Obviously any car that replaces the GT4 981 with PDK and softer ride will likely be less "special" or "exotic". So I am still mulling that. It may be the right answer is just a new daily driver that gets used on weekend and is fun enough. But one of the solutions would be to replace the 2 seater track toy with a 4 seater 911. Variant is the question and I was mostly mulling Turbo (maybe out of range cost wise) and S and GTS. Also a 992 version Carrera S or such... so a turbo car but with apple car play, and tune-options for power make it another potential.
I always loved the look of the new 991 Targa's when they came out. While not a true convertible guy it seems like the hard top look still works when up and it is fun to have top down at right temps and areas like coastal runs and forest rides. I have driven a few 997 but never been in a 991. Enter the Targa 4S currently for sale at Vanquish Motors in Concord, CA.
Looks
Always subjective but the look of the 991 Targa I think is quite good. It has the classic 911 shape and lines but with a really cool almost UFO looking rear window glass and roll bar. That said there is no question the GT4 is in a different category. The fact this car is black isn't helping define the lines well... but park it next to a bright green wrapped Cayman GT4 and well...hard to compete. However imagining the Targa in a bright color and or with different (gold perhaps) wheels or such and I think it could hold its own fairly well. It's not meant to be a GT car.
The rear end looks really nice with the wide body hips that the Targa's, GTS and Turbos get. I didn't bother to put the rear wing down but regardless the back view just looks meaty. I dare say the thinner tail lights and wide body look better on the 911 than the Cayman. Mix in quad exhaust ports and well... it's a classic. All that said...the GT4 will always win the visual category unless next to another GT car I think.
Ergo / Interior
The benefit of Porsche is while cars change, looks adjust, and power increases every generation, there is always something familiar. This was true of my 986 Boxster S as it was of my 981 Cayman S, GT4 and now this 991 Targa 4S. Each of these cars had an instant familiarity and similar feeling getting in. This is especially true being that the 991 and 981 share many interior bits and placement. Everything from the button layout, Infotainment, storage in door pockets, etc is essentially the same.
Sliding into the seat I adjusted the seats - effectively the same as my 981 GT4 18-ways. Instant comfort, feel and steering and pedal position. On top of that this car has both heated and ventilated seats. A must have for any sort of convertible and with temperatures today rising once again to over 100 I turned it on straightaway. Adjust the temperature settings and mirrors and I was off to go.
Visibility is good. While there is a spot at the roll bar area that is obviously solid - it's still decent. Most of what is around you is glass. And the rear B pillar is no worse than the GT4 and rearward visibility notably better than being blocked by a large wing.
A small gripe compared to the Cayman is the location of the air vents. The right side one I usually point at my body. But being a lower location on the 911 means it hit my hand more than anything else. My biggest gripe would be the multifunction steering wheel. For me I would want the buttonless GT wheel and the usual "stalk" to control the multi function display. I found myself accidentally hitting other buttons a few times. The other big gripe is with the MF wheel and how the Up/Down shift buttons work. More on that nonsense later.
Power / Handling / Transmission
One of the big questions I had was how would it drive. Being that the Targa is the heaviest variant of the 911 mixed with 4WD made me wonder how well it would go. I also really wanted to see if I felt like I was missing the 6MT compared to PDK. I wanted to test two parts of the driving. How did it feel puttering around side roads, and secondly how did it handle on back roads and turns.
Power was good. Initially torque felt stronger than my GT4. But I think they are close. My car running stage 2 tune is probably closer to this and being that the 911 is heavier both are probably within a few tenths of each other with the GT4 likely faster 0-60. Like the Cayman with the NA engine power is more at the higher end. When you are not in the torque range it's more of a slow pull. PDK does a great job of shifting for you. I found Sport mode exactly what was needed for basic traffic street driving. Shifting well before redline but giving you power when needed. Off the line it tended to up shift a bit earlier than I would like but most people probably don't try to jet out of green lights. Or switch to sport plus or manual mode and that problem is solved. It was really nice to be able to just cruise and not have to manage shifting in traffic. It felt like any other car except still special being a Porsche.
The bigger difference was suspension. I tried this car with both PASM (Porsche's adjustable sport suspension) on and off. The 911 just isn't quite as "tactile" as the GT4 which I knew was going to be the case. Still the result was basically a slight numbing while driving. While street driving was basically enjoyable and "more" than my current daily - I found myself having to look down at the speedometer to see that yes - I really was going fast. Like my previous 981S the modern Porsches make fast driving effortless. Cruising at any speed often feels like you are going 20mph slower compared to any normal car. I found the soft suspension providing enough information on normal traffic. Stiffer setting made it more akin to the Cayman. So overall seating position, sounds, steering etc was exactly what I would want for a back road "chill" drive with the "family". The next question though was how would it compare when pushed harder?
When I got to the start of a nearby back road I was able to push a bit more. Sport Plus mode does a great job of holding gears more as you would want for aggressive canyon carving. While I sometimes shifted up or down myself (getting stuck behind slower cars - waiting a bit then catching back up) I could see that you could easily drive in automatic and have fun. The gear shifts at red line while fast provide a nice jolt into your seat when accelerating. All that said the car felt a lot more numb than the GT4 on the turns. Again I had to compare to how fast I was going to how fast I felt like I was going. Turning the PASM setting to stiff mode helps. The GT4 is so solid that "on" mode here was probably slightly softer still than the Cayman. Still the car just doesn't quite communicate the same way. The chassis of the GT4 really is "that special".
However it is fast. I was able to push a few corners and never once did I feel any slide or rear bias. Partly may be the 4WD. And partly this car like every Porsche it just grips. I did feel the weight but still it wasn't bad. Brakes are still Porsche level good. While perhaps not GT car still more than adequate for fun. That said I wasn't quite pushing (not my car) to the level of GT4 partly out of respect for owner and partly because I wasn't quite sure of how the weight and 4WD would play out. Would it be fun for canyon carving - I am pretty sure the answer is yes. Would it be as special/tactile as the GT4... no. It makes me wonder about a proper 2WD rear 911 such as a S or GTS. But still this thing will eat corners like any other Porsche just with less feedback than a GT car.
The other important factor with back road driving is transmission. I already noted that the PDK was quite good. In fact I daresay that the "engagement" factor between GT4 and the Targa had little or nothing to do with the 6MT vs PDK. Both are great. Both let you shift. It was more the "feel" of the car and chassis.
However my biggest griped is the way the MF steering wheel "triggers" or "buttons" work. I fortunately discovered this at lower rpms and traffic light driving. But whereas the expectation was that the left side would do "down shifting" and the right side pull would do "up shifting" this is not exactly how it works. For some reason Porsche decided that EACH paddle side would do both Up or Down depending on if you pulled it toward you vs pushed it like a button. The left side pull towards you does a down shift as expected. However so does the right side "pull". To Up shift you have to "push" the right side lever like a button from the front of the steering wheel. This means you can also shift fully with just one hand. Left hand push to Up shift to a higher gear, or pull back to do down shift. Same with right hand. For whatever reason my brain found this confusing. I just wanted the left and right sides to work like practically every other car. Apparently there are some wiring hacks you can do to the car (see this thread for example) that lets you disable the push and make the pull behave more as expected. I also would have preferred larger actual paddles like the GT wheel gets. Again I know that can be modded.
All that said I was quite happy with PDK. Surprisingly. While I can't say that shifting the GT4 isn't fun and special... when driving I still felt like I could do what I wanted as I wanted and it was really nice to not have to worry about it in traffic. By the time I headed back to fill up I was driving in manual mode and suspension on stiff setting just because.
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| Side view is arguably the best view of this car |
Driving the targa was surprisingly fun. It felt great "around town" and could blend in quietly when needed. Switch to higher revs and passing other cars was instant easy mixed with sound from the NA engine. While not a GT4 wail it was quite good and I imagine an aftermarket exhaust would make it perfect. This car had quite a few goodies from OEM backup camera (very nice) to the ventilated seats.
I put the top up at the gas station before driving the rest of the way back. Both to cool off and experience the closed top state. Like many reviews state you have to be at a complete standstill for the 19 second ballet to move the top either direction fully. Watching it was quite amusing. Also as many reviewers said there are some creaks and sounds when closed and driving on normal roads. Maybe something that would be annoying. Still with the engine noise at higher revs the sound was great traditional Porsche flat six. If anything it sounded purer without wind noise.
Overall the Targa surprised me in a few ways. It made me remember the comfort of my 981S suspension but with the cost of more numbness. It also made me a bit of a PDK convert. I wouldn't say no for my next car. It is still enjoyable to drive and would let my wife experience or help out on a longer road trip. It also sounded quite good. Having been in 911 with the engine in the rear you miss the engine type sounds of the two seater, but it was nice having room behind me be it for dogs or road trip goodies. And the speed and cornering ability is still pure Porsche. However I am concerned it wouldn't be quite as engaging as the GT4 which was one of the reasons I purchased that car.
What does all this mean for me long term? Would it be better to keep the exotic GT4 for more solo or shorter drives and limited track time? Or would it be more enjoyable to have a special weekend car that isn't quite as unique but can be used for longer day trips but is perhaps more special than whatever the next daily driver is? Time will tell. I probably need to test drive some GTS and perhaps 992 generation cars to really see.
I will say the GT4 with green wrap is still special. With sport headers and green wrap it turns heads everywhere. Perhaps a fitting end to the days test drive was a mom coming over when I pulled up in the black targa. I got out and was taking pictures. She came over and told me her son had been walking around my Cayman for 5 minutes before. She wanted to let him sit in it and get some pictures. I of course obliged and revved it for him. He was wide eyed and ecstatic sitting in the leather and alcantara seats looking around the GT4 cabin. I don't think this would happen in a Targa. Well perhaps if it was wrapped in 3M Gloss Green Envy.
I headed back home with all the above swimming through my mind. The GT4 is still amazing and arguably the best car for me still for fun rides. The next step is likely a daily driver change and seeing if that fills the gap enough for weekend fun or if I miss the frequency of the 981. I am not quite in a rush to lose the "GT" feel - that would be a loss - but I can also see a benefit to a switch too. Either way: Porsche - there is no substitute.
Thanks for reading!
