MotorMouths

Porschephiles may have been wondering at what point their beloved 911 ceases to be a 911 and becomes just a good sports car with an engine in the trunk. That day may have arrived.

The biggest change in the 2012 Porsche 911 from its predecessor is efficiency and growth. In addition to being larger, it also grows in terms of power. So what kind of driving experience do all these changes add up to? An enjoyable but evolved one.

It’s simply smoother, easier, and less fussy to drive very quickly. In short, all the 911’s rough edges have been buffed clean off.

The 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is priced pretty similar to a 911 GT3, which arguably provides more cachet and superior track-day handling. But a GTS is a friendlier prospect for daily driving but also makes accessible a dimension of speed that only GT3 adepts would dare attempt.

The finale for the current-generation 911, the GTS blazes into the Porsche retail experience in the middle of this winter. The GTS buffs the 911’s perma-luster, with a corresponding jump in sticker price.

In quantifiable terms, the 2012 model is leaps and bounds better than any previous 911. It sounds even better, it rides even better, it feels even better, it’s even more comfortable, better equipped, and it’s far better looking. It is a better car, but it’s not a better 911.

The Porsche 911 hasn’t lost its soul. I was among the first to actually drive the new generation Carrera S and — collective exhale — it is still a great car.

The new 911 Carrera S, when driven as we like it driven, is all 911 all the time. It’s just the new upgraded interior, mention of electro- anything in the steering, and visibly longer wheelbase that can create fear in us or in you prior to doing the drive.

This is the most stable, un-scary, even-tempered 911 in the model’s 49-year history. But the 911’s relentless march upward in performance, technology and quality indeed comes at a stiff price.

The Carrera GTS is a sensible intermediary step on the Porsche Pyramid of Performance. With 408 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, the Carrera GTS slots in neatly between the 385 horses of the Carrera S and the 435 found in the GT3.

If we had one Porsche to buy, it would be this 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS. It takes you eight-tenths of the way to GT3 nirvana, but does so within a well-damped, impressively rapid, liquid-filled lozenge.

Every available crevice of this new 911 is stuffed with Porsche’s latest technology. These computers make driving more vivid, more precise and less of a hassle. This new 911’s time is now.