1989 Porsche 911 C-4 (964) on 2040-cars

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Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS caters to a very specific customer [w/video]

Porsche is happy to cater to some very specific buyer demographics, and the brand's newly unveiled 911 Targa 4 GTS at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show is the perfect example of that tendency. The sports coupe is aimed at the customer who wants open-air driving without a full convertible, all-wheel drive traction and a little extra performance, all wrapped in a sporty package. Launching in the US in late-April, 2015, for $132,800, plus a $995 destination charge, this high-performance Targa benefits from all of the goodies from Porsche's GTS line. That gives it a 3.8-liter flat-six boasting 424 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of twist, and the choice of either a seven-speed PDK or seven-speed manual. The model also gets the Sport Chrono package, PASM, 20-inch wheels and a sport exhaust. Picking the PDK means the Targa 4 GTS can hit a top speed of 188 miles per hour and sprint to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. Opting for the manual makes the run to 60 take a few more ticks at 4.5 seconds and scarcely cuts the top speed to 187 mph. The Targa 4 GTS is more than just about boosted performance, and shows off some handsome styling tweaks, as well. It wears a modded front bumper with an extra opening to cool the middle radiator. Plus, the wheels are 20-inch units from the 911 Turbo S, and the Bi-Xenon headlights get smoked coverings. Inside, drivers are held firmly in place by Sport Plus seats covered partially in black Alcantara. Porsche apparently sees a hole in its lineup that a higher-performance Targa can fill, and here it is. Look below for a video of intricate top doing its fascinating dance and read the German brand's full press release about the its latest take on the venerable 911. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The new 911 Targa 4 GTS More powerful, dynamic and exquisitely styled To mark the 50th anniversary of the 911 Targa, Porsche is offering this very popular model in the more powerful and dynamic GTS version for the first time. The targa concept of the 911 Targa 4 GTS delivers very safe driving enjoyment with all-wheel drive and a rollover protection bar; it also delivers open-air fun with a targa top that stows fully automatically. Contributing to a boost in dynamic performance are the 430 hp (316 kW) GTS engine together with the standard Sport Chrono package, PASM chassis, 20-inch wheels and a sport exhaust system.

2015 Porsche Panamera S First Drive

Porsche brought the Panamera in for its garage makeover and drove it out looking almost exactly the same. Turns out it was one of those fancy German refreshes where everything happens in places you can't immediately see, as we found recently on the 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The marquee revision across the lineup is under the hood, where every engine gets, at the very least, more power. Such is the case for the naturally aspirated V6 in the entry models, fitted with an increase of 10 horsepower for a total of 310. The same goes for the naturally-aspirated 4.8-liter V8, which lives only in the Panamera GTS now, and gets 10 more hp for a total of 430. That same V8, twin-turbocharged in the Turbo model, is graced with 20 more ponies for 520 hp. The mightiest marquee revision is saved for the S models, which surrender their use of the 4.8-liter V8 and get a 3.0-liter, all-aluminum, twin-turbocharged V6 in its place. It's a brand-new engine designed in-house and related to the 3.6-liter V6 in the base models, but with new features like a magnesium timing chain cover, variable camshaft timing for the intake and the exhaust valves, and a new fuel- injection system. Putting out 420 hp and 384 pound-feet of torque, it's got 20 more hp and 15 more lb-ft than the V8 it replaces. What's more, torque used to peak from 3,500 to 5,000 rpm, but the new torque curve maintains maximum twist from 1,750 to 5,000 rpm. It is less thirsty as well, posting an estimated fuel economy of 17/27 miles per gallon city/highway, besting the 16/24 city/highway of before. An improved stop-start mechanism contributes to this, as it cuts the engine earlier, and the coasting function benefits from a new disc clutch that can decouple the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission from the driveline. As we wrote in our Panamera S E-Hybrid review, you'd need to be obsessed with the Panamera to notice the sheet metal changes around that engine. It's the perfect car to ask, oh so coyly, "Notice anything different about me?" while you stand there dumbfounded, silently thinking, "No." Here is your cheat sheet: the front and back ends are "tighter," meaning faintly more squared off, the front intakes are larger, the tailgate gets wider rear glass over the same-sized opening, the rear spoiler is wider, and the rear license plate bracket has been mounted lower. But even now that you know what the changes are, odds are still 200-to-1 against you actually noticing.

These were our favorite cars of 2022

Favorite cars is different than best cars. The idea of "best" can speak to value and overall competitiveness in a given vehicle segment. There's lots of objectivity involved and to do a "best" list right, one really must be very thorough and as scientific as possible. This is not that list. This is about our favorites, so objectivity be damned. If we liked a Challenger Hellcat because it made loud noises or a Honda Odyssey because it made for a particularly special family vacation, fair game. These were the cars that most spoke to our collection of editors and the ones that stayed in our minds and hung in our hearts long after they left our driveway. — Senior Editor James Riswick 2022 GMC Hummer EV Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: I didn't particularly expect to like the new Hummer. I wasn't a fan of the Hummer H2 or H3, so I wasn't automatically enthusiastic about this electric reboot. Fast EVs aren't hard to come by — and, in fact, may be too easy to come by — so its performance specs weren't enough to win me over. Despite videos to the contrary, pickups aren't my favorite vehicular format. And its excessive size and weight turned me off ... until I finally got behind the wheel.  This thing is wildly entertaining to drive. Watts to Freedom launch control is a neat party trick, sure, but the novelty wears off quickly. The novelty of Crab Walk, however, has staying power. The rear-wheel steering makes this behemoth feel much smaller than it is — the maneuverability is incredible, and useful. The air suspension provides tons of clearance, including a ridiculously high-riding Extract mode. I can't wait for lesser versions of the Hummer to make their way to market. Give me less power (for less money), but keep the off-road tricks onboard, and I'll be a happy camper. Senior Editor, Consumer, Jeremy Korzeniewski: If I could afford to put one of these in my driveway, I would. Sadly, I can't, so I won't (What's that, Janet? I got the lyric wrong?). Still, I love the dumb thing. Thankfully, I have another choice down below. 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Associate Editor Byron Hurd: Yeah, duh, Porsches are good. But there's good, and then there's GT3. This is the feeling every performance-oriented RWD tuner is trying to replicate. This is hard, precise, surgical and immensely satisfying. To begin to explore this car on a public road is by itself an admission that you believe yourself to be above the rules as they apply to normal drivers.