What’s new for 2026?

What’s new is the powertrain, part of the updated 992.2 generation, with the GTS now using Porsche’s T-Hybrid system. That means a new 3.6-liter flat-six with an electric exhaust turbocharger, an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed PDK transmission and a compact 400-volt battery. One thing it isn’t is quiet - it is not a plug-in hybrid and it is not trying to sneak around town. The electric part is there for response, boost and speed, and it gets the job done - and how.

Looks

Visually, the Targa 4 GTS is a 911 wearing a silver shark suit. The signature Targa bar, wraparound rear glass and fabric roof panel give it its unmistakable profile. The GTS treatment delivers a sharper front fascia, vertical aero elements, wider wheels and its angry, bratty stance. It looks expensive - and it is.

Inside

It’s all Porsche - seating position, super-crisp wheel, high-end materials, tight packaging and rear seats suitable for Fido or very small humans. It’s beautifully made visually and experientially, though not lavish. It seems built around the driver, with enough digital interface to feel up-to-date. Porsche also gives the car a digital instrument cluster,

Porsche Connect services, app integration, available streaming functions and the usual stack of driver-assistance and convenience features. The new interface is better looking than old Porsche tech, though not always simpler. You’ll get the hang.

How’s the drive?

On the road, the Targa 4 GTS is brutally fast, but does not beg you to gun it. You notice its ferocity when passing on highways, with your lovely power assist allowing you to get an instant move on. It’s rather like playing an electric guitar and suddenly turning the volume to the max - the excitement is real.

The all-wheel-drive system means you have outstanding traction, and rear-axle steering helps make the car feel smaller than it is. Braking is outstanding and confidence-building, especially with your (optional) ceramic brakes.

Visibility is better than in many exotic cars, but you’ll need to take a bit more care with the top up because the back window isn’t huge. Your best bet is simply to accelerate until whatever seems to be in your blind spot disappears, and off you go. Handle with care is the constant credo when driving, and you don’t mind a bit. Ditto parking, using the front suspension lift to avoid those guy-wrenching scrapes.

You buy this car for its near-perfect driving characteristics, and you get addicted to them even if you’re just headed to the store. If you’re the type to take your expensive ride on a track, you’ll find everything you need as well. You won’t wish for a standard shift - much.

Room for improvement

Options can push this car into “geez” territory pricewise. The ride can also be firm on rough pavement, road noise is a real thing, and some purists will miss the old analog gauges, fake-key starter and non-hybrid simplicity. The shift is a little dinky thing and I wished for leather. And if your phone does not play nicely with Porsche’s system, as my Nubia Z60 didn’t for the entire 7 days, tough luck, pal. At one point, Sirius XM went silent while FM worked fine. I stopped, restarted the vehicle and got it going.

Conclusion: The complaints are few and the praises overwhelmingly positive. This Targa Hybrid deserves one word repeated three times: “Wow,” “Wow” and “Wow.”