Porsche Macan vs Range Rover Evoque: world's best small SUVs head-to-head

...Sutcliffe prefers a Porsche to a Rangie. And quite rightly so, too. What a superb piece of kit, surely they are going to have to increase production. And I know you didn't go up any muddy slopes for the reasons stated, but it would have been interesting, just for conversation in the pub value.

One can't help but wonder how long LR will adhere to it's traditional values of creating go-anywhere vehicles, and succumb to the 'performance first' doctrine of it's German rivals?

There's no doubt that the Macan is dynamically superior to the Evoque as-tested here, but I don't really see them as direct rivals, at least not in this configuration. Firstly because I'm pretty sure that with similar equipment levels that Macan will be much more expensive. Porsche manages such handsome net margins on their vehicles by equipping them pretty basic and then charging an arm and a leg for even the most basic option.
The second part is that the Macan will eventually offer a four cylinder diesel, which in turn will be the real equivalent to this 4-pot Evoque. The Diesel S is the high-performance diesel version, positioned above where any Evoque sits right now (the Macan is in fact a larger vehicle, hence the interior room advantage).
Lastly, if dynamic competence is what was being evaluated, let's not forget that RR has just launched the Dynamic version of the Evoque with significant performance, handling and braking enhancements.

Put simply, there needs to be a more serious like-for-like evaluation between the two before making such a strong statement. First impression? Sure. Final verdict? Not yet

For once, a good old-fashion real world comparison to see which car comes out top rather than the usual garbage of speeding around a circuit or driving thru the lake district at ludicrous speed. Enjoyed that, nice one Mr Sutcliffe. Going back to the new Ford Focus review and everyone complaining about the plethora of buttons (me included) on the current model... I wonder how many people complain about the Porsche? Who designed that centre console, Airbus?