The roll-out of the 2016 model year Porsche 911 line-up has gained further momentum with the unveiling of the facelifted Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S in both coupe and cabriolet body styles, along with the Targa 4 and Targa 4S.
Read our review of the Carrera 4S
The facelifted models are on display at the Tokyo motor show before UK deliveries start in early 2016. The various wide-bodied four-wheel-drive 911 models adopt similar modifications to their more traditional rear-wheel-drive siblings first shown at last month’s Frankfurt motor show.
The exteriors of the 911 Carrera 4 and 4S, Targa 4 and Targa 4S have been upgraded with a redesigned front bumper sporting active air ducts that open and close to channel air to the front-mounted radiators, revised headlights with altered internal graphics, larger exterior mirror housings mounted on the doors and new door handles.
Read our review of the Targa 4S
They also get a redesigned air vent atop the rear-mounted engine, modified tail-lights and a new rear bumper with air vents to channel hot air away from the engine.
Wider rear arches and a horizontal light band that runs between the tail-lights will continue to distinguish the four-wheel-drive 911s from the rear-drive editions.
Most significant among the mechanical changes is the adoption of a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, as initially unveiled in the latest 911 Carrera and Carrera S.
The first in a series of modular turbocharged engines, it replaces the naturally aspirated 3.4-litre six-cylinder unit in the 911 Carrera 4 and Targa 4, delivering an added 20bhp and 45lb ft, with 365bhp now available at 6500rpm and 332lb ft on tap from 1700 through to 5000rpm.
In the 911 Carrera 4S and Targa 4S, the new engine supplants the older naturally aspirated 3.8-litre horizontally-opposed six-cylinder powerplant, offering a similar 20bhp and 45lb ft increase, with 414bhp and 369lb ft.
Gearbox choices remain the same as before, with a seven-speed manual offered alongside a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch unit with the choice between manual and automatic shift modes. Both gearboxes work in combination with an electro-hydraulic four-wheel drive system.
The increase in output provides the four-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S coupe with 0-62mph times of 4.1sec and 3.8sec respectively in combination with the optional seven-speed PDK gearbox. These times represent a respective 0.1sec improvement on the rear-drive Carrera and Carrera S, owing to superior off-the-line traction.
Top speed has also increased, with the Carrera 4S coupe now achieving a claimed 190mph.
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I'd sell an important organ in order to buy a 911 Targa,