Porsche is calling the new 911 and its branded siblings such as the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S, their new generation of sports car. That’s all well and good, but the real proof of a new generation of sports car has ultimately got to be measured in performance.

No single part of the Carrera S is significantly different from older versions, but almost every part of the power train and suspension has been subjected to some modification for the 2009 model. The overall result of lots of small upgrades and tune-ups is a genuinely fresh new generation feel to the car.

The Carrera S comes equipped with a host of features like the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) including some old favourites unique to the Porsche line. Surprisingly power and torque output, coupled with excellent handling technologies, make the Carrera S an extremely worthy successor to the throne.

Some have gone so far as to call it the new benchmark for its class. Of course, commendations like that don’t come cheap ñ but the 2009 Porsche Carrera S is actually surprisingly good value when compared against cheap imitations from other manufacturers. If you’ve got the cash, the Carrera S makes a costly but excellent value investment. The Carrera S will still be settling in while other sport cars are losing their value by the mile.