Until now, the popular Porsche 911 series was available in coupe and cabriolet body styles. Now, the new 911 generation is available in a third body style with all-wheel drive - the 911 Targa 4 and 911 Targa 4S models. The latest generation models have drawn inspiration from the legendary 1965 Targa. Read below to learn more about its top five highlights.
Exterior
Drawing design elements from the 992 model generation, the new 911 Targa 4 and 911 Targa 4S feature pronounced wheel arches at the front. Between the LED headlights, the bonnet has a distinctive recess, evoking the design of the first 911 generations. The rear is dominated by its wider, variably extending rear spoiler and seamlessly integrated elegant light bar. Except for the front and rear section, the entire outer section is made from aluminum. The 911 Targa 4 gets 235/40 ZR tyres wrapped around 19-inch alloy wheels on the front axle and 295/35 ZR tyres wrapped around 20-inch wheels on the rear axle. The 4S model is fitted with 245/35 ZR tyres on its 20-inch front wheels and 305/30 ZR tyres on its 21-inch rear wheels.
The 1965 911 Targa 2.0 was a trailblazer for a whole new type of car. Originally marketed as a ‘safety cabriolet with anti-roll bar’, the Targa, with its detachable roof, soon established itself as an independent concept and indeed became a style icon. Skip to the present day, Porsche has continued to combine two worlds in the 911 Targa - the advantages of ‘open-top driving’ in a cabriolet with the everyday comfort and safety of a coupe. The cars get a fully automatic roof system.
Interior
The interior details are inspired by the 1970s 911 models. Along the central rev counter, it gets two thin, frameless freeform displays that provide additional information to the driver. The cars feature a compact switch unit with five buttons for direct access to important vehicle functions, which is located below the 10.9-inch centre screen of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system. The standard PCM features include online navigation based on swarm data as well as Connect Plus.
Engine
The Porsche 911 Targa 4 is powered by a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine with twin turbochargers. This engine produces 380bhp and with the optional Sport Chrono package, the vehicle is capable of sprinting from 0-100 kmph in 4.2-seconds, one-tenth faster than before.
The 911 Targa 4s produces 444bhp and is capable of sprinting from 0-100kmph in 3.6-seconds, four tenths faster than its predecessor. The 911 Targa 4 has a top speed of 289kmph (up by 2kmph), while the 4S has a top speed of 304kmph (up 3 km/h). Both the models get the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (PDK) and intelligent all-wheel drive Porsche Traction Management (PTM) as standard to deliver maximum driving pleasure. Interestingly, the 911 Targa 4S can be ordered with the newly developed seven-speed manual gearbox, which includes the Sport Chrono package.
All-wheel drive system
Both the cars feature the all-wheel drive set up with additional development for the front-axle system. The clutch and differential unit are water-cooled and has reinforced clutch discs for greater robustness and a higher load capacity. The company claims that the increased actuating torque at the clutch improves its adjustment accuracy and also improves the function of the additional front-axle drive system. Overall, the front-axle drive system with PTM (Porsche Traction Management) reportedly contributes to even better traction in all road conditions.
Redeveloped chassis
As a part of the standard equipment, the new 911 Targa’s get the electronically controlled variable damping system PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management). This system automatically adjusts the damping characteristics in terms of driving comfort and handling of each driving situation and has two manually adjustable maps: Normal and Sport. The Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) includes an electronic rear differential lock with fully variable torque distribution; which is added as standard equipment on the Targa 4S and is available as an option on the Targa 4. Both the cars get the Porsche Wet mode as standard. If sensors in the front wheel arches detect significant levels of surface water, a signal is issued in the instrument cluster as a recommendation for the driver to manually switch to the ‘Wet’ mode. The drive responsiveness is then adapted to the conditions to offer maximum driving stability.
