2025 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS | UK Review
A simplified 911 Targa range contains just one hybridised, 4WD model - what's it like?
Were this a game of 911 Buckaroo, we would be in real danger of having the hat, lasso and saddle flung right in our faces. This is a Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS, which makes it – deep-breath – a hybrid, four-wheel-drive, partially open-top iteration of the most perennial performance car of them all.’
Helping disperse any brain fog is the fact this is the only iteration of Targa on sale, simplifying the once mind-boggling 911 tab of the Porsche GB website at least a little. And with the GTS now being a solely automatic, electrified affair, you’ve little else to truly lose sleep about when speccing. Four-wheel steer, PASM suspension and torque vectoring are all pre-ticked for you – rarely a given in the stingy world of Stuttgart configurators – as is the delectable 20/21-inch staggered wheel setup. These Carrera S rims are a no-cost option, and why the heck wouldn’t you? We’ve made green great again – let’s help everyone fall back in love with silver wheels.
A quick recap of its major elements. The Targa bit involves a folding fabric panel which retracts in a finely choreographed and undeniably OTT routine that ought to bring passersby to a standstill. The voluptuous glass screen concertinas out and all manner of whirring motions take place as the roof is swallowed up in a piece of theatre rivalled only by the curious old Honda CRX Del Sol. It’s undeniably arresting to watch and leaves me as slack-jawed as my first experience of this setup in a 991 over a decade ago, even if the cabin in which you must hold the button offers far from the best view in the house. The rollover hoop can be had in silver or grey while the fabric section boasts four colour options, brown included.
This body style has proved a commercial success since its 2014 introduction on the 991.1, and on a superficial level, it’s easy to see why. Not least when it asks no more money than a regular 911 Cabriolet, the 4 GTS spec commanding £149,100 whichever flavour of folding roof you crave. The downside over a regular 911 Cabriolet – or indeed most regular cabriolets – is that the folding process is 50 per cent longer, at 19 seconds, and, owing to how much it lengthens the 911’s footprint (plus numerous aerodynamic concerns), it can only be done at a complete standstill. There’ll be no brief dip down to 30mph when the first spots of rain splatter on the windscreen – your eyes will be peeled for a nice flat layby if you’re lucky enough to be rural, or the next services should you be on the motorway…
The 911 GTS ethos has evolved numerous times since its first appearance (15 years ago!) and since the 992.2 update it means hell has dropped in temperature – if not outright frozen over – with the introduction of T-Hybrid configuration. Thankfully that suffix has been kept from a name already fit to burst with them. It essentially allies a 485hp 3.6-litre flat-six with a 54hp electric motor (embedded in the eight-speed PDK ‘box), but a 541hp peak includes the output of a smaller motor which boosts the engine’s single turbocharger to help truly bazooka what little lag modern 911s have. The on-paper result is 0-62mph in a mite over three seconds, but the reality is more impressive still.
Mind, combining Targa and T-Hybrid results in the heaviest 911 in history at 1,745kg. Porker indeed. Does it feel it? Go looking for the appropriate sensations and yes, you can tell this isn’t negotiating a tight, technical road quite as deftly as a simpler 2WD Carrera might. But boy, is it quick enough to smother that feeling – this hybrid powertrain is, as Matt B has alluded to on both international and UK drives, sensational. What appears a cautiously dipped toe in the electrified ocean is actually the best bit of this entire car. This 911 bounds down the road with the lungs of a hypercar and an entertaining mix of chuffs, whistles and traditional high-rev howl to make it worth wringing out gears to their fullest where you can. Which, thanks to the way its eight ratios are stacked, has been made a little easier than in other recent Stuttgart specials.
While Porsche’s inaugural electrified 911 has its sole focus on performance, the readout of the 1.9kWh battery barely seems to drop with even sustained acceleration – clearly, its regen functionality is rather effective, even if it lurks with reasonable success in the background. It was hard not to despair when we learned the 992.2 would be the first 911 to finally lose the big, beguiling analogue rev counter in the middle of its instrument binnacle – but the numerous displays of its hybrid elements, including a little inner readout of e-boost that chases the internal combustion revs surrounding it, makes the sacrifice seem much more worthwhile.
Whether the first 911 hybrid should have pressed harder into Stuttgart’s engineering reserves - with some proper e-range and the ability to plug in at home - is tucked back of mind when you’re exploring Porsche’s subtler (but clearly smart) implementation of petrol-electric tech. It should be of little surprise given how much the 919 Hybrid aced both WEC races and its almighty ‘ring record.
More low-down torque also gives the 911 enough muscle to overcome its otherwise stratospheric dry-weather grip. This GTS feels boisterous enough in its lower reaches to bring a bit of involvement and tactility to a car that would otherwise vaporize roads without a flinch. This is a 4WD system with a sense of humour if you feel like provoking it, but one that encourages utmost faith the rest of the time. It doesn’t lose the spookily talkative electric steering 911s have exhibited for years, and there’s no obvious wibbling or wobbling with the fixed roof gone.
But Porsche can’t out-engineer every page of the physics textbook. If the Targa takes your breath away as you stride up to it, prepare to lose the more useful parts of your hearing once you’re in it. With recent 911 Targas the idea feels much cannier than the execution above 50mph, where the turbulence inside the cockpit is notable. Not so much as to be unbearable, but this is a £150k+ slice of luxury – you want to be able to hear your passenger speak or that flat-six sing, and neither is a given when you’re cruising at speed or even politely bombilating down a B road. The awkward truth is that a more open 911 cabrio offers a less vulnerable environment at moderately high speeds. But then the same is true in the world of MX-5s, the RF looking much nicer than it feels. And you still see tons of those on the road…
So the slightly perplexing conclusion is that this is a more compromised convertible than it is a driver’s car, but the roof setup hasn’t changed much since the 991, suggesting owners haven’t camped outside their dealer to complain. Perhaps these cars spend most of their miles ambling along coastlines or between villas and harbours, the driver feeling the multi-million dollars they paid for their yacht in the process.
For everyone else? It’s impressive if not the conclusive driver’s 911, but its kerbweight is likely to present an instant deterrent to anyone sincerely seeking incisive turn-in or mesmeric reactions. For that crowd, the Carrera GTS coupe – also available in RWD – is a useful 150kg and £16,500 less. Guess which one we prefer...
SPECIFICATION | PORSCHE 911 TARGA 4 GTS (992.2)
Engine: 3,591cc, turbo flat-six, 1.9kWh battery, electric motor
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch PDK, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 541
Torque (lb ft): 450
0-62mph: 3.1 secs
Top speed: 194mph
Weight: 1,745kg (DIN)
MPG: 26.2
CO2: 244g/km (WLTP)
Price: £149,100 (£172,347 as specified, including £3,974 Burmester audio, £2,562 Matrix LED headlights, £2,429 18-way adaptive sports Seats, £2,367 Porsche InnoDrive adaptive cruise control, £1,704 Gentian Blue Metallic paint and £1,463 Truffle Brown leather. And more…)
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The image with the roof open does highlight the current model’s size. With the driver as a guide for size it looks (disappointingly) huge.
Daft money these days, mind.
Oh, and you can add me to team 'that looks great', always liked the Targa and that one looks fantastic. I'm usually not a fan of press car colour choices.
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