TIME was, driving a Porsche 911 was a job for either the very skilled or the especially foolhardy.

Originally descended from the humble Beetle - do not mention this to anyone wearing a Porsche-branded hat or they're liable to get somewhat sulky - the original 1963 911 and its rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout was both very competitive and a bit of a handful.

Sure, the 911 handled like it was on rails, right up until you exceeded the limits of grip, whereupon that rear-mounted engine developed a horrible pendulum effect, drawing you inexorably towards the tree-line and your doom.

Some fancy footwork and a manful dab of opposite lock on the steering wheel was then required, or in the case of an amateur driver such as myself, some frantic sawing at the steering-wheel, a girlish scream and then it's backwards-on-fire through the Pearly Gates past a bemused St. Peter.

In the bad old days, so many folks were spinning their 911s off into the shrubbery that I imagine poor old Pete was getting somewhat singed. But that was years ago, and through careful honing of that original iconic design, the 911 has been engineered into a relative pussycat.

In particular, this Carrera4 boasts all-wheel drive, clever anti-lock brakes and all kinds of sophisticated traction control to make the 911 experience safe for any hamfisted idiot. And, as friends and colleagues are only too quick to point out: that's me.

The question is, beneath all the electronic safety gear, can we still find the charm of that original lightweight sports car? Does this teardropshaped computer still have a soul? Design

The sharp-eyed among you have no doubt discerned a problem. "That's not the new Porsche 911, that's the old one!" Well, sort of.

In fact, this 2012 911 is exactly the same as the 2011 Carrera4, and only a little bit different from the 2005 Carrera4. Unlike other car companies that launch an entirely new model with great fanfare and a range-wide rollout, Porsche likes to keep a firm hand on the tap, just letting out dribbles at a time.

The newest 911 variant - dubbed the 991 chassis - is already coming in Carrera and Carrera S forms, but it will be still be a little while before we see a new AWD version or a Turbo model.

This model is the 997, or more properly, the 997.2, which should tell you how much of a facelift the car received in 2009: new LED running lights, new taillamps and new front bumper air intakes. That's about it.

Still, it's a handsome-looking car, with immediately recognizable lines that harken back to its frog-eyed ancestor. Better yet, having been around for a while, this 911 draws none of the passer-by eye-rolling you might have received for driving around in a bright red 911 during the '80s. There's no longer any ostentation: it's as discrete as a well-tailored suit.

ENVIRONMENT

There are those who would find fault with the 911's relatively austere interior, but I'm not one of them. The new 991 promises to be more lavish than this 997, but in a sports car, perhaps less is more.

There's something nice about the simple, spartan layout of the cabin. Little thought has been given to the gizmos and whatsits: everything is focused on providing the driver with the perfect driving experience.

On the other hand, what's not nice is how much all the optional extras cost. Remember, this is a car for which you're already outlaying a base price of $97,400. Heated seats? $600 extra. Leather sport seats? $920 extra. Infotainment package? A whopping $3,440 extra.

By the time we'd finished checking the boxes on my admittedly well-optioned tester, the price had climbed to $118,615 - an entire Honda Civic worth of addons. Still, ordering a Porsche has always been an à la carte experience, and it is possible to buy a "cheaper" one if it's just the performance you're after.

PERFORMANCE

Speaking of performance, there are two options on my tester that almost have to be taken together as a package. This 911 is equipped with Porsche's excellent PDK dual-clutch gearbox, quite possibly the best automatic transmission in the world, and so it had better be for the $4,660 charge.

However, normal mode in the PDK is so very smooth that it somewhat blunts the edge of the 911. Things are a bit clunky when cold, which gives the driver the temporary thrill of heading out in a hard-core racing car, but as soon as the PDK gets up to operating temperatures, its shifts become rapid, but imperceptible.

The optional Sport Chrono Package ($1,690) allows the driver to engage two extra modes that sharpen the throttle, increase the ferocity of the shifts and, as this car is also fitted with Porsche Active Stability Management, a single button push puts the suspension in sport mode as well. You'd have to be a psychopath to drive on city streets in "Sport+" mode, banging every gear off the redline, but engaging sport certainly makes everything more interesting and Porsche-like.

I used the 911 through the week on the ho-hum daily commute and found it to be extremely livable. The PDK shuffles into fifth and sixth gears at street speeds, the suspension was firm but not jouncy, visibility is excellent and the seats are more comfortable than sitting on Santa's lap. Of course, they're somewhat better bolstered than Santa as well.

However, there is quite a bit of tire roar from that huge 295-series rubber. And to be honest, the 911 doesn't feel very special on these day-trips: it's very calm and composed, but maybe even a tiny bit dull.

Well, this simply won't do. Time to find the road this car deserves.

With the base engine, this 911 produces 345 horsepower, a somewhat modest figure given that we live in an age of 600+ h.p. Camaros and Mustangs. However, you'd have to be a lunatic to call it slow. By engaging launch control, the all-wheel-drive 911 can scamper to 100 kilometres per hour in 4.6 seconds. That's the official number anyway: Porsche usually underrates its cars a little.

Never mind the straightline stuff and the dreary commuting. I took the weekend to travel up the valley to my parent's house, high up in the hills of Ryder Lake. These roads are where I learned to love the automobile, and how could you not, with serpentine tarmac wending its way past hobby farms and susurrating trees.

I awoke at dawn on Sunday to find the 911 encased in frost, fired it up to defrost and twin exhausts burbled that tuneful flat-six thrum into the crystal-cold, eerily still air. Now this is more like it.

The 911 crunches softly to the end of the gravel driveway and then scrabbles briefly at the broken pavement. My tester is outfitted with summer tires (Porsche immediately changed over to snow tires when I returned it) and the low temperatures have frozen them hard as hockey pucks.

Up the long, undulating hill as the muted whuffling of the 3.6-litre boxer engine climbs to a sonorous growl. Two quick pulls on the lefthand paddle-shifter to kick down into second and then a little squirt of throttle into the steeply-banked, gravel-strewn corner.

The Carrera4 pivots through the turn, all-wheel drive gripping tenaciously despite the improper footwear. This AWD is the electrically controlled system also employed in the blitzkrieg 911 Turbo, and it's capable of sending 100 per cent of the power to the front wheels if necessary. It is utterly unflappable.

Through a long series of Sbends, the Carrera4 feels taut and composed. The steering is light, but communicative. It feels like you're simply flowing through the corners. It feels like this is what the 911 was built to do.

Because it is.

Features

While the 911's options are fairly comprehensive (once you've paid for them), it's not like there's anything particularly impressive about the infotainment or Navigation systems. Both are perfectly usable, but there's no "wow" factor to be found in that centre binnacle, and the iPod interface is actually a bit counter-intuitive.

More impressive is the fuel economy that the direct-injected 3.6-litre engine and seven-speed dual-clutch are able to eke out. The 911 is rated for 11.4 litres/100 kilometres city and 7.5 l/100 km highway; pretty optimistic figures for such a capable sports car, but I actually achieved them with gentle driving.

Dynamic cornering lights were fitted to my tester, and they are fast becoming one of my favourite addons, especially for darkened country roads.

Green light

Sublime handling; excellent fuel economy; comfortable enough for daily use.

Stop sign

Spartan interior; outrageously expensive options list; not sporting enough without add-ons.

The checkered flag

Equipped with all the modern conveniences and safety aids, but still has the spirit of the original, if you look hard enough.

Competitors Nissan GT-R ($109,900)

For less than the cost of the optioned-up Carrera4, you could be driving a Nissan that would straight up murder it at the track. Bang-for-buck, there's no better performance value today than Nissan's head-hunting supercar.

On the other hand, the big Nissan is not particularly engaging to drive if you're not on a racetrack. It feels like walking a Rottweiler through a sausage factory: the car is always straining at the leash, wanting you to put your foot to the floor and have your licence taken away. It's a much more aggressive car than the 911.

Audi R8 ($134,000)

All the everyday practicality, but with supercar looks. That's the promise the R8 makes with its moderately sized V-8 and all-wheel-drive capability. It looks the part too, with those big side-gills and low-slung appearance.

But it's not as practical as you might think. The rear visibility is quite poor and that low-slung-nose will have you worrying every time you approach an incline. Worse, the aluminum body means that small dents and dings can't be repaired. It's still a lovely car to drive, but certainly less practical than the 911.