The latest 992 generation Porsche 911 has established itself as one of the best Porsche sports cars that the company has ever produced. As is tradition, the coupe 911 was launched first, followed by the cabriolet and now, the Targa has joined the line-up, completing the trio of traditional body styles.
What is a Targa?
The best way to describe a Targa 911 is as a midway point between a coupe and cabriolet, providing a unique roof design. First introduced in 1965, the Targa retains the same roof concept, with a wide Targa roll bar along with a movable roof section over the front seats and a wraparound rear window. The roof is electronically operated and can be opened and closed in 19 seconds.
The latest iteration features significantly more flared wheel arches upfront along with LED headlights and a bonnet recess included to pay homage to earlier 911 models. The rear-end features the now signature light bar while in the roof department, the sliver roll bar and large rear window create, in this writer’s opinion, the best-looking Targa in decades.
The new Targa
At this stage, there will be three Targa variants introduced, a Targa 4 PDK, a Targa 4S PDK and a Targa 4S manual. All three models are powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six motor which in Targa 4 guise produces 283 kW and 450 N.m of torque. With the optional Sports Chrono package ticked, the Targa 4 will get from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and consume a claimed 9.8L/100km. The Targa 4S variants get bigger turbochargers for an output of 331 kW and 530 N.m. The PDK-equipped 4S will accelerate to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds and consume a claimed 9.9 L/100km.
The PDK models both feature the same eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox as the coupe and cabriolet models while the manual option features a newly developed seven-speed manual gearbox. As their respective badges suggest, all Targa models come with four-wheel drive system with an updated version of the front-axle drive system.
Specification
The Targa models now come with PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) while Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) is standard on the 4S and an option on the 4. Porsche has also added its new InnoDrive package which includes adaptive cruise control and traffic Jam Assist that not only uses sensors and cameras, but the car’s GPS to make the speed adjustment as predictable and as smooth as possible.
There’s also an optional Smartlift function, which is an automated version of the brand’s front axle lift system which now used GPS to raise and lower the electrohydraulic system by up to 40mm. As with the rest of the 992 911 range, the interior features a 10.9-inch Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system which includes Apple CarPlay functionality, online navigation based on swarm data as well as Connect Plus.
Pricing
Current currency fluctuations amid the global COVID-19 pandemic make it difficult to price new products; however, expect pricing to be revealed when the first units arrive towards the end of 2020.
