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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.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Porsche 919 Hybrid sets new qualifying record at Le Mans [w/video]

Porsche is getting off to a great start at Le Mans this year, setting a new qualifying lap record. Both Neel Jani and Timo Bernhardt clocked qualifying times in the latest Porsche 919 Hybrid that eclipse the previous record. At 3:16.887 and 3:17.767, both Porsche factory works drivers beat the record 3:18.51 qualifying time achieved by Stephane Sarrazin in the Peugeot 908 back in 2008. We should note, however, that these times are for the current track configuration. The outright qualifying record for any configuration still belongs to – you guessed it, also Porsche. Pedro Rodriguez pole position in 1971 in the Porsche 917 at 3:13.90. His teammate Jackie Oliver lapped even faster during the practice session at 3:13.6, and went on to set the fastest race lap that same year, which still stands at 3:18.4. The long and short of it, though, is that Porsche has been and remains the force to be reckoned with when it comes to outright pace around the French circuit. All that remains to be seen is whether the team can translate that pace into victory over the defending Le Mans winners at Audi and the reigning World Endurance Champions at Toyota. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 24 Hours of Le Mans : Porsche beats all records! As expected, this first day will be have been marked by the domination of the Porsche 919 Hybrid cars during the first qualifying practice and who totally smashed the record of the track. But let's be careful, Audi isn't far behind. In LM P2, an Oreca 05 from Team KCMG finished in front whereas the Aston Martins excelled in LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am. During the free practice sessions that took place between 4 and 8pm, the competitors began carefully on a drying track after the afternoon rain. The red flag was presented only 5 minutes after the opening of the track because of an immobilized driver who had made a mistake (without any other consequence other than this neutralization) at braking point in the chicane ForzaMotorsport (first of the two chicanes on the Hunaudieres). The British driver Richard Bradley was the cause of this behind the steering wheel of the Oreca 05 n°47 of the Hong Kong team KCMG. The prototype LM P2 was brought back to the pits on the breakdown truck. A little later, the same Richard Bradley did the best time of the free session on this Oreca 05 n°47.