Two-way shifter buttons aren't intuitive. (Autocar photo) » More Photos

The test car we tried was the entry-level 3.6 Carrera fitted with various options including PCCB brakes, PDK, PASM and the Sports Chrono pack, which brings with it a launch control mode, as well as the ability to time yourself accurately on a circuit. To engage launch control you disarm the PASM system, press the dreaded Sport Plus button, put your foot on the brake and open the throttle. To get from zero to 62mph in just 4.5sec you then simply release the brake and away she goes; you don’t even have to flick the upshift paddle at the right time because if PDK knows you are on full throttle it automatically shifts up just before the 7500rpm rev limiter.

If it all sounds rather too much like a computer game for comfort, fear not, because it isn’t. Once the novelty of experiencing launch control wears off (after, say, three minutes), the new 911 is still a highly entertaining car to drive. And in reality PDK actually makes the whole business of driving a 911 more thrilling because the performance is that much more accessible, and the response from the engine that much more instant.

That’s partly due to the engine itself, of course, which is not only more powerful but also more responsive than before, even with a regular six-speed manual attached to it. You notice the extra muscle mostly in the mid-range, where pick-up has become stronger than ever. The new engine is also notably smoother and more refined and suffers from a fair bit less vibration than of old, and most of the time that’s an entirely good thing.

What is perhaps not so welcome is the new engine’s lack of aural charm. I didn’t try the bigger-engined Carrera S, so I’m hoping the same doesn’t apply to that model, but on the 3.6 refinement has become so impressive that on part-throttle you’d be hard pushed to tell what sort of engine was spinning away behind your kidneys; it’s that quiet.