Used Porsche 911 2015-2018 review

In base format, it develops 365bhp; as tested here, it’s at 414bhp. Both are a 20bhp improvement over their forebears and are capable of revving to 7500rpm (although their performance peaks at 6500rpm). The real boon, though, as you might expect, is in torque delivery.

Here, a 44lb ft advantage is rendered across the board, with the Carrera S now delivering 369lb ft – 30lb ft more than Porsche extracted from the previous engine even in its exotic 4.0-litre GT3 RS guise.

Crucially, all this extra impetus appears much sooner. Where the previous 991 required 5600rpm in order to maximise its potential, the new unit, now endowed with a centralised injector, lightened valve train and variable exhaust camshaft, conjures its greater yield from just 1700rpm.

As for the rest of the 911 line-up - there is the Carrera T, which in essence is a stripped back version of the Carrera designed with the intention of being a tourer. As a result Porsche has given the T a subtle exterior makeover and put it on a weight-loss programme. Following on from the Carrera S is the GTS models - claimed to be the most focussed 911 in the standard range, which means the 3.0-litre engine's wick has been turned up further to produce 443bhp, but its the tweaks made dynamically that makes the GTS the driver's choice.

Heading the 'Motorsport' end of the 911 spectrum is the Turbo and Turbo S, both are fitted with a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre engine punching out 532bhp and 572bhp propelling them to 198mph and 205mph respectively. For those looking for a more track-focussed car are greeted by two choices. The first is the GT3 powered by a 493bhp, naturally aspirated, 4.0-litre flat six, which has won our driver's car of the year ahead of the McLaren 720S and Aston Martin DB11 V8, should indicate how capable it really is. Topping the range is different beast entirely - the 911 GT2 RS - designed to compete with the Lamborghini Huracan Performante and the Ferrari Speciale models. Planted at the rear is a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre engine punching out a scarcely believable 690bhp helping propel this 911-shaped ballastic missile to 62mph in 2.8sec and onto 211mph.

Porsche has lengthened the gear ratios on its seven-speed transmission to suit the new-found amenability and introduced a two-disc clutch to the manual version to make it easier to operate. Tellingly, the dual-mass flywheel also gets a centrifugal pendulum to help temper drivetrain vibrations, making the 911 more refined when accelerating from low revs in higher ratios. It is also important to point out that the GT3 has also returned in manual form too.

If the above indicates something of a fundamental shift in Porsche driving style, the modifications to the chassis are of the more conventional sort.

The facelifted car sits 10mm lower on now-standard PASM adaptive suspension, gets rebound buffer springs all round and acquires half an inch of extra tyre width at the back to cope with the extra torque. Active rear-wheel steering (introduced in the 991 GT3 and Porsche Turbo) and a front axle nose-raiser have also been added to the typically extensive options list. 

The new turbocharged units have been utilised across the Carrera board with the coupé, Porsche the roof-less Targa and the full-blown wind in your hair Cabriolet all benefitting. While those wanting an all-wheel-drive 911 can choose from the 4 range.

It stops like all other modern 911s, too, which means exceptionally well in the dry, although, due to the lightly loaded front, it’s less impressive in the wet.

Our track driving was hampered by rain, but we still got a feel for what the 911 is capable of. Fundamentally, the balance is unchanged from that of the old 911, except body movements are kept in even better check, while bumps and kerbs are smoothed out well.

Turn-in is crisp, with that lightly loaded front end introducing a bit more understeer than you’d find in a mid or front-engined car, especially in the wet, although trailing a brake in helps. The balance is then quite exploitable, but it’s also here that the engine first makes itself felt.

The naturally aspirated 911’s rabid throttle response higher up the rev range meant that adjusting a line was simple.

Now, though, more throttle actually introduces more understeer until the turbos spool, at which point the extra power kicks through the understeer and unsettles the rear, ultimately rendering the 911 more adjustable and exploitable than any rear-engined car has a right to be. But natural aspiration is superior, and it’s here that you notice it the most.