2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS PDK

Sounds quite promising for the road, doesn’t it? GTSs now account for five models in the 911 range. You can have a two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive coupé, the same in cabriolet form and a Targa in four-wheel drive only, in either manual or dual-clutch PDK automatic form.

All GTS variants get the wider body that usually marks out four-wheel-drive models, and the same power output of 444bhp – 30bhp more than the regular Carrera S – courtesy of new turbochargers for the 3.0-litre, flat six engine. That the GT3, GT3 RS and 911 R are no longer available means the 911 line-up is now entirely turbocharged.

All GTS models get sports suspension, which is 10mm lower than standard, but coupés like this one get a further suspension drop courtesy of PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), which also allows the dampers to be swapped between normal and stiffer modes. The Targa and Cabriolets do without that. Standard on all, though, is a sports exhaust and Porsche’s Sport Chrono package, which brings with it dynamic engine mounts. Soft during normal driving, they firm up in cornering to prevent the engine moving around and unsettling the handling of what is, let’s remember, a rear-engined car.

Quelle surprise, they work. Boy, do they work. A standard 911 S is still a terrific car – and because it retains six cylinders, unlike a Boxster/Cayman, the addition of turbos hasn’t spoiled the engine – but this GTS turns up the levels of interaction a bit further.

There’s no great reason it should be hugely different from a standard 911 – and, well, it isn’t – because you can have the equivalent suspension drop on the regular Carrera S. But there is a big enough difference in all the little details combined – the better feel offered by the steering wheel rim; the reduced unsprung mass at the front; the modest but noticeable difference in urgency; and the resistance to roll and enhanced traction given by the new rear geometry – that the GTS feels inherently keener, more engaged, and more willing than a regular 911.

It still rides, too, which is some going for a car with 35-profile front and 30-profile rear tyres. Even on Welsh hillside roads, you can flick the dampers into the Sports setting and not be bucked from one bump to another as you would be in a Nissan GT-R. It doesn’t have the magic floaty feeling of a McLaren 570S, but it settles impeccably quickly and its steering, meatily heavy, is quite possibly the most rewarding electrically assisted system on any current production car. It retains a usable roundness, but it feels inherently keener, more engaging, more focused. The engine sounds a touch zingier and has suffered no discernible loss in response. PDK is now superb and the handling is as secure, predictable and engaging as you could hope.