RE: Porsche 718 Boxster: Review
Discussion
From all the articles I've read all that is wrong with the Porsche 718 range is it doesn't sound any where near as good as the old one & loses some throttle response to the old flat 6 too - but compared to almost every other turbo charged engine the throttle response is very good (only the 3.9 litre V8 from a Ferrari is better).
But sadly it sounds like an after market exhaust, induction system & remap won't sort the engine noise out, we'll have to wait for the .2 model for that - because Porsche always come good.
All the cars that are listed as rivals have issues that are as big if not bigger than the 718's engine sound:
I'm just glad there are plenty of choices to fit people's different needs & wants but I do hope people buy the 718, so there's a supply of used ones in the future - enabling me to live my childhood dream of owning a Porsche (and please order a manual).
But sadly it sounds like an after market exhaust, induction system & remap won't sort the engine noise out, we'll have to wait for the .2 model for that - because Porsche always come good.
All the cars that are listed as rivals have issues that are as big if not bigger than the 718's engine sound:
- Audi TT RS - Golf underneath
- SLC - more of a cruiser than a sports car
- Lotus - Toyota engine which itself isn't brimming with personality
- F-Type - A handful in the wet (personally, constant oversteer gets very tiring on an everyday basis), the boot is laughable in the convertible (one of the 718's boots is more useable - you need to be able to use a sports car for a weekend away)
I'm just glad there are plenty of choices to fit people's different needs & wants but I do hope people buy the 718, so there's a supply of used ones in the future - enabling me to live my childhood dream of owning a Porsche (and please order a manual).
sege said:
RWDan said:
Krikkit said:
Very good engine with a ruined reputation by poor design choices - when working it was a good unit.
A good engine that's poorly designed.. oxymoron springs to mind. My quote still stands.
Dale487 said:
Porsche have developed a bespoke engine instead of using an off the peg VAG unit (Golf R engine say, but we'd have hammered them for that too) so should be given some credit - they'll get it sounding right in the future I'm sure.
They'd be crazy if the engine doesn't share quite a lot with the standard TSI VAG unit; both in terms of parts and design. Whether that matters is, of course, debatable; I've always been of the view that it's the end result that matters now how the engineers get there. Dale487 said:
From all the articles I've read all that is wrong with the Porsche 718 range is it doesn't sound any where near as good as the old one & loses some throttle response to the old flat 6 too - but compared to almost every other turbo charged engine the throttle response is very good (only the 3.9 litre V8 from a Ferrari is better).
But sadly it sounds like an after market exhaust, induction system & remap won't sort the engine noise out, we'll have to wait for the .2 model for that - because Porsche always come good.
All the cars that are listed as rivals have issues that are as big if not bigger than the 718's engine sound:
I'm just glad there are plenty of choices to fit people's different needs & wants but I do hope people buy the 718, so there's a supply of used ones in the future - enabling me to live my childhood dream of owning a Porsche (and please order a manual).
I agree with everything you said, however I must take issue with two things, the F type isn't a handful in the wet at all, my V6s is a peach in all weathers so much so I've never used the rain mode once and I don't hang about!. Also if traction is important they do the AWD version which is limpet like (although a tad more pricey).But sadly it sounds like an after market exhaust, induction system & remap won't sort the engine noise out, we'll have to wait for the .2 model for that - because Porsche always come good.
All the cars that are listed as rivals have issues that are as big if not bigger than the 718's engine sound:
- Audi TT RS - Golf underneath
- SLC - more of a cruiser than a sports car
- Lotus - Toyota engine which itself isn't brimming with personality
- F-Type - A handful in the wet (personally, constant oversteer gets very tiring on an everyday basis), the boot is laughable in the convertible (one of the 718's boots is more useable - you need to be able to use a sports car for a weekend away)
I'm just glad there are plenty of choices to fit people's different needs & wants but I do hope people buy the 718, so there's a supply of used ones in the future - enabling me to live my childhood dream of owning a Porsche (and please order a manual).
as for the Toyota engine in what I assume you mean the Evora 400 or the Exige....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n19_4hXjiC0
From what I've read this turbo engine is one of the best of the current breed, it actually likes to rev which is a rare novelty in this day and age so I have to applaud Porsche for that at least.
However given the choice between a 718 and a previous gen GTS though and I'd take the older car every time. This is a 2 seater impractical sports car, if you are using it for your daily commute and worrying about mpg, you are doing it wrong. The fact that it's apparently a better all-round car shouldn't be something to crow about, the older car will still give you more thrills which is surely the priority in something like this.
I am curious as to why they don't seem to be able to do something about the noise though. I've driven plenty of older turbocharged engines that sounded fantastic, what is it about modern turbo cars that make this very important aspect so difficult to get right?
However given the choice between a 718 and a previous gen GTS though and I'd take the older car every time. This is a 2 seater impractical sports car, if you are using it for your daily commute and worrying about mpg, you are doing it wrong. The fact that it's apparently a better all-round car shouldn't be something to crow about, the older car will still give you more thrills which is surely the priority in something like this.
I am curious as to why they don't seem to be able to do something about the noise though. I've driven plenty of older turbocharged engines that sounded fantastic, what is it about modern turbo cars that make this very important aspect so difficult to get right?
Richard-G said:
Dale487 said:
From all the articles I've read all that is wrong with the Porsche 718 range is it doesn't sound any where near as good as the old one & loses some throttle response to the old flat 6 too - but compared to almost every other turbo charged engine the throttle response is very good (only the 3.9 litre V8 from a Ferrari is better).
But sadly it sounds like an after market exhaust, induction system & remap won't sort the engine noise out, we'll have to wait for the .2 model for that - because Porsche always come good.
All the cars that are listed as rivals have issues that are as big if not bigger than the 718's engine sound:
I'm just glad there are plenty of choices to fit people's different needs & wants but I do hope people buy the 718, so there's a supply of used ones in the future - enabling me to live my childhood dream of owning a Porsche (and please order a manual).
I agree with everything you said, however I must take issue with two things, the F type isn't a handful in the wet at all, my V6s is a peach in all weathers so much so I've never used the rain mode once and I don't hang about!. Also if traction is important they do the AWD version which is limpet like (although a tad more pricey).But sadly it sounds like an after market exhaust, induction system & remap won't sort the engine noise out, we'll have to wait for the .2 model for that - because Porsche always come good.
All the cars that are listed as rivals have issues that are as big if not bigger than the 718's engine sound:
- Audi TT RS - Golf underneath
- SLC - more of a cruiser than a sports car
- Lotus - Toyota engine which itself isn't brimming with personality
- F-Type - A handful in the wet (personally, constant oversteer gets very tiring on an everyday basis), the boot is laughable in the convertible (one of the 718's boots is more useable - you need to be able to use a sports car for a weekend away)
I'm just glad there are plenty of choices to fit people's different needs & wants but I do hope people buy the 718, so there's a supply of used ones in the future - enabling me to live my childhood dream of owning a Porsche (and please order a manual).
as for the Toyota engine in what I assume you mean the Evora 400 or the Exige....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n19_4hXjiC0
However I think he was talking about the supercharged 4 in the Elise, as their is no contest with the Exige/Evora as no turbo 4 is going to sound better than a 6 cylinder
I think initially at least the stock of lightly used previous gen 3.2's available will see some hefty depreciation on these, as time goes on and the better engined car gets older these improve further, they will start to look like a better buy
Look at the current S/C Elise it's starting to make more sense now power levels have claimed to the 240 mark and prev gen screamers are a lot older, when it first launched with the same power as the old car and a much smaller rev range it lived in the shadow of its forebear for a while
I reckon that's what will happen here
While you can still buy nearly new 300+ hp 6's from the old range, it's going to take somone pretty dedicated to that new car feeling to want to spend more on a car many will see as inferior overall experience
jakesmith said:
Tim bo said:
VAG doesn't do horizontally-opposed boxer engines. In that, Porsche is sticking to the formula here.
Joking surely? You think a small 4 cylinder turbo with contrived soundtrack is sticking to the formula?The Porsche engine is certainly a bespoke unit designed with response in mind.
jakesmith said:
Tim bo said:
VAG doesn't do horizontally-opposed boxer engines. In that, Porsche is sticking to the formula here.
Joking surely? You think a small 4 cylinder turbo with contrived soundtrack is sticking to the formula?Accessibility to the power is certainly more immediate in the turbo four, and it gives more power, despite being a smaller engine (2. litre compared to 2.7) The noise is certainly different, but to anyone who did not know what the NA six sounded like, I doubt it would make much difference to them, it is just the sound that that particular car makes. The engine can feel a bit gravelly at times, and at times also sound a bit like a beetle engine ( but it has been years since I drove one of those so I could be mistaken, but at cruising speeds, one would be hard put to detect any difference between the four,or the six.
Make no mistake it is f****in quick, would I be happy to have one? yes.
As a broad description it reminds me of a comfortable, relatively quiet, long distance version of a Caterham 7. and for many, that will be no bad thing.
The problem with the boxter/cayman cars for Porsche, was that as a ground up mid engine design, it was always likely to dynamically challenge the somewhat flawed concept of a big engine hanging out behind the back wheels, that the Porsche range inherited from its VW beetle roots.
Since Porsche have managed to tame the basically flawed concept they took from the beetle via design technology into sportscars that are amongst the best in the world. Think then, how good they could, and have made a ground up mid engine design.
42K, then add the options that come standard on an A3 and its suddenly 50+K. Some people will like it, but I've had a 718S for a week and a bit, and was over the moon when i got back in my GTS, The 718 is quick no doubt, steering feels better than the 981, but not once did it make me smile, to me its just not FUN.
JayK12 said:
42K, then add the options that come standard on an A3 and its suddenly 50+K.
If you want a shopping car buy a shopping car.If you want a sportscar buy the Porsche.
Always strikes me as weird the way half the people on PH want their cars de-contented for driver appeal and the other half want all of aunty's creature comforts. Porsche will sell you those if you really want them.
There's no sportscar at or around £42k that can get close to one of these. You'd have £5k change if you want an Elise Sport but you'll be 80 bhp short and you'll get a DIY camping holiday instead of the 9 second electric roof.
SirSquidalot said:
I used to adore the Boxster, now it leaves me cold 
. They just dont sound all that great anymore and i think its a damn shame.
If sound is all that a person wants from a car, then a crossflow Caterham7 might fit the bill, the new 718 is much more than just the sound it makes. and to some who have not heard or experienced the normally aspirated six, I doubt that sound alone will be much of an issue with them. . They just dont sound all that great anymore and i think its a damn shame.In a way Porsche have taken away, and given something back in return, the question is whether what has been taken away is more important, to an individual than what has been given back.
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