Porsche fans have three new 911s to choose from. The German performance brand has announced two new Carrera 4S variants, a cabriolet and a coupe, along with a new Targa 4S.
All three vehicles are packing an all-wheel drive system, and the newly announced vehicles now make up half of all AWD 911 options. With Porsche being Porsche, it’s not the safety and stability-centered AWD you may be used to. Instead, the manufacturer claims that its “extensively revised powertrain gives the all-wheel-drive sports car a significant boost in emotionality compared to its predecessor models.” We believe roughly that translates to “it’s better in terms of grip and overall performance, but you can still have some fun in it.”
In addition to the AWD system, all three Porsches are packing the company’s advanced traction and stability control systems. The Targa 4S features rear-wheel steering as standard too, which reduces the vehicle’s turning radius and makes things like high-speed lane changes more stable. The new Carrera 4S also has roughly 20 more horsepower than its predecessor, coming in at around 473 HP in total. You can expect a 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds.
The Targa could have more to come this year
While all three models are something to shout about, it is worth noting that Porsche is celebrating 60 years of the Targa. The vehicle originally debuted as a safer version of a cabriolet following worries in the 1960s that standard convertibles might be banned in the United States. The ban didn’t happen, but the Targa stuck around and developed a strong following anyway.
Despite the occasion, Porsche has seemingly resisted rolling out an official “60th anniversary Edition” of the Targa. Don’t rule it out, the 60th anniversary of the 911 in 2023 saw a special vehicle drop, but for now, the new model year Targa 4S seems to have experienced minimal changes from what we can gather.