The 992 Porsche 911 Targa Is A Heavy But Fast Halfway House

Torn between getting a Porsche 911 coupe or Cabriolet? The Targa is back to offer something in between house thanks to its clever folding roof.

It’s the last core member of the 992 911 range to be revealed, and like the last one, you can only have it in all-wheel drive. Also mirroring its predecessor, it’s the heaviest member of the 992 family.

At 1675kg, it’s 40kg heavier than the already porky 992 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, meaning that trick folding mechanism adds 110kg relative to the coupe. Thankfully, there’s plenty of power to overcome the mass - the base Targa 4 develops 380bhp and 332lb ft from its twin-turbo 3.0-litre flat-six, while the Targa 4S churns out 444bhp and 391lb ft from a livelier version of the same engine.

The base car will hit 62mph in 4.2 seconds - two tenths slower than a Carrera coupe - continuing to a 180mph top speed. The Targa 4S manages the same sprint in 3.6 seconds - again, two tenths slower than its tin-top cousin, but four-tenths quicker than the old one - running out of puff at 189mph. The caveat is you’ll need to go for the eight-speed ‘PDK’ twin-clutch automatic and Sport Chrono pack is you want to achieve those acceleration figures.

If you’re happy with some slightly slower acceleration times, a newly developed seven-speed manual gearbox available on the 4S. Porsche no longer charges less for stick shift-equipped 911s, though - instead, PDK is standard, and the manual is a no-cost option.

The folding roof operates much as it does on the 991 Targa, with a big chunk of the bodywork - rear glasshouse included - lifting to allow the fabric roof to be stowed behind a retro-styled rollover hoop. The mechanism takes 19 seconds to do its thing, seven seconds slower than the convention 992 rag top.

The Targa gets PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) as standard, along with PTV (Porsche Torque Vectoring) Plus, assuming you’ve gone for a 4S. The latter - which includes an electronically-controlled locking rear differential - is optional on the Targa 4. The Sport Chrono pack is chucked in for free if you spec the manual, but the normally optional gizmo doesn’t have as much functionality when it isn’t paired with an auto.

Both versions of the car are priced the identically to their all-wheel drive Cabriolet relatives. You’ll need to spend at least £98,170 for a Targa 4 and £109,725 for a Targa 4S. Which method would you prefer for alfresco 911 motoring?