There's a special treat for Porschephiles in the new October 2011 issue of CAR Magazine: we've nabbed the first ride in the new 991-spec Porsche 911 - alongside rally ace Walter Rohrl. The new 911 is one of the highlights of 2012, and our European correspondent Georg Kacher spent two days riding shotgun with Rohrl around Alpine passes in the new 911 Carrera S.

Kacher had to brace himself for some rapid cross-country driving, as the 64-year-old Audi and Porsche veteran proved his preferred seating position is right foot pinned to the floor. Although we take Rohrl's judgments with a pinch of Porsche-paid-for salt, his views on the 991 proved enlightening.

'It turns in like a swoosh,' Rohrl says as he tucks into his next Alpine switchback. 'And it sticks - no more understeer. Incredible. All that tugging and pulling is gone. This 911 no longer fights its driver. Instead, it follows the line like a ruler, and is so well balanced you would never believe the engine sits aft of the rear axle.'

...Rohrl admits the new electro-mechancial power steering caused problems in development. 'Early on, we had problems on low-friction surfaces,' he tells CAR Magazine during our exclusive first ride. 'The phenomenon was called snap-over, and it only showed at the limit whern ultra-fast corrections were required. But engineering quickly fixed it.

'Although the new steering may face the odd acceptance problem among purists, it is in my view superior to a conventional rack because it can support the driver in critical situations, for example, by enhancing the self-centering motion or the directional stability on split-friction surfaces.'

Although the new steering may face the odd acceptance problem among purists

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