These days, the release of a new Porsche model is as predictable, and almost as frequent, as sunrise.

The latest 911 Turbo is the seventh model since its debut in 1975. It comes just three years after the sixth edition.

So what is new with this car which at first glance looks so much like its immediate predecessor?

The cold, hard specs are certainly impressive.

The new car is said to consume up to 16 per cent less fuel, has 20bhp more power, delivers 30Nm more torque and accelerates up to 8 per cent faster, not forgetting enhanced driving dynamics on the back of an inordinate amount of re-engineering beneath the skin.

The output increase is largely from a new and larger engine. The 3.8-litre flat-six is now fed with direct-injection and puts out 500bhp with even less turbo boost pressure.

The efficiency of the new engine is amplified by another crucial change: a new seven-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox.

While it is true that it is as effortless as a traditional autobox when left in D, PDK can be operated in full manual mode. Porsche now offers as an option a steering wheel with a simpler and more intuitive right-for-upshift, left-for-downshift paddle arrangement.

The transmission offers spectacularly brutal launches. Together with Launch Control that comes with the Sport Chrono Package, the 911 Turbo slingshots to 100kmh in 3.4 seconds, beating the last model by 0.3 second. Top speed is 312kmh, 2kmh higher than before.

The real value of the new gearbox is its shifting program and taller seventh gear ratio - they help improve fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.

In default mode, it is a calm and smooth shifter. In Sport mode, the engine and throttle mapping takes on a slightly aggressive edge, along with stiffened dampers.

And if Sport Plus is selected, the PDK goes into full attack mode and performs gear changes as if a race driver is shifting for you - always frenzied at maximum revs.

As with the previous 911 Turbo, the new car has PTM (Porsche Traction Management), which can infinitely vary power distribution to either axle in conjunction with a mechanical rear limited slip differential.

PSM, or Porsche Stability Management, works together with PTM to aid vehicle stability.

What is new is what Porsche calls PTV or Porsche Torque Vectoring, which employs judicious braking of the inner rear wheel for better cornering.

When the driver is powering out of bends, there is a subtle assistance that seems to direct the car back to the intended line because torque is being shifted to the outside wheel.

The added ability to vector torque when powering out of corners gives the 911 Turbo an uncanny ability to cover mountain roads rapidly and calmly.

With PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), this car has no problem absorbing tarmac blemishes and irregularities, which are abundant on the roads around the Estoril Circuit.

Quick laps around Estoril proved that the 911 Turbo is equally adept on the track. Its progressive handling and wide power band allow most drivers access to 95 per cent of its towering abilities in relative safety - as long as the PSM system is not switched off.

Beyond the big items, Porsche says it has made changes to even the most minute bits to improve the 911 Turbo, including new active engine mounts to improve power delivery to the wheels.

The result is the best handling, best performing, most user-friendly 911 Turbo you can buy from the first quarter of next year.

Until the eighth-generation model, that is.