| First Drive | Surrey, England | Porsche 911 Targa |

Porsche has topped up the power of its 911 Targa 4S model with the additions of the latest 380bhp engine. We find out if the 911 you never hear about is the one to have.

In the Metal

The key aspect of interest in the 911 Targa is its large, sliding glass roof. It's not a convertible and it's more than just a sunroof, with a history dating back to when it looked like full drop-tops would be banned by the safety gnomes. Convertibles weren't banned and the Targa has carried on as the quiet man of the 911 range, culminating in this latest mildly facelifted version. There's a pleasing line to the Targa, with its chrome strip running down the edge of the roof line, while the large glass rear window lifts up to ease access to the small amount of storage space underneath it. The glass panel above the front passenger compartment retracts under the rear screen in a nifty seven seconds, opening up the cabin to the sunshine. With the roof drawn back, the Targa's interior has the feel of a convertible, especially with the door windows dropped, so this could well be the 'soft-top' for Britain.

Otherwise, the Targa has the same revisions as the rest of the 911 range, which means mildly tweaked front and rear lights and a lightly updated cabin. There's also a reflective strip running between the rear lights that harks back to the seminal 993 series 911; it adds a certain flair to the Targa in our book.

What you get for your Money

In 4S form, the Targa provides the latest 380bhp version of Porsche's 3.8-litre 'flat' six engine. There's no forced induction for this unit, just a rev-happy nature and that classic 911 engine note, though it seems a mite more muted in this latest iteration of Porsche's upscale coupé than in previous models. For the 4S, the engine is connected to its electronically controlled four-wheel drive system by either a six-speed manual gearbox or the latest seven-speed PDK twin-clutch 'box - the latter a £2,288 option.

Choose the PDK gearbox - which weighs 10kg less than the previous Tiptronic auto - and 0-62mph drops from the manual's 4.9 seconds to 4.7 seconds, while top speed for the auto is 183mph, down 2mph on the manual's. The auto also has slightly worse carbon dioxide emissions, producing 251g/km to the manual's 247g/km, but as both sit in the highest band for road tax and company car tax, it's an academic gap.

Porsche has improved the Porsche Communication Management system that is worked by a touch screen in the centre console. It's easier to operate and sits more comfortably in a car with a starting price of not far off £80,000. In the S version, you also receive electronic dampers with variable settings and larger 19-inch alloy wheels as opposed to the non-S model's 18-inch items.

Driving it

Few sportscars are more easily accessible to most drivers as the modern Porsche 911. It's not intimidating or oversized; instead it invites you to step in through the wide-opening doors and settle into the oh-so sensibly styled and laid out cabin. All of the controls are lightly weighted, it has a usefully tight turning circle and the view out in all directions when parking lulls you into think it's more supermini than supercar. But when you press the throttle to the floor for the first time, the Porsche instantly reminds you this is a high-performance car that has evolved into a near-perfect product over more than four decades. The whirr from the rear-mounted six-cylinder engine is a touch too quiet for our tastes, though this is easily solved by choosing the £1,404 sports exhaust that frees up a bit more noise.

Wind the engine up towards its peak power output at 6,500rpm and you still have 500rpm to play with, but there's so much grunt waiting for the next gear it's not necessary to push the engine this far. There's huge flexibility in the way the engine delivers its power, so you can surf along back roads in third, fourth or fifth gear with little noticeable difference in pace. Use the gears to their full extent, however, and little will be able to keep up with the 911. We tried the PDK twin-clutch gearbox and found it to be better suited to the 911 than its application in the Boxster. We're still not sure it's worth the extra £2,288 though, as the manual 'box is such a pleasure to use.

With the Targa's roof retracted, there is a fair degree of wind noise at higher speeds, but little buffeting. With the roof closed the Targa is every bit as refined as the standard hard-topped model. Opting for the Targa does not mean sacrificing any of the 911's rigidity and we found the car to be completely free of any creaks or body shimmy. This is evidenced by the way the suspension flows over undulating country roads, keeping all four wheels in contact with the ground for superb grip and traction. As with all 911s, the steering wheel is best gripped gently as the front wheels find the best way through tarmac terrain with a gentle shrug at the helm. However, when it comes to corners, the Porsche turns in precisely as you intended and follows any route the driver chooses. It's thoroughly rewarding and reminds its owner why the Porsche 911 is still a benchmark to judge all others by. That said, we did find the ride erred too much on the hard side when we selected the firmer damper settings, so this is best kept for track day fun.

Worth Noting

Porsche knows how to lever a little extra cash from its customers with an options list that is temptingly inviting. How about sports bucket seats at £3,944, wheels painted in black or yellow for £969, special metallic paint for £1,730 or ceramic brakes for £5,235? There's also the Carrera Powerkit for a hefty £8,066. Choose all or some of these options and you soon enter the pricey territory of the 911 Turbo, so beware of an itchy finger when ticking the extras column.

Summary

Often overlooked, the Targa version of the 911 is every bit as thrusting and dynamic to drive as the rest of the normally aspirated range of 911s. It steers superbly and is just as easy to get on with day in, day out; yet it also has the appeal of the large panoramic sunroof and the extra ease of the hatchback rear window. Many 911 buyers will head straight past the Targa, but we suspect this may be the best suited model to everyday duties in the UK.