Porsche 911 Carrera S

Revised sports car has nearly 500bhp in Carrera S form and is quicker than the racier GT3, so is it the 911 to buy? On sale Now Price from £125,235

- JOHN HOWELL [e-mail]

THE PORSCHE 911 range traditionally includes some pretty special variants, up to and including the mighty winged monster they call the GT3 RS. But it's the more modest Carrera models that make up the bulk of the range - and the bulk of 911 sales in the UK.

Of the various Carreras on offer, we've traditionally said that the entry-level model has all the go you could reasonably need, but that the lighter, manual-only Carrera T is the best of the bunch for the extra driver engagement it offers. Now, though, with the arrival of the Carrera S, do we have a new favourite?

Certainly, its performance is categorically epic. As standard, it hits 0-62mph in 3.5sec, but option the Sport Chrono pack (£1796) and the S romps from 0-62mph in 3.3sec, which, folks, is quicker than the track-focused GT3.

How’s that possible? Well, peak power is now 473bhp (that’s 30bhp more than the outgoing S and a match for the previous GTS), plus there’s a bit more low-down shove, so the new S’s performance should be more accessible. As it happens, the previous version's spiky power delivery was one reason why we didn't think the S was worth paying the extra for.