The 2009 Porsche 911 4 Targa offers a double-dip of driving pleasure. There’s the Targa-style roof, for instance. Glass is a gas and nothing is better than something. You get two driveshafts and four wheels churning for traction. You can double down even further by ordering the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe, (PDK for short), which refers to the astounding dual clutch, dual-shifting transmission option.

Originally built to get around federal regulations on convertible tops, the all-wheel drive Targa 4 and Targa 4S place a 16.6-square-foot glass roof over the entire cabin. The front section power retracts in about seven seconds, and the rear opens like a hatch, exposing the rear-seat cargo area for easier loading. It's the only 911 to have that feature. A power-retractable sunshade covers both sections of the glass roof, and Porsche says that for 2009, the cover offers superior shade.

The 2009 Porsche 911 Targa models join a newly revamped 997 generation. There are the rear-wheel drive Carrera and Carrera S, the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S and convertible versions of each. Then there are the all-wheel drive, glass-roofed Targa 4 and Targa 4S coupes. The 911 Turbo continues unchanged for 2009.

The 911 Targa 4 launch follows updates to the Carrera and Carrera 4 lineups and brings a similar set of improvements. The exterior of this glass-roofed 911 has been revised with LED taillights, LED daytime running lights and smaller foglights. The Targa 4, like the Carrera 4, has all-wheel drive, identical except for a slightly more centered 40/60-percent front/rear weight distribution. This year, the “4s” receive the electronic center differential from the all-wheel drive 911 Turbo. The new system can send up to 100 percent of the engine's power to the rear wheels.

Behind every Porsche 911 is a powerful, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine displacing 3.6 or 3.8 liters. Porsche says both engines are completely new this year. Their displacement measurements round to the same figures as last year's engines, but bore and stroke measurements are slightly different. Direct fuel injection is new as well. A first for Porsche, it enables a cooler air/fuel mixture and higher compression ratios to improve power and gas mileage. Porsche's VarioCam Plus system governs valve timing, and airflow has been improved, thanks to streamlined exhaust runners and a new intake manifold. Add it all up, and the gains are significant.

The 3.6-liter mill makes 345 hp and 288 lb/ft of torque. The 3.8-liter engine develops 385 hp and 310 lb/ft of torque. Both are very fast. You have to drive hard to discern the difference between these two powerplants. When you do sink your right foot into the pedal, the characteristic Porsche “whoosh and wail” is your reward. The 911 Targa 4 with 3.6-liter engine and manual gearbox will give you a zero-to-60 mph time of 5.0 seconds. Add PDK and the Sport Chrono Plus Package to the Targa 4S 3.6-liter and get a zero-to-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard with the trusty third gear extended a bit to improve gas mileage. This six is as slick and precise a shifter as you will find in any sportscar. More impressive is the available seven-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox, which replaces the five-speed Tiptronic as the automatic option. It has separate drive shafts for the even and odd gears! PDK goes through the gears nearly imperceptibly, kicking down two or three at a time with minimal lag. You can shift manually with the gearshift or steering wheel paddleshifters; the response is immediate and on downshifts, it's accompanied by throttle blips for the sort of rev matching a good stick-shift driver would do. An optional Sport Chrono Package Plus augments the PDK with two additional settings, Sport and Sport Plus with progressively quicker gear changes, more aggressive kickdown and a more sensitive accelerator pedal. Both settings hold lower gears longer and resist upshifts in tricky handling situations.

Handling in the Targa 4 is as expected up to the benchmarks established by the Porsche 911 for sportscars. It is topnotch. Stopping power is awesome. Thirteen-inch cross-drilled brake discs with four-piston calipers are standard on all four wheels. Last year's 3.6-liter car had smaller discs. Cars with the 3.8-liter engine have slightly thicker discs and red-painted calipers. The ride is that of a sportscar. The 911's suspension –struts up front with a multilink rear – can be equipped with the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) adaptive setup, which electrically varies shock absorber response to changing road conditions and renders a 0.4-inch lower ride height. It's optional with the 3.6-liter engine and standard with the 3.8-liter. Porsche says it has been tuned for better ride comfort this year. The system can be switched between Regular and Sport settings; the latter delivers a noticeable reduction in body roll, particularly over the rear axle, and ride quality in either remains “sporting.”

Targa’s new Porsche Communication Management 3.0 (PCM 3.0) is the central piece of the interior's puzzle. Porsche's unique system includes a touchscreen for easy, intuitive operation of the audio system, as well as an available HDD navigation system, XM Satellite Radio (with real-time XM NavTraffic), Bluetooth hands-free capability and iPod connectivity. Leather seats are optional with a partial-leather mix standard. Heated and ventilated power seats are optional as is a heated steering wheel. An optional full leather interior covers the dash and door panels with stitched cowhide. Standard features include six airbags with side-impact airbags in the front seats and side-curtain airbags extending from the doors, even in convertible models. Antilock brakes, traction control and an electronic stability system are also standard. New for 2009 are optional adaptive headlights, which can swivel up to 15 degrees as you turn the wheel to illuminate oncoming corners.

The 2009 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S carry MSRPs of $89,500 and $100,100 respectively. If a double dip of driving excitement sounds good to you, give us a call and we’ll introduce you to the 2009 Porsche 911 Targa 4 and Targa 4S. We predict you’ll flip your lid!