This is the one. 

If Porsche's 911 is the answer to people asking "what's the best sports car?", then its new GTS is the solution to finding the best 911.

Granted, that is not a dilemma keeping many folks up at night, and there are only 300,000-or-so reasons preventing most enthusiasts from wrestling with this conundrum.

Still, the newest variant of this newly turbocharged 911 range is particularly special. The brand will tell you that the five-member GTS family represents the sweet spot among the many cars in the 911 line-up – faster, more focused and better-equipped than the standard Carrera, but not as single-minded as the track-focused GT3 or decadent as the flagship 911 Turbo S that costs almost $500,000 on the road.

This is Goldilocks' Porsche. Just right.

Based on the Carrera S family, the GTS is available with three body styles (coupe, cabriolet and open-topped targa), a choice of seven-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic transmissions and the option of rear or all-wheel-drive traction.

Priced from $282,700 in its most affordable form (a manual coupe with two-wheel-drive), the GTS costs $26,400 more than the equivalent 911 Carrera S but adds more than $50,000 in desirable extras.

The headline news surrounds larger turbochargers for the 3.0-litre flat six that help kick out 331kW and 550Nm outputs – 22kW and 50Nm more than the standard car – lending ferocious straight-line performance. It also offers additional grip thanks to 44mm-wider rear bodywork allowing for massive 305mm-wide rear tyres wrapped around black 20-inch wheels with race-like centre-lock hubs.

You also get bigger brakes, sports suspension that sits lower and firmer than the Carrera and a more aggressively styled front bumper better suited to cooling the GTS' capable hardware.

Its interior includes sports seats, a smaller and more driver-focused steering wheel that does away with buttons for the information and entertainment screens, adding lashings of Alcantara and carbon fibre to complete the track-inspired look. As far as we're concerned, that's all good news.

Less welcome is the knowledge that the same car is available in the US, UK and Germany for $US120,700 ($159,200), £95,795 ($159,500) and €125,760 ($184,800), suggesting Australian customers are paying around $100,000 over the going rate for a globally available car, only half of which is luxury car tax.

The GTS' value equation is difficult to quantify.

While it offers plenty of attractive features over the Carrera S, the coupe's $305,000 drive-away price does not include more than $150,000 in optional extras available on the car. No, you probably don't need carbon fibre floor mats ($2120) or air vent slats individually trimmed in leather ($2090), but stuff like active cruise control ($4690) and blind spot monitoring ($1690) systems really should be standard.

Other nice-to-have items include ceramic brakes ($19,990) a GTS interior package with more Alcantara ($8140) racing bucket seats ($8290) LED headlights ($6490) a sunroof ($4990) active suspension ($7390) rear-wheel-steering ($5490) and a front axle lift system ($5490).

But you don't need any of that. Not really.

The beauty of the GTS is that it is all the 911 you need, bringing additional focus, performance and visual appeal over regular models.

It is sensational to drive, offering more punch than a standard coupe as well as a deeper exhaust note that complements newfound visual menace. This GTS is seriously quick in a straight line – Porsche claims a 0-100km/h time of 3.6 seconds for automatic coupes equipped with all-wheel-drive or 4.1 seconds for a rear-drive, manual version. Both rip beyond 300km/h with ease.

While there is plenty of mid-range torque with minimal throttle lag, some drivers will rightly lament the loss of Porsche's less powerful but more visceral naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine and its soaring engine sound. For them, only the 911 GT3 will do.

But it's unlikely to match the GTS' breadth of ability, with taut yet beautifully measured suspension offering outstanding composure and a surprisingly comfortable ride on broken country roads. There's more traction than before, its powerful brakes are deliciously well-weighted, and that compact steering wheel adds to the focused driving experience offered by this benchmark sports car.

We tested the GTS in a variety of forms all equipped with Porsche's $7390 "PDK" dual-clutch automatic gearbox, arguably the best transmission in any car today. Immeasurably discrete around town, the paddle-shift auto offers lightning-fast responses in sports mode, greedily blipping the throttle with a delicious gasp of induction roar on driver-induced down-changes.

Though Porsche still offers a manual option for purists, the vast majority of customers plump for the faster, more efficient and technologically masterful PDK auto. It's not hard to see why – particularly when the car returns sub-7L/100km fuel figures on the motorway run back to town.

Few will go for the Carrera 4 all-wheel-drive option, which is patently unnecessary for most Australian roads and climates. Yes, it launches to 100km/h 0.1s faster than a two-wheel-drive car and yes, it offers more traction in damp conditions. But it also adds weight and detracts from the standard car's deliciously pure driving experience while costing $16,200 better spent mastering the model through Porsche's sport driving school or taking part in events such as the touring class at Targa Tasmania.

The two-wheel-drive GTS is the complete package.

You get the magic 911 driving experience with that rear-mounted engine offering extraordinary traction under power as well as engaging weight-transfer characteristics when pushed through corners. Couple that with this car's increased performance, perfect control weighting and undoubtable street appeal, and Porsche is clearly on to a winner.

Forget the analysis paralysis. 

For Porsche's sports car customers, the new 911 GTS is the one to have.

2017 Porsche 911 GTS pricing

Carrera GTS Coupe - $282,700

Carrera 4 GTS Coupe - $298,900

Carrera GTS Cabriolet - $304,200

 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet - $320,400

Targa 4 GTS - $320,400

(Automatic +$7390)

2017 Porsche 911 GTS specifications

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 331kW at 6500rpm

Torque: 550Nm at 2150-5000rpm

Transmission: Seven-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive

Fuel use:  8.3-9.7L/100km

• For all the latest info, visit our Porsche showroom.