2022 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Quick Drive: Top-Down Driving, Perfected
There’s no shortage of 911 models, but no convertible sports car puts a bigger smile on your face.0:00 / 0:00
A Porsche 911 is a lot like chocolate—most people love it, and even if it isn't always the first thing you reach for, it comes in some flavors you appreciate more than others. The supremely stylish 2022 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS is one of the best concoctions of 911 out there. The ingredients aren't unfamiliar; it's a 911 with a Targa roof, all-wheel drive, and GTS goodies. Combined, however, they make a truly wonderful and daily-service open-top sports car. Before you even ask: Yes, it's available with a manual transmission, too.
The Best-Looking Convertible 911 Around
If you're on the hunt for the most engaging roofless 911—nay, the most engaging rooflessanything—to drive, the 2022 Porsche Targa 4 GTS is high on the list.
The 911 Targa 4 GTS has a laundry list of a name, but it's an accurate one. Launched in June 2021 as one of the five members of Porsche's more performance-oriented GTS family, it of course features the famous Targa roofline if you prefer that over the standard cloth-top Cabriolet version. All-wheel drive is standard, as is the eight-speed PDK gearbox, though the seven-speed manual with its gear lever shortened by 10mm is also available as a no-cost option.
Other standard features include Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) sport suspension for a 10mm ride-height decrease, the Sport Chrono package, bigger brakes, the Sport exhaust system, center-locking wheels, and GTS-specific black exterior accents. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six sees a 30-hp bump over the 911 Carrera S to produce 473 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque.
Inside you find pretty standard 911 fare, with the familiar five-gauge cluster and a center infotainment screen updated to feature a smoother interface and larger icons. Special shoutout to whoever at Porsche specced this test car, though, because the Truffle Brown leather with Chalk-colored stitching is to die for.
GTS-ified
No one will ever describe the Carrera S and 4S as bad to drive, because they're spectacular cars. But getting into the 911 Targa 4 GTS feels like everything is suddenly tightened up. It rides a little firmer, the engine is a little louder, the gear throws are a little shorter, and the car is a little faster. It's all simply brilliant.
Owing to its all-wheel drive and turbocharged hardware, power rolls on as a mighty swell. It pulls the 911 through straights and ebbs on command for wonderful midcorner balance. The brake bite is sharp but progressive. The clutch is stiff but deliberate. The quick steering is weighted perfectly and feels gloriously direct. Prior to the invention of modern steering assists and stability systems, it was easy to applaud the engine's rear placement for this phenomenon. But seeing as the 911 is bigger and heavier than ever, and has its engine mounted closer to the rear axle than ever before, this W goes to Porsche's electronically assisted steering system.
Adding to the Targa 4 GTS's dancer-like quality is the inclusion of rear-axle steering, a $2,090 option. It's worth it because the car feels shrunken further around you as it tackles turns. It also makes navigating tight parking lots a breeze.
Yet, the shifter is perhaps the most rewarding tactile point in the entire car. It's amazing what 10 fewer millimeters will do: The tidied-up shift action is heavy but smooth, slotting positively into the well-defined gates with a substantive clunk each time. It's a clear-cut sensation that ranks up there with the first arpeggio you nail on a freshly tuned piano.
