If you’re a regular reader of the motoring press, you’ll know there’s been much ado about the fact that every Porsche 911, with the sole exception of the GT3 models, is now turbocharged.

Yes, there’s still the mack-daddy 911 Turbo (with a capital T), but instead of aiming for outright performance the regular Carreras have instead been turbo-fied in order to meet efficiency and emissions standards.

Listening to the hardcore Porsche puritans will convince you that these new turbochargers will be the death of the 911. But then they’re the same bunch who said that the swap to water-cooled engines would be the death of the 911, as would the introduction of four-wheel drive and electric power steering…

In terms of sacrilegiousness then, this new Carrera 4S is probably the worst offender of them all. Turbocharged, with four-wheel drive and electric power steering, can it still manage to capture that classic 911 spirit?

When Porsche was developing its latest 911 (known both within the company and to well-informed enthusiasts as the 991 series) for its launch in 2012, it was careful to maintain the basic shape and layout which had already proved successful over half a century. In other ways, however, the new car was quite radical, being larger than any of its predecessors but at the same time lighter, thanks partly to the use of aluminium in its construction.

There are several body styles, but the Coupe remains the most familiar and, to some people, soul-stirring. It's available with the greatest variety of engines, all of them with six cylinders and capacities of between 3.4 and

3.8 litres. Power outputs range from 345bhp to 552bhp. Some models send their power to the rear wheels only, some to all four, and there's a choice of manual and PDK twin-clutch semi-automatic gearboxes, both with seven speeds.

Performance

Very few 911s have a 0-62mph of over five seconds, and none of them are Coupes. The figure for the entry-level Carrera manual is 4.8 seconds, helped considerably by the enormous traction created by having the weight of the engine mounted over the driven wheels. The Carrera 4 is, curiously enough, a tenth slower, partly because four-wheel drive doesn't make much difference in this case and partly because it's 50kg heavier. The PDK gearbox reduces the 0-62mph time by two tenths, and you can shave off two more by specifying the optional Sport Plus package.

Turbocharged models can do the same run in 3.5 seconds or less, the best figure being 3.1 for the Turbo S. Unlike several other German manufacturers, Porsche does not adhere to a "gentleman's agreement" to limit top speed to 155mph. Every 911 Coupe can go faster than this, the lowest figure being 177mph and the highest 198mph.

You have to push the engines hard to get the best out of them, but they provide a more than adequate amount of power at low revs. They sound good, too, with four distinct notes as you accelerate the lower-powered units through the rev range. The PDK transmission is very easy to use, the manual less so because there are so many gears to select. Heavy spring loading of the lever means it's easy to go straight from seventh to fourth when you were aiming for sixth, but the shift quality is pleasantly firm and precise.

Ride and Handling

The ride quality of the less performance-oriented models is superb, even with optional sports suspension and 20-inch wheels

The rear-heavy layout is inherently unstable, and while it may have been acceptable when the original 911 was launched in 1963 it caused considerable problems in later years. Porsche's attempt to sell front-engined sports cars instead, starting in the late 1970s, eventually failed because customers kept wanting to buy 911s, so the company had to tame its most famous models handling while also increasing power outputs. With the 991 series it has gone about as far as the laws of physics will allow. The position of the engine still affects the car's behaviour over crest and through dips, and there remains some hesitation as you turn in to a corner, but nowadays you would have to try very hard to achieve the tail slides which could so easily catch out an unwary driver in previous years. The ride quality of the less performance-oriented models is superb, even with optional sports suspension and 20-inch wheels, and makes them qualify as comfortable long-distance grand tourers rather than out-and-out sports cars, though they can also be very effective on a race circuit.

Interior and Equipment

The original model was going to be called the 901, but Peugeot objected as it had dibs on three-number car names with a central zero. Porsche made the necessary adjustment before putting the 911 on sale.

The days of 911s having a few dials and minor controls scattered around a drab interior are long gone. Sitting inside the current model without going anywhere is a pleasure in itself. The design is very attractive and the materials are high-quality. There's a lot of room for two tall people in the front. There are rear seats but they're not suitable for anyone larger than a small child and are more likely to be used as additional luggage space. Some items will in fact have to go there because there's no room for them anywhere else. The luggage compartment is under the bonnet and has a smaller capacity than the average city car at 145 litres for the rear-wheel drive models and just 125 litres for the 4x4s. Satellite navigation, DAB digital radio and dual-zone air-conditioning are fitted as standard across the range, but you have to pay extra for cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, keyless entry, Park Assist and a reversing camera.

Cost

Running costs need not necessarily be very high. The entry-level Carrera with the PDK gearbox has the best combined fuel economy.

Porsche's willingness to charge you for equipment that might have been fitted as standard doesn't sit well with pricing which starts at over £73,000. For those who can take this to extremes, several of the more powerful models cost significantly more than £100,000. Running costs need not necessarily be very high. The entry-level Carrera with the PDK gearbox has the best combined fuel economy and CO2 emissions in the range at 34.4mpg and 191g/km, and has the lowest annual Vehicle Excise Duty payments at £265 (a trifling amount in comparison with the purchase price). Achieving much more than 30mpg might be a struggle, but you could manage it if you didn't make full use of the performance, which is by no means the only appealing part of the driving experience. The 552bhp Turbo S has official figures of 29.1mpg and 227g/km, though you're unlikely to match the former. The GT3, described in another article, is much less environmentally friendly and will cost a great deal more to tax.

Our Verdict

For some people, simply owning a 911 will be enough, regardless of what it's like. The more critical of us love the interior and engine note, and greatly admire the way Porsche has come close to resolving the unresolvable handling problems caused by the engine location. Practicality is terrible and Porsche's pricing policy can justly be criticised, but the current 911 is nevertheless a wonderful car, and we wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to own one.

The Targa is a sort of halfway house between the 911 Coupe and the Cabriolet. The concept (introduced in 1967 but not used continuously since then) is that the roof panel can be removed to provide wind-in-the-hair motoring but the rear window remains in place. The current Targa model, based on the 911 introduced in 2012, was launched in 2014.

All of today's Porsche Targas are four-wheel drive, not so much because of a need for extra traction but because four-wheel drive 911s have wider rear bodywork than the rear-wheel drive versions. It’s easier and cheaper for Porsche to utilise just one powertrain when incorporating the folding roof mechanism for the latest Targa.

There are three versions in the current 911 Targa range. The Targa 4 has a 345bhp 3.4-litre engine, while the 4S and the 4 GTS have 3.8-litre units producing 395bhp and 424bhp respectively. A seven-speed manual gearbox or the optional PDK semi-automatic ‘box are available in each case. Targas are heavier than Coupes and Cabriolets and are therefore slower and less economical, though the contrast to the Cabriolet is almost negligible.

Performance

Reasonably enough, acceleration times for the Targa are closely correlated with power output. The 4, 4S and 4 GTS can achieve 0-62mph in 5.2, 4.8 and 4.7 seconds respectively if fitted with manual transmission. The quicker-shifting PDK gearbox knocks two tenths off the times of the less powerful cars and allows the GTS to do the same run in 4.3.

All versions are capable of more than 170mph, and the S and GTS can exceed 180. The best result is 188mph for the manual GTS.

To get the best from the 3.4-litre engine and the GTS version of the 3.8 you have to rev them well beyond 7,000rpm. A similar if slightly less extreme situation applies to the S model. We can see why you'd want to do this because the sound effects are simply wonderful. But the engines also work well at much lower revs, so while on paper they seem to be "screamers" they are in fact very flexible, and behave well in all driving conditions.

The PDK gearbox, while a little frantic if you've selected Sport Plus mode, is very easy to use. The manual takes a bit of concentration at first as you try to remember which of the seven gears you've selected and work out which would be the best to change into next, but you soon get used to it, and the shift quality is excellent. The lever is heavily spring-loaded towards the third-fourth plane, so selecting any ratio from fifth upwards requires you to keep pulling it to the right. If you don't do this, you may find yourself jumping down several gears by mistake.

Ride and Handling

Even on 20-inch wheels and very low-profile tyres it rides splendidly, and you could drive it a very long way without becoming unduly tired.

Like most versions of the Porsche 911, the Targa has a dual personality. Give it large on a race circuit and it will respond very well, though you'll always be conscious, especially in the wet, of the heavy rear weight bias caused by having the engine mounted behind the back wheels. But the Targa also works splendidly as a car to be driven gently along a country road as you enjoy the scenery, the sounds of nature (if you've folded down the roof) and the general experience of driving a 911. Even on 20-inch wheels and very low-profile tyres it rides splendidly, and you could drive it a very long way without becoming unduly tired.

Interior and Equipment

The name refers to the Targa Florio, a now discontinued Sicilian road race which Porsche won on eleven occasions.

The roofs of early Targas had to be removed and replaced manually. In today's model, all you have to do is press a button and the roof stows itself away - in a process not short of visual drama - behind the rear seats. The back window has to be temporarily displaced to allow this to happen, but it returns to its location afterwards, and the central pillar never moves. The window is a large, wraparound affair which gives the Targa quite spectacularly good rear visibility, much better than you'll find in any supermini. Care is still required in tight reversing manoeuvres, though, since you can't see the protruding tail and wings. The interior is identical to that of other 911s, very comfortable, attractively designed and with high-quality materials. Standard equipment includes DAB digital radio, satellite navigation and dual-zone air-conditioning. However, you have to pay extra for many items, including cruise control and Bluetooth for example. Features like these you might have thought would be part of the deal in a car costing more than £86,000 in its cheapest form. Partly because of the presence of a front axle, the capacity of the luggage compartment under the bonnet is very limited at just 125 litres. If you want to store larger items you're going to have to put them on the back seats. They are more likely to be used for this task than for carrying people as they are not suitable for anyone larger than a small child.

Cost

The Targa 4 with the optional PDK gearbox has the best official fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 32.5mpg and 204g/km.

A 4S with a few optional extras and a 4 GTS with none both cost over £100,000, and you could easily pay over £90,000 for the 4. Anyone who can afford this probably isn't going to be too concerned about the price of keeping these cars running, but for the record the Targa 4 with the optional PDK gearbox has the best official fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 32.5mpg and 204g/km. Manual models are rated at 29.7mpg and 223g/km. Despite the 29bhp difference in their maximum power outputs, the S and GTS share the same figures of 28.2mpg and 237g/km in manual form and 30.7mpg and 214g/km with PDK. Needless to say, if you use the performance potential in any of these cars, 30mpg will be little more than a distant dream.

Our Verdict

While we don't think the Targa looks quite as good as the 911 Coupe, there's no difference in the interior ambience or the driving experience, both of which are splendid. It’s far from practical, but buyers of the 911 Targa are unlikely to be particularly concerned about this. You'll have to spend a lot of money, especially if you add options, but for many people Porsche ownership is worth the high price. That’s not much of a surprise when the car is this enjoyable to drive.