Road Test: Porsche 911 2dr

So what's new in the new Porsche 911?

Well, the new six-speed manual gearbox feels smoother and quicker to use than the old six-speeder, and the conventional accelerator pedal is more comfortable to use than its floor-pivoting predecessor.

Whereas in the old car you could always tell, hear and feel when to change up a gear without looking at the rev-counter; in the new car the messages from the engine are more refined, subtle and muted, making it all too easy to hit the rev-limiter in third.

The rear-mounted engine tradition lives on, and it's still a six-cylinder boxer, but it is no longer air-cooled. And while the new engine is still great to listen to, it has lost some of its rawness and urgency. If you like plenty of gearchanging you'll lament the loss of the air-cooled engine's angrier, hungrier, harsher approach to life.

There's no arguing over performance. Despite being 200cc smaller, the new 3.4 engine kicks out more power: 300bhp at 6,800rpm and 258lb ft at 4,600rpm.

The difference in acceleration, though, is not huge, 62mph taking 5.2 seconds compared with 5.4. Top speed is 'close to 175mph', a useful little improvement over the old car's lazy 171mph.

In terms of steering, where the old car responded absolutely and instantly, the new car is not so direct and precise, making it a more relaxed motorway drive.

But few people buy a 911 for a relaxed drive. They buy it because it cuts and thrusts along twisty back roads better than just about any other car. And when it comes to narrow roads, although the increase in width is just 3cm, it feels wider - psychologically at least.

As well as sharing the Boxster's basic suspension set-up - Macpherson strut front and multi-link rear - the 911 shares a similar cockpit, and it's a big improvement on the old one, with its instruments and buttons randomly scattered about. Unfortunately, the 911 also shares the Boxster's front end styling, which failed to grow on us; it has none of the old car's character.

The new 911 makes up for lost rawness and urgency by offering a more civilised and refined product, and an excellent Grand Tourer. It's just not quite the razor-sharp 911 of old...