New Boxster 718 - What are your views

[fasterthanlight]

Having just bought a yellow 918 I think it looks better than this actually - also don't like the rear signage at all - I like the sound of mine with the sport exhaust and twin pipes - this thing sounds way to "rice crispy" to me (and its a 4 cylinder OMG ).

My car also has a Sports Exhaust - an essential, if expensive option on the 981. I'm not sure why there doesn't appear to be one offered for the 718 - you'd think that Porsche would be keen to offer anything that would make the car sound better. The standard exhaust is listed as a "Twin-tract exhaust system with twin tailpipe in stainless steel". There are no exhaust options. Perhaps it's something they'll add to the options list in due course, or reserve exclusively for a new GTS model.

 

[johnnyspyder*]

PSE will be an option from July apparently - saw it on Porsche website somewhere.

 

[nwhear]

A thing of great beauty to be sure!

 

[nwhear]

 

[nwhear]

 

[nwhear]

 

[nwhear]

So much nicer than the new signage I think!

 

[gdavison]

I personally think it looks lovely and agree with many other comments re the 4 pot engine to many buyers wont make a differance, I would hope that some electro wizadry combined with PSE option and we get pops crackles AND turbo phizzing noises ala 962's

My final verdit will be after a drive .. however initital feeling is its a winner

I do hope the last 981 flat 6's hold their value well (especially the GTS's)

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

Yes agree we can't judge until it arrives yes initially a shock the flat 6 is going to a 4 pot turbo but time marches on Porsche don't make bad cars .I am sure a GTS model will hold good value as its a little bit from main stream.
I am sure there will be wizardry especially in Models like Spyders & GT4 with a pumped 4 pot turbo pushing out more bhp as we all know turbos are and easy tune.
The current 3.8 will become obsolete can't see them carrying on making that Na engine for just a few hundred special models.
The current 3.0 twin turbo 911 engine is reported not to fit in the Boxster Cayman. (But who knows )
We will have to hold fire on judgments until tested and driven also if one wants a new Porsche may not be a choice.
Cliff.

 

[tscaptain]

If it's anything like the flat 4 turbo I owned many moons ago (with the STi badge) it will be pretty awesome[]

 

[Wollemi]

At the heart of it is why do you buy a particular car. It's hard to make a case for any two seat sports car on purely rational grounds.
Once emotional considerations come into it then what's good for one won't work for someone else, and I suspect that whilst for for many people how effective the engine is is all that matters, they will be a number who will just need to know that they have a flat six perfectly balanced engine behind them; whether this need is rational or not.
I think that I might be one of these people.

 

[flat6]

Agreed Wollemi as to who will buy what and why.

As has been said, new car buyers won't have a choice (and I doubt they'll leave the marque if they specifically want a Porsche). Used car buyers will have a choice and may hanker after a 981 instead for the NA 6 cylinder boxer. But used car buyers, of which I am firmly one myself, don't support the Porsche business to the same extent that new car buyers do so will have little influence on Porsche's business direction.

With the 981 production numbers it's hard to predict how sought-after the average car will be but certainly some models do stand out.

It's interesting how time moves on. At the launch of the 981 it was slated by some that it wasn't 'Porsche' enough. Now Porsche has taken a step further away from certain core values the 981 will get perceived as more quintessentially Porsche than it was before. I expect the 718 to be as equally well received over time and just as PDK has made its mark as a signature Porsche transmission, turbo-charging (if they do it better than their competitors) may become their next signature in time.

There's always room for the older cars though and I like my old car for the way it is.

 

[daro911]

Anyone noticed the 718 is officially called internally 982 and not 981.2!

Following is from Autoexpress
http://www.autoexpress.co...ls-of-flat-four-turbo#
[h3]Boxster GTS and Boxster Spyder models could top 400bhp[/h3]Engineers tell us to expect even more, however. Powertrain boss Michael Wessels told us the "power and torque advantages of the B4 (technical term for the flat-four turbo) offer much more scope for increased performance”. To that end, we’d expect the forthcoming GTS model to approach 390bhp, and later on a Spyder variant to push that figure over that magic 400bhp mark.

 

[gdavison]

They come out pretty well in the TopGear mag report

http://www.topgear.com/ca...-porsche-718-boxster#1

Report has a few videos of engine / exhaust noise .. also an interesting quote from page 3 "a basic turbo Boxster would leave a last-gen Boxster S PDK for dead in a straight line"

 

[Motorhead]

Another assessment here:

http://www.pistonheads.co...oxster--the-tech/33811

Some interesting tech input as well - rationale for using a flat-4 rather than a flat-6; VarioCam Plus on both inlet and exhaust; variable geometry turbo on the S; novel indirect intercooling system.

Jeff

 

[Dannypross]

I prefer the looks of the 718 to the 981.
I personally thought the spoiler/rear lights treatment on the 981 looked "fussy".
Have to say though that I prefer the 987.

For me the simpler lines at the rear end are just more "classic boxster".
Even with the 718 having "cleaned up" a bit at the rear, isn't there just too much lettering going on?
Does it really need to state "PORSCHE 718 Boxster S"?

That said, I prefer the 981 interior to that of my gen 2 987 s.

Looking forward to seeing the thing "in the flesh".

 

[johnnyspyder*]

Porsche GT3 guru Andreas Preuninger has confirmed the six-speed manual gearbox used in the 911 R will be available as an option on the next generation of GT3 as well.

However, the track-focused GT3 RS will remain PDK only.

He confirmed his cars will retain natural aspiration "for the foreseeable future” with the sole exception of the next GT2 RS due in 2017. Contrary to those who maintain the new 718 Cayman will only accept four-cylinder engines, Preuninger said there will be a new Cayman GT4 and it will have six cylinders.

The above from Autocar web site today. So it looks as if current GT4 (and maybe Spyder ??) may not be the last of the six cylinder NA cars. After all.

 

[Motorhead]

Of course a N/A flat-6 will fit in the Mk2 GT4! It's fitted in the 981 and the 718 is very little different structurally, with the flat-4 apparently mounted in a "raft" (subframe?). With the turbo, intercooler and associated plumbing taking up a lot of room, I'm sure that there'll be ample space for the flat-6.

Jeff