NOW in its eighth generation, the iconic Porsche 911 is more powerful, faster and more ‘digital'.

But it remains the ultimate driving machine - an incredible fusion of engineering and historic style.

It has a more muscular look, wider and more assertive, plus a high-quality interior featuring a 10.9-inch touchscreen monitor, but you can literally feel that original 911 DNA coursing through its veins.

Its body is lighter and stiffer due to a doubling of its aluminium content and there's a new, quick-shifting eight-speed PDK auto gearbox, re-designed suspension, even better brakes and - for the first time - different-sized wheels at the front and back. Its wider wings arch over 20-inch wheels at the front and 21-inch wheels at the rear.

There's also a lot more technology, including a clever new 'Wet Mode' which adapts the drive dynamics to suit slippery conditions. Also standard is adaptive damping, four-wheel drive with an electronically controlled diff and an emergency braking system.

The optional 'Sport Chrono' pack - £1,646 - gives you Launch Control and a 'Sport Response Button' that preconditions the drivetrain for maximum acceleration over 20 seconds for swift overtaking. To be honest, I preferred flicking down the gears and punching the accelerator myself. Much more satisfying.

The Porsche's flat-six turbocharged engine has also been tweaked, making it more powerful than ever before, with 444bhp in the S models. There's also an extra 30Nm of torque giving it 530Nm in total. Thrillingly, this is available within a wide range of speeds, from 2,300 to 5,000 rpm.

The dashboard now flows in an unbroken span across the entire width of the interior bringing a modern and stylish feel to the cockpit. The centre touchscreen is fairly easy to operate and below it there's a control panel of five buttons - styled to look like classic toggle switches.

The revamped, fully adjustable seats are comfortable and supportive and are positioned a tiny bit lower. Despite this, visibility remains good.

In the rear there's two seats suitable only for small children (or more luggage) and under the bonnet, there's a small 132-litre boot for those weekend essentials.

Driving an icon is enough to put a smile on anyone's face but the new 911 is a truly remarkable machine. It's properly fast in a straight line and around corners, where huge amounts of grip is provided by all that technology, all-wheel drive and those wider tyres. It feels natural.

But, even in more sporting modes, it remains very comfortable. On a motorway cruise, the engine quietens down - unless you want to provoke a howl from over your shoulder - and there's less road noise than you'd expect from those larger tyres. Despite redesigned door mirrors, there's still a fair amount of wind noise though.