More beautiful than a Porsche 911 convertible? The Targa flips its lid

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The buzzing Targa continues to frustrate but I’m managing to block out the sound. It helps if the weather is sunny because I can drop the lid and listen to the wind instead.

Although the folding section of the roof is made of black fabric (a la most convertibles) it could just as easily be make out of metal. Tat’s because it doesn’t crumble up, but disappears in one piece underneath the opened rear glass screen.

Yes, it’s rather hard to describe in words but it words beautifully. It’s not quick but sometimes the best things are worth waiting for.

Once removed, the latest Targa model looks simply beautiful. I thought the shape was too similar to a standard 911 coupe but you would be amazed how many people comment positively on the styling.

The Targa offers so much more than the convertible 911. It may cost more (and be equally as rattly!) but what a head-turner…

The Porsche 911 Targa requires a firm fist to resolve the squeaky roof problem

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I keep getting bitten by horseflies. These are bluebottles with attitude and  give a nasty nip. I hate the little buggers but I’ve been rather hoping that there is one in the Porsche Targa this week.

The Targa has always had a reputation for squeaky roof – you simply can’t cut the top off a car and expect everything to fit perfect. Apparently, that even applies to a £90k Porsche.

Just like the 1990s 993 Targa I lust after, this new model is just the same. Except I have been able to find a solution. All I need to do it shove my fist into the underside of the fabric roof section as I drive along and hey presto – problem solved.

Long term, this isn’t an option but as rattles and squeaks in cars are my pet hate, I seem to be driving around with a fist in the air quite a lot at the moment. Maybe I need to lust after the more rigid 911 coupe instead…

 

 

Shake, roll bar and the slightest rattle. The Porsche 911 Targa falls just short of perfection

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I’ve always wanted a Targa – ever since the 993 model launch almost 20 years ago in Austria.

The sliding glass roof on that car was brilliant but it was plagued with issues. The complicated, electric mechanism that opened the panel had issues, which often caused rattles and leaks.

I recently went to view a 1996 Targa that had been lovingly cared for at huge expense. The roof alone had been overhauled by a Porsche main dealer twice to the tune of £8,000. Yep, it still rattled.

And the latest 991 Targa still rattles too! Despite a completely different roof mechanism that has been styled on the original 60s Targa, I was amazed to hear something squeaking in the roof.

Maybe you just have to accept that kind of stuff in an open top car? Me, well, if I as paying £90k for a Targa, I’d be straight on the phone to customer services at Porsche…

Remember the original 1960s Porsche Targa? The latest one’s just as cute

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Don’t fancy the idea of a full, folding roof convertible but like the wind in your thinning hair? Porsche has the answer in the shapely form of the 911 Targa.

You can only buy it in the wide-bodied, four-wheel drive 911 bodyshell but the 2015 model looks more like the original, 1965 original Targa than any version inbetween.

And whether the Targa is popular or not with Porsche purists, it’s the car I’ve always wanted to own. When I went on the launch of the 993 version in the mid-90s, the feel-good factor in the Alps of Austria was sensational.

The problem with this latest version really comes down to the price. Most people either want a coupe or convertible 911. Are there enough buyers for a Targa?

Well, I hope so because 24 hours in, I’m loving it. It starts with that retro styling and just keeps me smiling mile after mile. More tomorrow, when I can get out of the driver’s seat long enough to write…

Porsche’s mini-SUV Macan is very good – just don’t mistake it for a sports car

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Porsche’s first baby SUV is very good – but just don’t mistake it for a full-blown sports car. Most buyers will choose the 254bhp diesel but even our range-topping Turbo S with 400bhp doesn’t quite serve up the thrills of a standard issue 911, or a Boxster for that matter.

Part of the problem stems from the fact the Macan weighs almost two tons. It will amaze you with its cornering abilities but just misses out on the major fun factor that Porsche buyers expect.

We wave auf wiedersehen to the Macan today, knowing demand for the car is so strong that Porsche simply can’t make enough. Which is another reason why premium brand rivals like Bentley are urgently preparing to join the market with their own upmarket SUVs.

It’ll be interesting to see who holds the ultimate SUV crown this time next year. For now, the Macan Turbo is just about the best sports utility vehicle a huge amount of money can buy…

The Porsche Macan Turbo may look an aggressive beast but it’s easy to live with on a daily basis too

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Motoring writers don’t like to admit it but there comes a time towards the end of a test that you start to be more conscious about conserving fuel. That’s because each car comes with  full tank and (a) you are too mean to want to top up or (b) you live where I am and filling stations are few and far between.

I’ve known some ‘hackers’ who run the tank down to empty, which seems especially mean on the poor chap who has to collect the car and drive it back to HQ.

I still have two bars left in the Macan’s tank but living miles from a fuel pump, I’ve just returned from Bourton-on-the-Water driving the Porsche in ‘sensible’ mode. And for all the roar of the four tailpipes, the whopping wheels and 400bhp of grunt, the Macan can be a docile beast when required.

In fact, it feel more comfortable used as an everyday tool than a sporting machine across country. I’m surprised – I thought this Turbo model would demand to be driven hard all day, every day. I’m also hugely impressed. The Macan Turbo may not be as frugal as the diesel version but it’s just as easy to live with…

Nissan set to join Porsche in the high performance SUV market with a Juke Nismo RS

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Are we about to experience a rash of high performance mini SUVs? Nissan today revealed details of the new Juke Nismo RS at Geneva Motor Show – a budget busting rival for this week’s test car, the Porsche Macan.

Now, I can’t say many Porsche buyers would opt for the Nissan badge over Stuttgart’s finest but today’s announcement does suggest other manufacturers might follow suit.

There are already offerings from premium brands like Audi, BMW and Land Rover but Nissan’s move will bring serious performance to a whole new sector.

The rise of the mini SUV seems set to continue then, with our Macan Turbo S being the holy grail of utility cars. The devil in me wants to take it across a ploughed field to see how it can actually perform in the rough stuff but I’m not sure Porsche would be happy!

The Porsche Macan mini SUV isn’t pretty but it had few rivals on a twisty A-road

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It’s all about versatility these days and if you want lots of it, with bags of performance too, then the Macan Turbo has few rivals.

The Range Rover Sport and BMW X6 M are the obvious options but the Land Rover is too bulky to compete on a twisty A-road – and the Beemer remains plain ugly.

That’s not to say the Porsche is pretty as a picture. It isn’t. Like the bigger Cayenne, the trademark Porsche curves just don’t work that well on an SUV.

That said, there’s a lengthy list for the Macan and, consequently, aesthetic beauty obviously doesn’t com into it for many buyers. It must be something about the badge on the bonnet then…

Porsche’s baby SUV Macan is a total flying machine – 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds never felt so slick…

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There’s something very removed about the driving experience in the Macan. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the car is so smooth and refined you just don’t get the usual Porsche ‘experience’.

Maybe that’s what buyers of an SUV are looking for – I was expecting something more similar to the 911. It’s faultless and powerful but not as engaging as I had hoped.

In ‘sport’ mode things improve dramatically, with extra burble and spit from the four tailpipes. The revs pick up and you suddenly find yourself hammering down a country lane at remarkable speeds.

O-60mph in 4.8 seconds has never felt so slick. The changes from the seven-speed auto gearbox are seamless – it’s a total flying machine. Strange then that the brakes aren’t as good as I anticipated…

The new Porsche Macan is the most awesome SUV on the road – apart from those ridiculous front air intakes

mmmIt was years in the making but 12 years after the launch of the Cayenne comes the ‘mini me’ version – the Macan. Worth the wait? Hell yes!

This week we’re driving the most incredible SUV never to go off road. The 400bhp Macan is not to be taken lightly. It has all the qualities you would expect of a Porsche in one neat, pint-sized bundle.

The Macan has already stolen the crown of the beautiful Range Rover Evoque as the ‘must have’ 4×4 of 2015. It’s not as pretty but five minutes behind the steering wheel will convince you.

What don’t we like? The hefty price tag and those ridiculous air intakes in the front bumper. They could come from a Harrier jump jet.

Join us for daily reports of our week in the most awesome SUV ever – the Porsche Macan Turbo…