TO paraphrase the late, great Brian Clough, I wouldn't say the new Porsche Boxster is the best sports car in the world, but it's in the top one.

For my money, the latest incarnation of the Boxster is as good as anything you can buy that doesn't cost £100,000-plus.

The Boxster has been with us since 1996, so it's reasonable to assume that most people know what it's all about - two-seater soft-top, flat six engine mounted amidships and a good portion of Porsche handling and styling DNA.

It sounds like a straightforward recipe, but the task facing Porsche in building the new model was to add features like electronic steering and the latest PDK transmission without spoiling that essential simplicity.

The first thing that struck me about the test car was its looks. While the styling is not a radical departure on the old car, in true Porsche tradition, it's much more curvaceous and by far the most attractive Boxster yet.

This car was fitted with optional 20-inch Carrera S wheels finished in black.

The wheels are a (very) expensive option - £1,900 for the wheels and an eye-watering £800 to have them painted black - but if I was specifying only one option for the car this would probably be it.

On the road, the Boxster is a joy. You expect sharp, quick handling from a Porsche and the new electronic steering system has diluted none of that. Where other similar systems can be vague mid-corner, adjusting the weighting just when you don't want it, the Boxster's steering is direct and consistent.

Have you ever read one of those road tests in which the writer claims the feedback through the wheel of a particular car is so good that if you run over a coin, you can tell whether it's heads or tails? Sounds ridiculous, of course, but drive a new Boxster quickly over some challenging country roads and you'll know exactly what they're getting at.

The early Boxster was one of the best-handling cars around right from the start. Now, with 15 or so years development under its belt, the chassis is even better.

It's difficult to imagine anyone but a lunatic getting the car seriously out of shape, so taut and yet forgiving is the handling.

Under the bonnet ¦ well, under the bonnet you'll find only luggage space as the powerplant on the mid-engined Boxster lives behind the seats. It's so tightly packed in that you can't actually see the engine without lying down underneath the car - all there is at the back is another luggage compartment and a couple of filler caps for oil and coolant.

You can't see the engine, but you can certainly hear it. The 2.7-litre, 265hp flat six delivers its power like a proper sports car, yowling its way to the redline with a noise you'll never get tired of hearing.

It's quick, of course, sprinting from 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds (surprisingly, the £1,000 launch control option only knocks a tenth of a second off that time) and on to a top speed of 162mph.

The seven-speed PDK transmission is the best part of £2,000 to add as an option, but is worth the money. Gear changes are lightning-fast and the system always seems to know what you're about to do.

It works out how fast or slow you're driving and hangs on to each gear appropriately. Potter around town and gears will be changed up quickly for maximum economy; use the throttle more heavily and the transmission will hang on to gears for longer.

Inevitably, the car comes with stop-start to aid fuel economy (a combined figure of 36.7mpg is claimed). It just seems wrong on a Porsche and isn't a particularly intelligent system either, usually choosing to cut out just as you've spotted a gap in the traffic. There's an ‘off' button, but it would be nice to be able to turn it off permanently.

Inside the car, the standard interior is classic Porsche although you can spend a fortune adding to it. But this is a car that doesn't need extra fancy bits on top - the basic recipe is just fine.

Storage space is better than you'd expect from a two-seater with barely room for a jacket behind the seats. The front storage bin is surprisingly deep and, coupled with the rear one, you could still manage a reasonable supermarket trip in the car.

I did, however, find the seats a bit narrow around the shoulders - and I'm not particularly tall or wide.

But that's a small criticism of one of the best cars you can buy for non-supercar money.

And that's why I think Cloughie would agree with me - pound for pound, this is the best conventional sports car on the market.