and accounted for 39% of the German brand's US sales last year. In fact, the only thing keeping the Macan's sales growth in check is the pace at which Porsche can churn the SUVs out at its factory in Leipzig, Germany.

At the 2018 Paris Motor Show, Porsche launched an updated version of its hot-selling SUV. However, that car won't appear in US showrooms until the middle of next year. In addition, the only variant of the "new" Macan we've seen is the base model with a turbocharged inline four-cylinder.

As a result, higher performance versions of the current Macan will remain on sale even after the new Macan debuts.

This brings us to the Macan GTS. It sits in the middle of the Macan line up in terms of price and performance.

The Porsche Macan can be had in six different flavors. They range from the relatively tame four-cylinder base Macan to the top of the line Macan Turbo with Performance Package, which boasts a stout 440 horsepower.

In between, there's the Macan S, Macan Sport Edition, Macan GTS, and Macan Turbo.

Recently, Business Insider had the chance to experience the 2018 Macan GTS first-hand road trip from Jacksonville, Florida to Savannah, Georgia.

The base Porsche Macan starts at $47,800 while the Macan Turbo with Performance Package starts at $87,700. Our Carrera White Metallic 2018 Porsche Macan GTS starts at $68,900. With options and fees, the as-tested price came to $81,310.

Here's a closer look: