UPDATED: Porsche 911 Targa facelift

Porsche’s glass-roofed 911 Targa will go on sale in October of this year.

The model, announced in Europe this week, will list here for $240,000 in Targa 4 guise and $265,000 as the Targa 4S.

Porsche says two new engines with Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) improve performance and economy. The new motors increase engine power by up to 8.5 percent, cut fuel consumption by 11.2 percent, and decrease CO2 emissions by 13.6 percent.

Both can be ordered with Porsche’s double-clutch (PDK) gearbox which replaces the Tiptronic S automatic.

Electronically-controlled Porsche Traction Management (PTM) takes the place of the former viscous-coupling all-wheel drive system.

The seven-speed PDK shifts gears up to 60 percent faster than a conventional automatic.

With a manual six-speed gearbox, the 911 Targa 4 accelerates to 100kph in 5.2 seconds and the S in 4.9s.

With PDK, the 3.6-litre Targa 4 hits 100kph in five seconds, and the 4S in 4.7.

The Targa 4’s 3.6-litre flat-six engine develops 254kW, giving the car a top speed of just over 280kph.

The 4S has a 283kW 3.8-litre six, and a 297kph top speed.

With fuel being injected fractions of a second before combustion, the engines respond more directly and spontaneously to even the slightest movement of the driver’s right foot, both when accelerating and lifting off.

Unlike conventional intake manifold injection, direct fuel injection forms the fuel/air mixture directly in the combustion chamber, better mixing the air and fuel in the cylinder.

Targas come only with four-wheel drive, provided by the electronically-controlled Porsche Traction Management (PTM) first developed for the 911 Turbo. Porsche says it enhances stability, traction and agility, augmented by mechanical limited slip diff on the rear axle.

PTM feeds engine torque to the front wheels through an electronically-controlled multiple-plate clutch, supplementing the flow of power to the rear wheels. Combined with PTM, this clutch distributes power and torque to the front and rear axles. With the previous viscous clutch, up to 40 percent of torque could be directed to the front axle. The new electronically-controlled PTM system delivers an infinitely variable torque split, and can distribute up to 100 percent of traction to the front or rear wheels.

The 1.54-square metre glass roof consists of two segments – the sliding roof above the occupants and the versatile top-hinged tailgate. When opened completely, the roof slides beneath the tailgate within seven seconds to offer an open space above the passenger compartment of 0.45 square metres. The sliding roof comes as standard with a new electrically-controlled sun-blind, which offers increased shading compared to the old model’s. When closed, it spans the entire area of the sliding roof, and can be opened and closed independently of the roof.

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