What about the bijou glovebox, then? Up to now, 996 hasn't had one at all - too much passenger airbag, too little space. But the latest 911 isn't so denied. How many hours of fingers drummed on boardroom tables did it take to come up with that one, I wonder.

You begin to question if Porsche has finally run out of important stuff to do to the 38-year-old 911, surely the most evolved, honed and fine-tooth-combed car on the planet. It's gilding the lily, you begin to think, gratuitously fiddling with something that's as good as it's going to get.

But no. Just the opposite. Consider the consequences of all the changes Porsche has bestowed on its first revision of the 996 and what actually occurs to you is that the car it supersedes must have been a bit of a bum-sliding under-achiever. Whether you call it 'evolution' or a second go at getting the first water-cooled 911 right is open to discussion, but mild cosmetic/ user-convenience adjustments aren't what it's about. Far more telling are the modifications under the subtly remodelled skin. Mostly they make the ΂£55,950 Carrera 2 faster but even less demanding to drive. Some felt it had become too easy as it was.

We'll start with the things you can see. Unless you study 911s out of love or for a living, you may not notice the facelift. The effect is in the same category as tinted contact lenses... something's different, not sure what. The larger headlamps, with that strange, distended tear duct, are lifted from the Turbo in a bid to make the 911 look less like the Boxster. The balance provided by the Turbo's wider body and deep-set chin with its distinctively gaping rectangular air ducts is missing, though; the proportioning looks slightly off. The lower part of the redesigned bumper nevertheless pushes 15 per cent more air onto heavy-duty braking hardware - all knuckly callipers and softly gleaming cross-drilled discs - that's even more visible through the wider gaps between the slimmer spokes of the new optional 18-inch alloy wheels (17s are standard). These are said to reduce unsprung weight by over 20 per cent and promise a better ride. Flick any of the tyres - an arch-cramming 285/30 ZR18 at the back - with the toe of your shoe and they answer with a satisfyingly pure 'ping'.

The rear aspect of the new car is further bulked-up by the lowered apron and fatter-bore exhaust pipes, but a whole suite of aerodynamic tweaks - some on the underbody - reduce axle lift by 20 per cent at the front and 40 per cent (yes 40) at the rear. More grip, more stability, more speed.
Of course, the engine. No 911 upgrade is deemed worth doing without the mill getting a high-tech spannering. By granting it a longer stroke, the capacity of the water-cooled flat-six is up by 209cc from 3.4 to 3.6 litres and the exhaust note down half an octave at idle. Stand round the back at tickover and the car sounds a little flatulent - to the extent that snapper Magee wondered if a pipe was blowing. Not so inside. Inside it's a mellow burble. Blip the throttle. The waffly bass is instantly dispersed by a yelp of hard, hollow thrash metal. Blimey, extra-concentrated 911.

Power jumps from 296 to 316bhp, still at 6800rpm. Nothing abstract about this extra 20bhp; it's as if a slightly stronger magnet is pulling the rev counter needle round to the red line, especially in the higher gears. The reshaped torque curve does even more to raise the engine's game. VarioCam Plus - the demon two-stage cam and valve lift adjustment system already used on the Turbo and GT2 - plays a big part in pumping up twisting force (from 258 to 273lb ft) and redistributing it (the peak is lowered from 4600 to 4250rpm). It boils down to more top end, more mid range and still sharper throttle response. In plain figures, Porsche claims a top speed of 177mph and 0-62mph in 5.0secs. First sniff of unrestricted autobahn and the new Carrera grabs 160mph so disdainfully, one-eighty simply has to be on. The acceleration claim looks deeply conservative, too. Wouldn't be surprised by a 0-60mph time of 4.5secs, maybe slightly less. And, just to rub it in that no-one does this sort of 'all pleasure - no pain' thing better, the combined fuel cycle has improved from 23.9 to 25.5mpg. Emissions are lower, too. Porsche puts the Grrrr in Greenpeace.

The brakes, arguably the best in the business, haven't been touched. Likewise the steering and, with the exception of a few mild tweaks to the damper valving, the suspension.

This Carrera feels different, though. Both more and less exciting. More cubes and VarioCam Plus means the Carrera's boxer engine no longer speaks a dialect of Boxster. The gruff, metallic timbre and sheer aerobic reach of its 316bhp is quintessential 911. Think back to 3.0 RS; there's something of the old car's deep-chested character here. It spikes your pulse rate in the same way - especially that adrenalin-milking shriek as the engine rushes from 5000rpm to the 7000rpm red line.

By any standards, it's a deliciously broad power band. The engine is smoother and more refined than in its previous incarnation, too. It pulls heavily from 2000rpm and savagely from 4500rpm. But it's above 140mph that the enhanced pace and new aerodynamic mods come into their own. With its significantly reduced lift, high speed stability is improved by an order of magnitude. The new Carrera tracks arrow-straight and isn't fazed by sudden humps and transverse ridges. Road and conditions permitting, cruising between 140 and 160mph doesn't raise a sweat.
Since its introduction, Boxster has been acknowledged as the best handing Porsche and, of course, the 996's suspension is essentially the same. Now, despite the rear-slung engine mass, the 911 has clawed its way back to something close to parity. Colossal cornering power and almost miraculous traction are matched by truly great steering: fast, accurate, perfectly weighted, dripping with feel and even a nostalgic tinge of rim-writhe. Moreover, the ride seems to confound the contribution of the ultra low profile tyres and firm springs and dampers in its ability to sponge up minor bumps that agitated the previous model. Terrific.

And, yep, there goes the baby, too. Intimacy, involvement and, perhaps most crucially of all, attitude adjustability have all been throttled back a smidge too far. With the previous model, you could palm that decisive yet fluid gearchange down a cog or two and power out of a corner in a mild, oversteering slide that demanded no more than a rolling of the wrists to hold. Do the same thing in the new C2 and it's stone cold neutral. In the dry, the C4 understeers a little more strongly. Otherwise, the feeling of unshakeable security is comparable. The extra power has been subsumed by PSM, sorted manners and fat rubber. Cornering speeds are up, skill requirements down. You go faster for less effort. That will suit some people, not others.

Some people might even be tempted by the ΂£20k cheaper but considerably more accessible thrills provided by BMW's M3. My money's on the Carrera being quicker point to point. And by a small margin, it has the better engine. But, at journey's end, I know which driver would emerge from the cabin with the broader smile.