Porsche 911 (2008-) Review

On the road

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Standing outside the car when it's running at idle, the new direct injection motor makes itself heard. With the higher pressure injection there's a distinct diesel-like rattle to the engine note, albeit muted. Inside the car, however, there's no a noticeable change, the flat-six bellow and top-end snarl remaining present and correct.

As with the previous engine there are two engines, the 341bhp 3.6 we've already mentioned and a 380bhp 3.8-litre that powers the Carrera S. Both are completely new and share nothing with the engines they replace.

The next biggest mechanical change concerns the new gearbox. Out goes the Mercedes-sourced five-speed auto and in comes the all-new PDK (Porsche Dual Klutch) that has been developed alongside respected transmission expert ZF.

The PDK has a seventh gear for efficient cruising at motorway speeds. In the Carrera S that means a 70mph cruise with the engine turning over at just 2,000rpm.

The main priority for the new gearbox has been saving fuel, but it is also usefully quicker than the manual. Opt for the PDK and the 0-62mph time for the standard Carrera, already a blistering 4.9 seconds, falls by two-tenths of a second, with a gearchange taking place in just 200 milliseconds. Better still, opt for the Sports Crono package and the time falls even further to 4.5 seconds, thanks to the inclusion of a dramatic launch control.

But despite being an incredible transmission it's not perfect. At slow speeds, it is possible to detect some driveline shunt up and down the 'box and the occasional sound of the transmission graunching. However, when you bear in mind the torque, power and performance on tap, the incredible low speed refinement and the phenomenal changes, it seems churlish to complain.

The lack of paddleshifts, does, though, constitute grounds for complaint. Porsche has instead persisted with rocker switches: push buttons on the front of the steering wheel for upchanges and buttons at back of the steering wheel for downchanges. Both are easy to confuse in the excitement of a good road and neither are a tactile delight.

Despite the advances, our best drive of the day was a Carrera with the regular manual transmission that offered an involvement that was lacking with the accomplished PDK.

As for the drive, the 911 is still one of the finest driving vehicles on the road, whether it is its uncanny ability to use every single bhp at its disposal (even in the damp), its precise steering, or the balance its rear-engine layout just shouldn't possess. Push on over bumpy, undulating roads and the Porsche feels more composed than the old car, possessing incredible body control, while turn-in has also been improved.

The Porsche remains very much at the top of its game.