Boxster Launch

[Buddy]

I went to the Boxster launch at Sheffield this evening, had a look over the cars effectively a facelift 981 Boxster so no great change in the showroom, I thought it a pity they didn't have an engine on show as it would have been interesting and they couldn't say when the Cayman is due out, we may well know before they do....

 

[dpoynton]

I've placed a modest deposit on a 718 Cayman S to take delivery in January 2017.

My investigations tell me that it is expected to launch in September 2016 at Frankfurt.

David

 

[Contraband]

I was invited to the Aberdeen launch. Nice car, very nice.... But they had a white 981 Cayman sitting behind the 718 Boxster and it looked stunning with its black wheels etc. The lines of the Cayman roof make the car. I'm really looking forward to seeing the 718 Cayman.

It was nice that they had a manual car for the launch... As we know, real men drive manuals !! []

Looking at the prices V. performance it's hard to justify the extra £10k of the S for not a big performance gain.

The base model has sub 5 sec 0-60...

 

[dpoynton]

it's hard to justify the extra £10k of the S for not a big performance gain.

The base model has sub 5 sec 0-60...

I had reservations;

[link=https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=917465]https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=917465[/link]

David

 

[Motorhead]

I've placed a modest deposit on a 718 Cayman S to take delivery in January 2017.

My investigations tell me that it is expected to launch in September 2016 at Frankfurt.

David

David,

Have you decided that the S is worth the additional outlay?

I think that the Frankfurt show this year is for Commercial vehicles. Given that the Cayman sells quite well in the US, I expect that the launch is more likely at the LA Auto Show in November.

Jeff

 

[dpoynton]

[/quote]

"Have you decided that the S is worth the additional outlay?

I think that the Frankfurt show this year is for Commercial vehicles. Given that the Cayman sells quite well in the US, I expect that the launch is more likely at the LA Auto Show in November".

[/quote]

Yes, we only have one go at life. Our Cayman is ten years old in September 2016 (and still has lots of life in it for the next owner - 43k) so if we keep the 718 that long I might as well go for it.

Which show, I'll defer to you, the salesman thought we'd be ok to take delivery in January 2017.

David

 

[DuncGT4]

Off to silverstone next week for the launch

 

[Motorhead]

The right choice David - and one I'd have made in your position - and it avoids the "what if?" scenario.

I hope that you manage to secure a car for January delivery. At least you'll avoid the punitive new VED scheduled for April 2017.

As Kevan mentioned, it's a pity that Porsche didn't take the opportunity to display the new engine at the preview. No reason for it but perhaps they're a little sensitive about trumpeting the fact that it's now a 4 instead of a 6-cylinder.

Jeff

 

[dpoynton]

... and with 350bhp it'll be the most powerful Porsche I've had, then there's the torque curve, then PDK, then power settings, then......

oh, officer, well it's like this,...........

[]

David

 

[800MAN]

Hello David.

Have you seen this month's EVO?

It has a full road test and performance figures for the 718 S.

PS. Its faster than a GT4 !

Kev

 

[dpoynton]

the 718 S .... . [is] faster than a GT4 !

Thanks, but don't tell the GT4 owners Kev.

[]

David

 

[Contraband]

Here's another stat for you... The standard 718 S is only 0.1sec slower on the 0-62mph than the 997 GT3 RS...

 

[MrDemon]

The one at my launch was £72k. You can keep it, that's not a entry level 4 pot sports car.

i just feel a 4 pot don't work, it's not a golf !

The vents and stuff all look a bit plastic also, the rest of the car is the same as the 981.

Not for me.

 

[Motorhead]

That sounds a bit steep D, but then Porsche tend to load up the show cars for these events so that the punters can see what's on offer.

I'm afraid it's a fact that we'll just have to get used to engine downsizing - smaller, more efficient turbocharged I/C engines in conjunction with electric traction are becoming the norm and Porsche can't isolate themselves from this trend.

We just have to get over our innate predudice that somehow a 4-pot is inferior to a 6-pot; that 4-cylinder engines are associated with run-of-the-mill family cars whereas a "hairy chested" sportscar has to have a multi-cylinder n/a engine. Granted, the harmonic sound balance of a 4 will never be as full as that of a 6 but car manufacturers are working hard to address this, albeit by artificial means.

From what I can gather, the engine has been upgraded in a number of ways including variable valve timing (and lift?) now on both inlet and exhaust and the bores are now steel(?) plated to cope with the higher temperatures and pressures.

The chassis essentially is from the 981 with a few mods to accommodate the turbo, intercooler and associated plumbing, but the S has the 991 Carrera's front discs and 4-pot callipers, the rear axle has been strengthened to improve lateral stability and the more direct steering system from the 911 Turbo has been fitted.

I'm off to Hatfield on Thursday to have a look.

Jeff

 

[AB2012]

I understand the Boxster is now going to be pitched above the Cayman in the range, as with the Coupe/Cabrio positioning for the Carrera, so the Cayman will be the entry level car and Boxster more expensive. Interesting road test in May's Car magazine vs Focus RS and M2. Sense is that it sounds good at first, especially with sports exhaust, albeit a bit of a screamer, but you don't get the variation in sound that you do with the n/a six cylinder. Also reports of pronounced turbo lag from the single turbo, which you really don't want...but better to drive than read before making up your mind, in my view!

 

[ChrisW]

Interesting on the four pot, the new 919 V4 engine could be very exciting if it puts 500bhp into the GT4 chassis ...

And will anybody kick it out of bed if it's a bit of a screamer with no discernible turbo lag ?

IF

There's a new market coming that will know nothing other then Turbo ...

Low CO2 rules etc ... and the more of these cars that sell, the more room there is to squeeze in the odd manual N/A special.

So maybe not for some, but hopefully for plenty

 

[MrDemon]

Prob a mk2 R8 v10 plus for me next year after the show room drop in price.

the noise is a hugh issue as I don't want my weekend car sounding like a golf With a chaved up exhaust on it.

i quite like a turbo, and love the 5pot ttrs noise, it was a great daily car and will be cheaper and faster then a boxster. I think as long as you have a older school car to have fun in these news cars are just transport and you buy the badge, no ones going to take a new car for the driving experience ! And a turbo is easy to drive.

I prob sell all 3 porkers and switch to a Lotus in the garage and a ttrs or r8 for my daily.

or go a bit mad and have a 997.2rs in the garage and buy a polo gti for a daily.

I just don't like driving a crap daily as I am in it more.

a lot also depends on the next GT3 as buying that is free motoring and wins the day, free is good, you just need a friendly OPC to get you one.

 

[Motorhead]

Looks as though the R8 is in the last chance saloon for Audi n/a cars D, so could be an interesting choice, and there are plenty of acceptable and reasonably engaging cars around for a daily drive.

Like the Porsche air-cooled dinosaurs, in future those of us still with mid-engined n/a watercooled cars will look back with nostalgia on these times. At the moment there's a plentiful supply - a lot more Boxsters than Caymans, of course - but I wonder how many will still be around in 10 or 20 years time when depreciation and high running costs due to electronics failures take their toll?

Jeff