First weekend with 911 Targa 4 GTS

When we drove out of Porsche Centre Dublin with our new 911 Targa it was the first meter we had ever driven in a 911. We had never test driven one, been in one or even started one up. If folks on this forum see us as some sort of “authority” on the Taycan – nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the 911.

All we really knew is that we wanted one – or at the very least we wanted the very idea of one. My co-driver and I felt ready for it and this was the right time for us. We had done the “sensible” Panamera Turbo S and traded that in for the appeal of the new technology of the Taycan 4S.

Enjoying that so much but missing the overtaking power of the Panamera – and burnt a little by many 22 kW on-board charger failures – we ordered the Turbo S variant of the Taycan. Initially without the 22 kW option, but with reassurance from Porsche that the issues that had plagued our 4S – we bumped up the spec on our new car to include it.

Despite one wobble of the 150 kW DC converter – before a trip to arctic Norway – on the Turbo S it had settled down into a very reliable car.

We are not running away from the Taycan, instead running towards exploring the new experiences of the 911.

Driving is mainly instinct and pattern recognition and everything about the 911 is instantly familiar but simultaneously different enough to not be the same. The wheel feels similar, the 18-way seats are almost identical but with the lack of a battery in the floor – you are sitting much lower.

The instrument cluster is familiar, the font is the same, the black of the background is identical, but there are five “dials” and a centre tachometer.

And then you turn the “key” and everything is different – we hear for the first time in our lives – the startup growl of not only a flat six engine – but OUR flat six engine.

With the elevated revs of a cold engine dropping down after the oil from the dry sump reaches all parts of the engine – reminding us that this car is as computer controlled as our Taycan was.

The Taycan may have had a fake “sports sound” but this engine also has its own aural tricks – and has been designed and tuned for it. Especially in the Targa, where the engine resonates into the cabin through the design of the lowered roof – more than on any other 911.

Porsche knows what they are doing though – as it seems hard-coded to trigger the same response in every human that sits in a 911 and hears it: a large smile.

We’re picking up the car on a Friday and it’s a public holiday weekend here in Ireland – so we’re off to drive some of our favourite roads in the west of Ireland – many of which makes up the Wild Atlantic Way – the longest defined coastal route in the world.

Our first 200 km is motorway as we cross our small country from the capital Dublin to the west coast. As it is on 120 km/h motorway we have the roof up and form our first observation: the Targa feels like the coupe when its closed. A good thing when you live in a country that rains as much as it does in Ireland.

With Porsche Innodrive, Active Lane Keep and adaptive cruise control among the heavy traffic of the public holiday – the same options we had on our Taycan – this is as easy and refreshing to control on long trip segments.

Even in normal mode though – and with sports exhaust switched off - the rumble from the engine is very audible. Conversation is easy within the cabin – the BOSE stereo can easily overcome it if you turn it up – and you can still hear the road noise from the tyres.

But you do not need to option in the Burmester stereo option – the extra fidelity of it will be lost to the background noise of the 911.

After about 135 km of motorway driving we have our first major “we’re not in a Taycan anymore” experience – as we drive pass the IONITY stations at the Circle K in Athlone – where we would ordinarily have to stop off – and often queue – for a energy top up.

This prompts us to do our first fuel consumption check – we’ve used about only about 17% of the tank and are consuming petrol at 8.3 litres/100km. A little lower than we expected but likely due also to the lower average speeds of busy roads.

We arrived at our overnight hotel – a cosy hotel with genuine Irish hospitality – located in Ennis, Co. Clare. The car park is busy and we have our second “not in a Taycan” moment – being able to park in the last remaining space – that would not have accommodated the 5 meter length of the Taycan.

The hatch markings were just protecting a flower pot – so we parked close to it – to keep away from other cars!

The hotel has a single 3kW charger – that was unoccupied – we’d have snapped it up last week if we were here. Instead, we have enough fuel in the car to not have to worry about energy until Sunday.

After a restful sleep we head out to our car in what is shaping up to be – for Ireland – a gloriously sunny day. Perfect open top motoring then.

We drive along our planned route – keeping the coast to our left as we amble north towards Galway. The roads are narrow and with the good weather and public holiday – they are busy. Even though nobody would consider the 911 a “thin” car – it feels it when coming out of the girth of a Taycan. It so much easier to thread down these roads and squeeze between on coming traffic.

Passing the surfing town of Lahinch – we stop off at the car park – which happens to have the first public charger we ever used (with our hybrid Panamera) and temporarily ICE it to capture the milestone.

When the traffic does ease up – we turn the dial on our wheel to “Sport” – and push on. While our Targa is the heaviest 911 you can buy – it feels like a feather compared to Taycan.

Coming into a steep corner – hitting the apex at 75 km/h – the car just continues to go around it – rather than the tendency of the Taycan – to want to just go straight due to the momentum of its mass.

At the same time, it gave us a renewed appreciation for what Porsche achieved with the Taycan. Ours had PTV+, PDCC and rear-wheel steering – alongside dynamic chassis control. And that really did help it hide its weight.

The more we drive the 911 and learn its capabilities – the more we realise we really were driving something very close to an electric version of it in the Taycan.

Porsche sell a lot of four door cars – like the Cayenne – on the basis that it is a “sports car” for five people. They sell the “dream” of the 911 to people that want a SUV or a large luxury car. For the most part – while these cars are “sporty” they are not a sports car.

We thought the same was likely true of the Taycan too – even though we knew how well it handled. But now realise that the same blurb with regard to Taycan isn’t just marketing.

We come away from our first weekend in the 911 – with a very strong renewed sense that we’ve been driving a real sports car since we picked up our Taycan in early 2021.

Additionally, the explosive acceleration on the Taycan Turbo S makes our 911 Targa 4 GTS feel like quite pedestrian in its pick up. In fact, it makes us realise how bonkers the Taycan really is and the latest generation is faster again.

We never felt the lack of sound on the Taycan was an issue – for us it was a feature: insane acceleration in near silence.

But there is something that also slows the Taycan right down: its size. On roads that are at most 4 meters wide for both lanes, you have to come to a near stop when passing traffic. And slow down for the corners when they are too sharp to take at speed due to its mass.

Despite having about 65% of the power and about 50% of the acceleration – the 911 Targa is faster in many real world situations and more relaxing to drive. Especially as we were brave with our Taycan – there was nowhere we weren’t willing to bring it.

The only place we really noticed the turbo lag on the 911 is at busy roundabouts where pulling out was hampered a little by it – but only when comparing to what the Taycan Turbo S could jump out into.

The 911 Targa still leaves most traffic far behind it when accelerating away from lights and junctions – and always accompanied by that beautiful flat-6 symphony.

We haven’t yet settled on using the PCM natively – with maps and Apple Music streaming – or just stick with Apple CarPlay. But one thing we appreciate is that the 911 doesn’t really need the PCM in the same way as the Taycan did. You were compelled to use the PCM Navigation so that proper battery preparation could happen on long trips. A 911 doesn’t care when you want to put petrol in its tank!

I suspect we’ll end up on CarPlay – but find the PCM more familiar at the moment due to our extensive use of it on Taycan.

We stop off at the Cliffs of Moher – the tallest sea cliffs in Europe – never been here in the sun – it is notorious for bad weather.

One of the things we appreciate about the design of the Targa is that it is not obvious that the roof is down from the rear.

We park up at our overnight hotel in Barna, Galway – and actually manage to fit into the car parking space – something we’ve not done since we had a Volvo S40.

The next day – we continue our drive along the fabulous west coast of Ireland – seriously if you have not road-tripped here – plan it. Despite being from here and growing up one this coast – and driving many of the best coastal roads in the world: Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, the 101 along Oregon – this is right up there with any of them.

We stop off at Ballynahinch Castle – somewhere we frequently stay at – and park up to change into walking shoes.

Reminding ourselves that we now have centerlock wheels and hope we never get a puncture.

We head out into the forest for an enjoyable 8km stroll along the trees and the Owenmore River. Despite loving our new car, it is time for some exercise.

After our walk we have our first recharge of our 911 and the joy of the ease and speed is offset somewhat with the cost (in Ireland 55% of the price is tax) of the petrol. It has been many years since we’ve walked into the store and said “Pump 3 please”!

We push on leaving Clifden, Co. Galway behind us heading back cross country to our hotel at Barna. The road is narrow and twisty and glorious to drive. The engine easily revving up to 6,500 rpm in a blink of an eye with the accompanying crackles and pops of the computer performing overrun fuel mapping allowing just the right amount of unburnt fuel into the hot exhaust – solely for the purpose of generating this sound.

It is still early days and our 911 is still a novelty – but right now as we finish writing this – we’ve no regrets in the change. In the words of my co-driver: “this car is just a lot of fun” and that is what we always want from our Porsche’s: fun. We commute by public transit, we shop with our Fiat 500 EV and we think – in fact we’re sure – we’ve found our ultimate adventure car.

Oh, and it fits our luggage plans perfectly. Whew!

As we park up for our final evening of this weekend – when we exit our car – we’re reminded of who manufactures it.