Porsche 911 Targa 4 review

"It's nothing more than a posh sunroof"

What is it?

A halfway-house between the convertible 911 and the coupé that’s supposed to offer the best of both worlds. The roof is glazed all the way back to the engine bay. And the front section opens like a big sunroof and slides over the rear section. You can also open a glass hatch at the back for easy loading.
All Targa models come with four-wheel drive and start from £72,749.


What’s it like outside?

Like a 911, obviously. Being four-wheel drive there’s the Kerry Katona-style wider Carrera 4 rear. On the plus side the Targa gets a nice metallic strip that runs along the window line. Then, of course, there's the vast expanse of glass which makes the car look a little like a greenhouse on wheels.


What’s it like on the inside?

The extra glazing really does make the interior feel more spacious than it actually is and really allows light to flood in. Trouble is though, with the central roof section slid back as far as it can go you realise the Targa is nothing more than an over-sized sunroof.

Because the roof pillars remain in place you don’t really get any more wind in the hair thrills than just winding the windows down on the coupé. And forget about using your rear view mirror when you have the top open. As the central glass section slides under the rear one it distorts your vision as much as looking underwater without goggles.


What’s it like to drive?

Thankfully it’s closer to the coupé than the cabrio. However, the extra glass adds a little extra weight – about 60Kg. The result is an increase in the 0-62mph sprint time of 0.2 seconds, which, in reality, is nothing. So then, it feels fast and fun, and the clever 4x4 system, which shuffles torque between all four wheels, provides amazing levers of grip.


Verdict

The Tagra 4 is good, make no mistake. But the reality is, however, that it’s nothing more than a posh sunroof. And it’s not worth paying the £5,000 extra over the standard Carrera 4, which in turn isn’t actually as good as the cheaper two-wheel drive Carrera 2. So, in the end, the Targa 4 makes very little sense, unless you plan to use your 911 for growing tomatoes. Maybe that's what the standard 4x4 is for - so you don't get stuck on your allotment.

By Mat Watson