You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet


You. Ain't. Seen. Nothin'. Yet.

Word by word, this scrawls across the trip computer screen embedded in the large white-faced tachometer. Is it an eerie message from deep within the brain of the 2007 Porsche 911 Targa 4S? A KITT-like intelligence imploring, "I can go faster, I have more grip, my roof is really cool. Get going, wimp!"

Then again, maybe the trip computer is just letting us know that Bachman Turner Overdrive is on Jack-FM.

Either way, for those unlucky, uninitiated souls who haven't driven a 911, there couldn't be a better slogan for a car that just keeps getting better with every mile driven. There's the sound of the flat-6 over your shoulder, the intoxicating exhaust note, the wheels-on-rails handling and the glass roof that opens up the cabin with light and fresh air.

And even then, you still ain't seen na-na-nothin' yet.

4 to the Floor

That "4S" badge tacked onto the Targa's engine cover is something new. For those not familiar with Porschespeak, it indicates that the 2007 Porsche 911 Targa 4S now features the Carrera 4's all-wheel-drive system. The Targa 4 also incorporates the Carrera 4's wider track for more cornering grip and wider fenders for a shapelier caboose.

The new 997 model of the Targa also offers two different engine options. While the regular Targa 4 makes do with a 3.6-liter flat-6, our Targa 4S test car has the 3.8-liter boxer good for 355 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This is enough power to get this car to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and make a pass through the quarter-mile in 13.0 seconds at 107 mph. By comparison, the last Carrera 4 we tested posted nearly identical numbers, though it weighed 318 pounds less.

When it slithers away from a fast start, the 4S feels more like a rear-wheel-drive car than one with all four wheels earning their money. Porsche's traction control permits plenty of wheelspin, and only when the car starts to get going do the front wheels begin to dig in and yank it ahead with authority. While the 911 Turbo gets all the headlines with its hyperacceleration, it's easy to forget that less manic Porsche 911s like the Targa are fully capable of pressing your spine against the finely contoured buckets.

Even with the 3.8-liter six on call, low-rpm torque isn't exactly plentiful, but keep the engine spinning above 3,000 rpm and the big boxer packs a vicious punch whether off the line or passing on the freeway. Credit here goes to variable-valve timing technology, which also increases fuel economy and helps the Targa achieve squeaky-clean LEV (low-emissions vehicle) status. Over some 900 miles, we averaged a fraction under 17 mpg, and managed 23 mpg during one highway trip. No one expects a 355-hp sports car to be green, but every bit helps, right?

Hunting for Superlatives

With all-wheel drive and fat 305/30ZR19 rear tires, the Targa 4S keeps hanging on in the corners long after you figure its rear-biased weight distribution will break it loose. On the skid pad, this car pulled 0.96g while it zipped through the slalom at 72 mph.

Unless you're an idiot (and that's certainly a big caveat), the Targa is laughably easy to drive well. It goes around corners with that tenacity for which an all-wheel-drive Porsche is famous. You can coax it into a powerslide, but otherwise the 4S tends to understeer at the limit.

The steering is easily managed in parking lots, offers superb on-center feel at highway speeds and proves tremendously communicative in the mountains. Just look at the line you desire and the car seems to take it from there, as if there's a neural connection between man and machine. The steering is just perfect.

Perfect is also a good way to describe the brakes, as the Targa stops in 108 feet from 60 mph thanks to the cross-drilled, 13-inch brake rotors with four-piston calipers at all four corners. The six-speed manual transmission is also a treat to use, as the handle of the short-throw lever fits in the palm of your hand like a racquetball. The clutch action is on the stiff side, but it becomes second nature to use very quickly.

Porsche's active suspension is standard on the Targa 4S. (It's optional for the Targa 4.) It delivers a ride in Normal mode that's happily at home in the mountains, yet surprisingly compliant around town. Select the Sport mode and the Targa starts bounding over even mildly choppy pavement like you've taken it on safari. Of course, Sport mode does turn the Targa into an even more vicious canyon-carving machine (our slalom and skid pad numbers were attained in Sport mode), but it's hard to think of many real-world circumstances where it would be utilized.


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I didn't think the Targqa would look this good, but this is gorgeous.

M