The sound of the engine is the first thing you notice after twisting the key. It's fantastic, and even better under hard acceleration. Sports car enthusiasts can easily recognize a Porsche by its sound, whether it's driving by on a country road or roaring past at Le Mans. All modern 911 engines are water cooled, but they retain the unique exhaust note we grew up with. The sound of a throttle blip during downshifts will make any driver feel like Hans Stuck.

That fantastic sound of a Porsche engine revving is accompanied by massive and immediate throttle response. The thrust provided by the standard Carrera engine is intoxicating. It made me want to push the throttle to the floor every time the car left the apex of a turn, just to feel it accelerate out of the corner like I was powering out of Tertre Rouge onto the Mulsanne Straight.

The steering can make the driver feel like the 911 is a soul mate, not an inanimate machine. It's very precise, so you can put the tires exactly where you want them, and it will always let you know how the front tires are gripping. This is one of many aspects that differentiates the 911 from Corvettes and Vipers. Yet the 911 is stable and steady at high speeds. The 911 is never darty, nor does it require constant corrections.

The 911 skims very nicely over rough pavement. Indeed, it's relatively supple ride may be what separates it most immediately from the typical high-performance sports cars. You know the bumps are there, certainly, but they're seldom jarring or intrusive. Some hardcore Porsche old-timers say this refinement comes at a price, and that this latest-generation 911, with its fully independent rear suspension, has lost some of its feel. But we think the 911, regardless of model, offers plenty of feedback. You can sense the rear weight bias and you can actually feel the changing amounts of grip the front tires have as the car goes through an undulating corner. And of course, the smooth ride is relative. The 911 GT2 and GT3, with their race-inspired suspension tuning, are much stiffer, louder and bouncier on public roads.

The two-wheel-drive models do have more trailing throttle oversteer than the all-wheel-drive models. That means that if you suddenly lift off the throttle in the middle of a turn, the weight shifts forward and the rear end lightens. Abruptly lifting off of the throttle while cornering hard in the middle of an on-ramp caused the rear of a Targa to come out a bit. It was easily controllable, but an all-wheel-drive Carrera 4S did not do the same thing during a similar maneuver. Having said that, the Carrera 2 is very forgiving, not like the wicked 911s of old.

The Carrera 4S may offer better accident avoidance capabilities than any other car on the road. First of all, it has excellent brakes. Huge brake rotors and one-piece, four-piston calipers derived from Porsche's race cars, along with excellent weight distribution and massive tire contact patches, allow it to generate incredible braking forces. As a result, it scrubs off speed in no time. Its anti-lock brake system is excellent, allowing the driver to steer around the problem while braking at the threshold. Moreover, the brakes continue to work in top form after repeated high-speed stops that will ignite the brake-pad bonding agent on lesser cars. Porsche requires brakes to provide 25 consecutive full-force stops without fade. Yet they are easy to modulate in normal, lazy driving.

While the Carrera 4 offers superior traction on slippery surfaces, Porsche designed its all-wheel drive system as much for improved performance on dry pavement. The AWD adds some weight and a substantial amount of money to the price, but it also improves safety and makes the 911 even easier to drive. From a standing stop, you can crank the steering wheel over for a 90-degree turn and stand on it without any need for steering corrections. The rear end won't slide out (power oversteer) and the front end won't wash out (understeer); the Carrera 4 simply accelerates away (very quickly). Stab the throttle then lift abruptly off again in the middle of turn (a real no-no) and the car won't do anything nasty. It merely takes a different set on the suspension as weight is being transferred fore and aft.

Even with all-wheel drive and all the other technology on the Carrera 4S, you can still sense the engine is at the back. Compared with front-engine sports cars, the front end of the Porsche feels lighter, quicker, with sharper steering response. That's part of the Porsche feel, and even highly skilled drivers who aren't familiar with the 911 will take a bit of time to adjust to its style.

Granted, there is no such thing as too much horsepower, but the Carrera 2 and Carrera 4 models did not leave me longing for a Turbo, at least not until I climbed into a Turbo.

The Porsche 911 Turbo is simply fantastic. In spite of its somewhat intimidating external appearance, it's an easy car to drive. Drive it hard and it really inspires confidence. Drive it harder and the Turbo opens whole new vistas. Slam down the throttle, slam on the brakes, brake and turn at the same time: the Turbo will do everything a driver asks short of defying the laws of physics. It can make a hack look good, and a reasonably skilled driver look like a master. In the hands of an experienced race driver, not much can touch it.

The available Tiptronic transmission is among the best, smoothest-shifting automatics we've ever tested. Upshifts and downshifts are super smooth in manual or auto mode. The manual mode is fun: By pressing a button on the steering wheel, you can go down through the gears as you brake for an exit ramp. But it's not necessary to shift manually. The automatic mode works superbly. It automatically holds a gear when it senses you are attacking the corners, rather than upshifting and downshifting.

In spite of all that, unless I spent most of my life in commuter traffic, I'd order my Porsche with the manual gearbox for its superior control, superior performance and superior fun. The standard six-speed is a joy to use, with ratios spaced perfectly for the 911 boxer engine's powerband.

The 911's Pirelli P-Zero tires offer excellent grip. So much so that a race track is needed to fully explore the capabilities of these sports cars. Even so, it is easier to push this car to the limit than it was with Porsches past. The modern 911 has none of the handling quirks of its predecessors, such as excessive understeer in tight corners or that infamous trailing-throttle oversteer that could cause a spin when an inexperienced driver lifted his foot off the throttle in the middle of a turn. The staggered-tire array, with wider, lower-profile rubber in the rear, contributes to the 911's neutral handling.

Some argue that the Porsche Boxster does nearly everything the Porsche 911 Carrera 2 can do for $28,000 less. The Boxster is a terrific sports car, and the Boxster S comes even closer to the 911 for $17,000 less. But there's no question the 911 offers a lot more power. More worthwhile is its chassis sophistication: Charge into a bumpy corner and you'll need to slow the Boxster down a bit because the car will slide toward the outside of the corner as the tires skip over the bumps and momentarily lose grip. In a 911, the massive tires stay in contact with the road because its more sophisticated suspension keeps them there. Whether it's a 30-mph switchback or a 100-mph sweeper, the 911 driver can blast through at the absolute limit. You'll be busier and slower in the Boxster. Compared with the Boxster, the 911 is more compliant and offers better throttle response. It's easier to drive, easier to be smooth. It feels more substantial. While the 911 works great as a primary (or only) car, the Boxster has more difficulties in that role, comfort among them. Pound for pound, you get more car for your money in the 911.