Porsche 911 review

Everyone likes to do the sums over owning a 911. It's not cheap, because buying and maintaining isn't, but it's predictable. Strong residuals help the lease cost, and if you're buying privately it's always good to know you'll find a buyer for it at the end.

Take a base version as an example. Yours for only a fraction over £1,000 a month provided you skim lightly over the options list. It’s another big strength of the 911. It might be more expensive to buy outright, but it’ll cost you less – you’ll get more back at the end or pay less in lease.

CO2 figures are low by sports car standards (from 233g/km for the base car), so are good for company car tax – far lower than the Mercedes-AMG GT. Of course, if it's a company car, you will never match the low costs of the BMW i8 or another hybrid. Porsche is yet to go down that route here.

The warranty is three years, and it has no mileage limit. The standard spec is now pretty full. It includes adaptive damping, electronic LSD, LED headlights, and connected navigation. You probably want to add the sports exhaust and Sports Chrono pack. There are dozens more high-tech options. Get yourself over to the web configurator and be led into temptation.

Driver assist systems on the options list include active cruise, lane-keeping, and even night vision. As to the available chassis options – 4WD, 4WS, anti-roll – well, the best way to decide if they're for you is to order a standard car. At the same time book a day at the Porsche Experience Centre track at Silverstone (it's included in the price) and have a go in different variations. Then you can amend the spec of your car before it's built and delivered.

Fancy following us as we run a base Porsche 911 Carrera? Follow progress here