Logo
No matching results

Recent Articles

Popular Makes

Body Types

10 Things You Need To Know About The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS

Benjamin Hunting
by Benjamin Hunting
June 26, 2015
5 min. Reading Time
fallback

When Porsche created the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS, it decided to take arguably the most stylish version of its flagship sports car - the Targa - and pair it with the same features and drivetrain found in the most powerful version of the Carrera - the GTS. The end result is a car that's quick enough to overcome the extra weight of the Targa that also offers open-air fun at a price significantly below what you would pay for a Turbo convertible.

Let's take a quick look at 10 things you need to know about the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS.

1. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Features A Fun, But Over-Complicated Top

The idea of a 911 Targa isn't new, as lift-out panels and glass roofs have been sitting in Porsche showrooms for many years. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS takes things a lot further, however, with its Rube Goldberg automated storage system that scoops the top up under the rear hatchback at the touch of a button. A button on the center console activates a complicated roof mechanism that cracks open the rear clamshell, lifts it nearly 90 degrees vertical, and then stores the roof panel directly behind the passenger compartment. This is in direct contrast to simpler options like the standard removable carbon fiber roof panel on the Chevrolet Corvette, which can be easily lifted up and stored in the trunk by a single person.

fallback

2. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Comes With A Classic Silver Hoop

In keeping with Porsche's retro theme for the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS, all models come with a silver 'roll hoop' that's designed to look a lot like the one in Targa models of old. Since the first 911 Targa - along with many subsequent models - featured pop-out panels, the extra metal in the original hoop added roll strength. While this is still the case for 2015, another advantage of the hoop on the modern Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS is that it dramatically improves body rigidity compared to the Cabriolet, or true convertible version of the car. This gives the Targa 4 GTS improved handling at higher speeds and virtually eliminates cowl shake over rough pavement.

fallback

3. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Offers A Lot Of Extra Gear For Very Little Cash

Buying a 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS is kind of like ticking off all the boxes on a Carrera S options sheet, but at a serious discount. In fact, if you added up all the extra gear that comes with the 911 Targa 4 GTS over the standard Targa 4, you'd be looking at close to $10k more than this car's actual sticker price of $132,800. It's not clear as to why Porsche has made the GTS such a bargain - or if you can legitimately use that word when discussing a car that costs more than six figures - but the value is definitely there.

fallback

4. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Comes Standard With Sport Exhaust

One of the coolest additional features that comes standard with the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS is Porsche's Sport Exhaust system. Push a button on the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS' center console and a series of valves open up inside the system, allowing the car's tailpipes to drown out the admittedly sewing machine-like sound behind your head with a glorious cacophony of off-throttle noise and full-throttle aggression. An added bonus: the open roof of the Targa makes it that much easier to enjoy the soundtrack as it rebounds off of concrete walls, parked cars, and tunnel roofs straight to your eardrums.

fallback

5. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Offers The Carrera 4S Powerkit

Although you won't find it referenced as such on the website, the reason the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS offers more power than the regular Targa 4S (or any Carrera 4S model) is the installation of the Powerkit option. This gives the 3.8-liter flat-six engine riding at the rear of the car a new variable intake (making use of two-stage intake resonance technology), a more aggressive tune, and better cooling, which together with the sport exhaust system translates into 430 horsepower - a jump of 30 ponies over the S model despite them both being outfitted with the same 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine. Total torque output for the 911 Targa 4 GTS is listed at 325 lb-ft.

fallback

6. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Delivers Standard Sport Chrono

The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS trim also makes the Sport Chrono package standard, which means not only do you get a fun analog clock and lap timer perched on top of the dashboard (with a digital assist for both in the gauge display), but you also get the Sport + button that sets the car's adaptive suspension system to its most aggressive tune. Sport+ also adds weight to the steering wheel and raises the limits on the car's electronic nannies if you want to get a little crazy from behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS.

fallback

7. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Provides The Option Of Launch Control

The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS can be ordered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission as one of its two available gearboxes. Called 'PDK,' opting for this unit also brings you the added bonus of a launch control system (thanks to the also-included Sport Chrono package). Porsche's launch control makes for repeatable, scary-quick sprints to 60-mph in the neighborhood of four seconds. The paddle shifters on the steering wheel also make you feel like a hero every time you grab a lower gear and hear the resulting 'blatt-blatt' out the tailpipes from the automatic rev-matching system.

 Photo by Porsche

Photo by Porsche

8. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Is The Most Powerful 911 Available With A Stick Shift

It's no longer possible to a Porsche 911 Turbo with a manual transmission anymore, nor can you shift-it-yourself in the GT3: both of those cars are PDK-only from now on. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS, however, does offer the option of a seven-speed manual transmission. While the GTS coupe might be quicker overall thanks to its lower curb weight, the Targa 4 GTS has the same 430 horsepower on tap from its six-cylinder engine - and it's the most you're going to get with a clutch when shopping at Porsche.

fallback

9. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Includes Standard All-Wheel Drive

So far, Porsche has made every Targa car sold in the United States a Targa 4 car, which means it comes with all-wheel drive as standard equipment. This is a big part of what gives the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS such fierce traction off of the line, but there's no question that it also adds to the weight of the already-heavy Targa, which is a few hundred pounds heavier than a comparable coupe (though lighter than a Cabriolet). All-wheel drive also translates into marginally-less communicative steering feel through the 911's electrically-assisted system, although you'd have to be pushing it hard on a race track to notice the difference.

fallback

10. The 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS Matches The Cabriolet's Price Point

Targa or Cabriolet? In a move that's no doubt going to trigger the kind of soul searching not often encountered in a Porsche dealership, the German automaker has given both the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS and the Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet the same window sticker of $132,800. This mean's you've got a tough choice to make: a true convertible, or the more eye-catching, semi-open design of the Targa?

If it helps in your decision-making process, the Targa is stiffer than the convertible, which you'll probably only notice on the race track. That being said, if a road course is in your future you're probably not looking at either of these cars. If you're seeking something fun and unique, however, then the Targa is going to stand out a lot more than the semi-ubiquitous Cabriolet in the corporate parking lot.

fallback

`

Interested in Getting a New Car?

Used Cars Near You

No Data Available

Powered by Usedcars.com
©2024 AutoWeb, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Some content provided by and under copyright by Autodata, Inc. dba Chrome Data. © 1986-2024.