2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS PDK

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.