Cayman and Boxster 718-6?

[Motorhead]

I'd seen that Auto Express note too Phil, and concur with your thoughts. As noted before on here before, the 2.0L F-4T seems to be popular in China owing to vehicles being taxed according to engine capacity, whereas it's not gone down well in the very important (to Porsche) US market, less so it would appear in Europe. The sports car market seems to be rather sluggish, which can't be helping sales either.

I suppose that if you're in the market for a new Cayman or Boxster, until now there was no choice of engine but Porsche has now upset the apple cart, albeit only at the top-end of the range. That won't help used prices of F-4T GTS cars, although I can't see it affecting used prices of cars further down the range. Nor can I see potential purchasers of the base and T cars stretching their budget to a GTS, although some S buyers might be tempted if finance is attractive.

All conjecture, but you can bet that when the journos get hold of the new 4.0L GTS cars they'll be falling over themselves to heap praise on them - the high gearing excepted of course.! []

Jeff

 

[Technetium]

Jeff

Your final comment reminds me of a manual GT4 review I recently watched on YouTube. The guy loved it ... except for the very long gear ratios.

I remember his rhetorical question.."Do I really need to be able to do 86 mph in second gear?" Quite. There must be a design reason behind it but I have no idea what it is.

I am not that familiar with the GT4 and was only really watching the review because of the connection with the new F-6 GTS.

Back to the main point, putting a 4 litre engine into a small sports car just doesn't sit well in this day and age.

Having said that, I do love n/a engines, so will await the reviews with interest like everyone else.

For me, however, its a purely academic interest as there is no way I would be able to afford one!

Phil

 

[Brian_Innes]

I'm also expecting the motor journalists and You Tube scribes to be foaming at the mouth in praise of the F6 4.0 Cayman GTS. Although in reality, when the cars are driven on roads as shown on the Porsche promotional video, I would wager the long manual gearing would prove less than ideal. Give me my current 2.5t GTS PDK on the same roads and it'll show any 4.0 GTS the way to go.

When the PDK versions of the 4.0 GTS eventually arrive they will offer improved drivability on such roads due to the shorter gearing. Torque delivery excepted.

I would enjoy reading a comparative road test, particularly on A and B roads, between a 4.0 Cayman GTS and a 2019 2.5t Cayman GTS PDK. The now superseded 718 2.5t GTS is not dead yet. It'll live on for those drivers who enjoy brilliant chassis agility, a big torque band, and the potential to tune north of 420 bhp.

Brian

 

[AndrewCS]

Does all this comparison really matter … when one is enjoying whatever it is that we drive and are hopefully enjoying it ?

I am fortunate to have a H6 NA … an I4T … a V6 Bi Turbo … an I4 NA … and each will easily outperform the other under certain / chosen conditions.

As regards gearing … just drive it where it need to be driven !

 

[Twinfan]

Speed isn't everything. I couldn't care less that another car of someone else's choosing is faster than mine. In a road car I want a manual gearbox, an NA engine and a car that stirs my emotions. Roads aren't race tracks where different criteria matter.

The GTS 4.0 will be a great road car and top marks to Porsche for making it in this day and age!

 

[PaulJ]

For me, however, its a purely academic interest as there is no way I would be able to afford one!

Phil

It would be a stretch for me too Phil, but I may formulate a cunning plan involving advanced man-maths. []

 

[Technetium]

Paul

If its as good as one of Baldrick's cunning plans I'd love to hear it..

Phil

 

[PaulJ]

Paul

If its as good as one of Baldrick's cunning plans I'd love to hear it..

Phil

It will contain standard boring stuff like good residual values of course, new car reliability and better emission levels to save the Earth, but will have to take the mental leap of faith, whereby you can place an actual monetary value on things like : The smell of new car, a wider smile every time you open the garage door, how happy you will make someone else when they take over your cherished Porsche, etc.

Hope this is of help. []

 

[Motorhead]

Just to mention that the news from my Porsche sales chappy is that they expect to have a GTS demonstrator from April, which is probably about the same time as the first customer cars will be arriving here. Also he confirmed that neither the GTS nor the GT4 are limited on number but are just low allocation and high demand.

Jeff

 

[Twinfan]

My OPC SA tells me he's not had an order for a GTS 4.0 yet, I don't know about the other SAs there. Demand isn't through the roof so the cars should be easily obtainable, unlike the GT4/Spyder which I suspect Porsche are drip feeding to maintain the current GT car 'aura' for brand image purposes.

 

[Motorhead]

So much for the indication/inference from AP on the car's release that GT4s will be available to anyone who wants one Dave.! However, there's still a long way to go production-wise, so even if GT4s are drip-fed to market I suppose there's always a chance of getting one. I'm sure that quite a few potential purchasers of both the GTS and GT4 are holding on for the PDK option to arrive; then there's the GT4 RS of course which will be as rare as hen's teeth.!

Jeff

 

[Twinfan]

Yeah, I've no idea what that was about. I guess the implication is if you wait long enough you'll get a build slot, but I suspect a lot of people won't wait and will buy something else - possibly this GTS.

Quite a cunning plan by Porsche, as it keeps the GT car numbers as low as possible...

 

[Motorhead]

Yeah, I've no idea what that was about. I guess the implication is if you wait long enough you'll get a build slot, but I suspect a lot of people won't wait and will buy something else - possibly this GTS.

Quite a cunning plan by Porsche, as it keeps the GT car numbers as low as possible...

Quite so Dave. Of course, the limiting factors for both cars are available build-slots on the single Cayman assembly line at Osnabrück and production rates for the new F-6 engine for which there'll be significant world-wide demand.

Jeff

 

[Motorhead]

Published a few weeks ago (and nothing to get excited about), but here's a reflective footnote on the wider availability of the n/a F-6 engine:

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/blog/the-porsche-718-gts-bombshell---ph-footnote/41676

Jeff

 

[Motorhead]

Looks as though the publishing embargo has been lifted. Here's one review for the 718 GTS 4.0 twins; I'm sure that there'll be many more:

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/porsche-718-gts-4-0---ph-review/41859

Jeff

 

[Wollemi]

Steve Sutcliffe iI evo thinks it’s ok

https://www.evo.co.uk/porsche/cayman/202238/porsche-cayman-gts-40-2020-review-a-cut-price-cayman-gt4

And here’s the Boxster in Autocar

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/porsche/718-boxster-gts-40/first-drives/porsche-718-boxster-gts-40-2020-review

Seems that the engine is not a detuned GT4 / Spyder engine but exactly the same engine only with a slightly lower rev limit.

 

[Motorhead]

Yes, the reviews are coming thick and fast now Graham. Here's yet another, courtesy of Auto Express:

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/porsche/cayman/109131/new-porsche-718-cayman-gts-40-2020-review

We'll have to wait a couple of months for a UK review when the cars start arriving here but it seems that the journos are happy that there's a mainstream 6-pot Cayman/Boxster on sale again, albeit a high cost option. Good enough for the extra half-star rating anyway.

I can't help but think that the Boxster GTS in particular will make a better practical road car than the Spyder, with its superior roof and road-going tyres. Either way, for the vast majority of purchasers the GTS versions will be at least 95% of their GT4 and Spyder equivalents, and with a significant cost saving too.

The 4.0-litre engine in the GTS is exactly the same spec as that in the GT4 and Spyder but with slightly less power and a lower rev limit (most likely via a DME remap and throttle restriction), although the max torque is exactly the same, limited by the torque capacity of the manual Getrag transmission. The PDK transmission has a slightly higher torque capacity, so there could be a different tune for cars fitted with that option when it becomes available, rumoured to be later this year, on all F-6 variants.

Jeff

 

[AB2012]

Interesting to see in Germany the 4.0l is being sold alongside the F4 GTS models. Latest Autogefühl test has some insightful observations on one vs the other...

 

[Brian_Innes]

Don't write off the 2.5t GTS Caymans yet. They are an extra special car in my humble opinion. After 5 Caymans including 3 flat-6's I know the range quite well.

The 2.5t GTS PDK with the "right" spec and properly set up with wheel geometry, not forgetting an experienced wheel-smith, this is a special car.....punches well above its weight.

Brian

PS Just wait until the modifiers get hold of this model. GT4 4.0 owners, eat your heart out.

 

[Twinfan]

With today's road conditions and traffic levels, having more speed in a road car isn't much use. For enjoyment, I'm sure the buyers of the 4.0 are looking for more emotion and enjoyment from a tuneful 4.0 F6 NA. Outright speed is of no interest I'm sure, otherwise classic cars wouldn't have any owners!