The 4WD system adds a layer of security and
infallibility that the non-enthusiast driver will certainly appreciate. Only a
very clumsy throttle application in a low gear and on a wet surface will
trouble the traction control. Comfort and security are the watchwords here,
rather than involvement and edginess. There is still a certain sharpness to the
ride quality over small lumps and bumps, but it does soak up surface
imperfections with more pliancy than the coupe. As we’ve come to expect of
modern 911s, the damping quality is superb; compressions and larger intrusions
are dealt with swiftly, with composure and without deflection.
While
the original Targa's roof panel had to be removed manually, the latest version
can be operated at the press of a button
The natural chassis balance is neutral,
pushing into slight safety understeer towards the edge of grip, and in the 991
there is now precious little sensation of there being a large pendulum slung
out over the back axle. In the firmer chassis modes there is such abundant body
control that the car feels intimately tied into the road surface, but it still
isolates the occupants from it.
The dynamic make-up has thus far been more
than impressive, but the picture begins to change when you start to work the
Targa a little harder. The steering, as we’ve come to expect of the 991, is
aloof and slightly remote when it really matters. It does now tug and weave a
little in your hands as it did in the previous generation 911, but it’s only an
illusion of true feel; when you want to know just where the limit of front-axle
grip is without stepping over it, the steering won’t give you too many clues.
Below
the roof line, this 911 shares virtually all its underpinnings with the 911
cabriolet
Both Targa models get a Sport button to add
weight to the steering an d sharpen the throttle response, but only the Targa
4S gets Porsche Active Suspension Management, which can adapt to suit the road
surface, as standard.
Similarly Porsche Torque Vectoring, which
uses the inside-rear brake to pivot the car into turns to good effect, is
standard only on the Targa 4S and is an $1,510 option on the Targa 4. One
option that is exclusive to the higher-powered model, Porsche Dynamic Chassis
Control, uses variable anti-roll bars to cut body roll during hard cornering.
It’s a clever system, but since roll is how the driver feels the loading of the
chassis in corners, it is best avoided.
Once
ensconced in the Targa's interior, you feel secure and only partially exposed
to the elements
There is something a little strange in the
way the new Targa approaches its limits when the driver begins to push.
Experience of similar cars tells you that the Targa surely can’t carry much
more speed through a sequence of turns, and that it must be on the edge of
adhesion, but there’s actually very little evidence from the car itself to
confirm this. The truth is that it is on or around the limits of its
capabilities, but it just remains so composed, unflustered and, in a sense,
lifeless that you begin to believe you’re barely scratching the surface. The
Targa just doesn’t engage and reward in the manner that the two-wheel drive
coupe can; it doesn’t encourage a committed driving style.
Porsche
has given the Targa a collapsible folding roof, which operates more like a convertible
than a sliding sunroof mechanism
The Targa’s weight penalty compared to its
fixed-head stable mate and the tuning for greater comfort are clearly manifest
in its driving characteristics. It isn’t a match for the coupe as a sports car,
but for the aesthetic qualities of that roll-hoop and glass canopy, it is a
more alluring drop-top than the Cabriolet.
