Anyone worried about a water-cooled 911 not having sufficient performance or character compared with the old air-cooled 3.6-litre model can bin their concerns right now. From the moment you twist the key and that familiar whirring sound erupts from behind the shoulders, you realise that the new 3387cc flat-six will do just fine in this car. Especially since it stirs up some 296bhp at 6800rpm and 251lb ft at 4700rpm, both up on before. The bald figures read 60mph in 4.6sec, 100mph in 10.5sec and a standing quarter-mile of 13.0sec dead at 112mph. On its way, it gets from the urban to the legal limits in 3.8sec. And, if you can find the space and correct surroundings in which to keep your foot planted, not until a genuine 178mph registers on the clock will the new 911 cease accelerating. There is good news and bad news in the chassis. The good news is that the 996 has the most predictable handling of any 911. It is also the most effective when it comes to putting huge chunks of ground beneath its wheels in as short a time possible, and with the minimum of drama. The bad news is that rather too much of the character that has distinguished the 911 as such a sharp driver’s car over the years has been diluted in the process.
