Porsche 911 Carrera 4

This isn't the first 4WD Porsche 911, but it is the best yet. The set-up which can transfer as much as 30 per cent of the engine's power to the front tyres adds stability, yet acts more subtly than ever before. Still, keen drivers would be well advised to check out the cheaper, rear-driven model before paying the £62,950 for the Carrera 4.

The Carrera 4 is back, but can the latest 4x4 evolution of Porsche's 911 finally silence its critics? Previous generations of the car have been slammed for lacking the dazzling road manners of the basic rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive machine.

The extra weight and stiffer front suspension brought by the change from two to four-wheel drive has long been blamed for deadening the model's steering feel and reducing agility.

But development takes its time at Porsche. After all, the basic 911 concept is more than 40 years old, and the 4WD version is approaching its 20th birthday. Surely the firm has got it right this time... To make certain, Porsche has come up with two distinct variants of the 4x4: the 'entry-level' 3.6 Carrera 4 and the sportier 3.8-litre Carrera 4S.

Both are very different to the rear-wheel-drive machine, featuring a 1.73-inch wider track, revised front suspension, a larger 67-litre fuel tank and, of course, the 4WD system, upgraded for this model to improve refinement. The new-look body, stretched to cover the widened rear axle, is a fantastic piece of design. Although only subtly different from the basic car, it appears more purposeful and better proportioned, too. From behind the wheel, however, this 911 feels very much the same as the standard model - which is exactly what Porsche wants.

Driven here in Carrera 4 guise, the car sounds gruff and unwilling at idle as the 325bhp flat six-cylinder unit spits noisily through its twin exhaust pipes. But as the revs climb and the engine note evens out, the new machine's unique motor is every bit as menacing as it always has been, and the car feels more urgent than its figures suggest, sprinting from 0-60mph in only 5.1 seconds.

The six-speed gearbox is beautifully weighted, and has a fabulous synchromesh system that means every shift slots home with only the lightest touch. The brakes are astounding, too; fitted with Porsche's carbon-ceramic PCCB discs, they slow the car at a spectacular rate.

So far, so good - although it is the chassis that matters most. And in the main, it does not disappoint. The ride is firm, but not stiff, and this 911 is fantastically responsive to the steering. As with the rear-wheel-drive variant, the new Carrera 4 understeers gently on its 235-section front tyres if pushed hard through a corner, before breaking traction at the back and oversteering. However, we cannot help feeling that, in this situation, the 4WD Porsche is not quite as responsive to the throttle as the standard two-wheel-drive model. Easing off will not snap the nose back into line as quickly as it does in the basic version.

This adds stability, although it could prove frustrating for a small percentage of drivers. Yet while some Porsche purists may continue to scoff at the Carrera 4, we came away impressed. Feeding power through all four wheels does enhance the car's already devastating ability, and although the set-up compromises the handling slightly, we cannot help feeling the critics will have less to complain about this time round.