Chris Harris Drives: the Porsche 718 Boxster

[Malo]

highscore said:

I did exactly that. The 718 is a better car in my opinion

What are the plus points to you of the 718 over 981? and is your 718 specced the same a your 981?

[highscore]

Malo said:

What are the plus points to you of the 718 over 981? and is your 718 specced the same a your 981?

I haven't ever owned a 981, but I did several in-depth test drives of both cars over a couple of months (same day, back to back on multiple occasions).

Actually, I think coming into this without any ownership bias makes a big difference.

The car just felt better to drive. I did the same A/B roads and had a better time in the 718. That's really all I can say. I felt the handling was noticeably better and the car felt more engaging.

[Bernardino]

highscore said:

I haven't ever owned a 981, but I did several in-depth test drives of both cars over a couple of months (same day, back to back on multiple occasions).

Actually, I think coming into this without any ownership bias makes a big difference.

The car just felt better to drive. I did the same A/B roads and had a better time in the 718. That's really all I can say. I felt the handling was noticeably better and the car felt more engaging.

I think having never owned a 981 is difference. The 718 in both engines and formats is still a great car, I personally found the 2l manual Cayman more fun than the 2.5l PDK boxster which is seriously quick, as the driver of an M5 discovered when I slipped past him.

Unfortunately I'll always compare it to the N/a engine which is what the majority of existing Porsche owners will do.

[ooid]

Porsche911R said:

Feb build is nothing, prob cannot even get a Golf that quick these days.

A better question would be to ask how many have you sold :-)

OPC has 26 718 Boxsters listed for sale atm on the web site btw !

Edited by Porsche911R on Tuesday 25th October 00:22

True. Just over a year ago I decided to replace my 986 with new boxsters. 718 were not available yet and there was not even sharp info on new 4 pots. 981s were in high demand and finding my OPC sales guys less enthusiastic about it decided to keep 986 and buy a second car (hot-hatch). Checked Golf GTIs, all were giving delivery dates like june or late may.. checked beettle than, with same over 2.0 engine manual 6 speed turbos delivery dates were near May.

After a few days, they found one brand new car(beetle) quite similar to my spec so went ahead and got it just before crimbo

Another friend/colleague I know canceled his uber expensive 911 turbo spec and went for Mclaren instead due to dates.

I think sale figures are complex, its too early and current shaky economy is affecting peoples purchasing decisions. If 718 is more reliable than its precedents, it would be a good car, maybe the price might go down a bit still is a little too much imho comparing to what is already out there.

[Krobar]

The Evo Cayman review is similar in conclusion:
http://www.evo.co.uk/porsche/cayman/18407/porsche-...

[FourPotPorsche]

cypriot said:

FourPotPorsche said:

..and 106 981 Boxsters which I find amazing given the high demand for the residual-busting 6-cylinder wonder car.

yes because they have really made the same number of 718s and 981s as of today.... great comparison...

I think you miss the irony...the statistics regarding the available 718 Boxsters is just as meaningless at this early stage of its product life-cycle as my stat regarding the 981 which is in its mature stage. Oh well

[FourPotPorsche]

Twinfan said:

FourPotPorsche said:

..and 106 981 Boxsters which I find amazing given the high demand for the residual-busting 6-cylinder wonder car.

How long have they been making them, and how many are there in existence?

106 base/S/GTS/Spyders over a four year period is very different to 26 718 or 718S models which have only been around for a few months.

I refer my learned friend to my last post
Just for accuracy there are 102 Boxsters and Boxster S! I discounted the GTS/Spyders as the 718 versions of these are unavailable.

Edited by FourPotPorsche on Tuesday 25th October 15:04

[Budweiser]

Spoke to my OPC today and they tell me they have sold approx 60 cars with a near Evan split between Boxster and Cayman.

To me the 718 Cayman is a better car than the 981 in almost every way. In spite of this I will keep my GTS hoping the next GT4 will be na and have the option of PDK.

[Dr Gitlin]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Good lord, what idiot believes that could possibly be true? The US has the largest GDP on the planet and five times the population of the UK. But somehow we're to believe BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes et al., all sell more cars in the UK?

[Dr Gitlin]

BTW, for everyone hand-wringing about the 718's engine being unspecial or whatever, it shares quite a lot with the V4 in the 919 Hybrid, so there you go—plenty of relevant motorsports credentials.

Having driven both the Boxster and Cayman S, it's actually a fine engine IMO, although the soundtrack could be a little better.

[RaysCayman]

Dr Gitlin said:

BTW, for everyone hand-wringing about the 718's engine being unspecial or whatever, it shares quite a lot with the V4 in the 919 Hybrid, so there you go—plenty of relevant motorsports credentials.

Such as?

[n4aat]

FourPotPorsche said:

cypriot said:

FourPotPorsche said:

..and 106 981 Boxsters which I find amazing given the high demand for the residual-busting 6-cylinder wonder car.

yes because they have really made the same number of 718s and 981s as of today.... great comparison...

I think you miss the irony...the statistics regarding the available 718 Boxsters is just as meaningless at this early stage of its product life-cycle as my stat regarding the 981 which is in its mature stage. Oh well

I gotta say I too missed the irony. But not the sarcasm. I would point the finger at the writing not the reading for any misunderstanding. Although I think it is clear what you actually meant.

May have been clearer as, "If the 981 is such a good car compared to a 718 why hasn't all the used stock been snapped up."

[Taffy66]

Dr Gitlin said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Good lord, what idiot believes that could possibly be true? The US has the largest GDP on the planet and five times the population of the UK. But somehow we're to believe BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes et al., all sell more cars in the UK?

We are not the world's largest market for german cars but the UK still buys 20% of all german cars.We are also the world's 3rd largest market for new Porsches,USA number one and Germany number two.

[Maxym]

Taffy66 said:

We are not the world's largest market for german cars but the UK still buys 20% of all german cars.We are also the world's 3rd largest market for new Porsches,USA number one and Germany number two.

Where does China figure? I thought that was no 2 now.

[_Leg_]

I've got a 718S on test drive for the weekend this weekend and own a 981S so I'll be doing a back to back comparison video on Saturday, probably upload it Saturday night/Sunday. It'll be on:

https://www.facebook.com/Richsgarages/?ref=aymt_ho...

and

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoSsUdU0UY5J5E0j...

Obviously having both cars side by side lets me compare things there and then. Sound is an obvious one but anything else people would like to see compared specifically on video?

I knocked a crown out yesterday in the gym (don't ask), hopefully they'll fix it today but otherwise you'll have to forgive the gappy smile in the video! ;-)

[ORD]

hondansx said:

I'm sure the 718 is better, in the same way a 991 is better than a 997. It is better in the measurable ways; in ways that the majority of buyers will prefer.

I tried finding a manual 991 online over the weekend. Out of the hundreds for sale, how many were manual? 4.

We have to accept that PH does not represent the masses whatsoever. All this moaning about electric steering and turbocharging is a complete non-issue to the vast majority. Frankly, we should be happy that Porsche have listened to the minority in building cars like the GT4, rather than moan that they don't make enough!

I just hope that Porsche realise , as with any sports car manufacturer, your image is based on hard earned reputation. If Porsche continues to move towards the mainstream, after a while you have to start questioning what Porsche stands for, and therefore why you're paying extra.

I disagree slightly. I think brands are extremely resilient these days. Mercedes and BMW are still seen as luxury cars despite both being intensely mainstream and unimpressive. The fact that a diesel Merc can easily cost £50k is mind-blowing.

I agree about PH, though - genuine car / driving enthusiasts are probably in the minority on this forum, and they are a tiny minority in the real world. If you said to 100 people that you like your car for its steering feel or throttle response, 98 of them would think "Eh? What's that?", 1 of them would think "Tosser" and 1 would understand.

[Carl_Manchester]

Taffy66 said:

Dr Gitlin said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Good lord, what idiot believes that could possibly be true? The US has the largest GDP on the planet and five times the population of the UK. But somehow we're to believe BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes et al., all sell more cars in the UK?

We are not the world's largest market for german cars but the UK still buys 20% of all german cars.We are also the world's 3rd largest market for new Porsches,USA number one and Germany number two.

from memory uk sales are...

Audi - 4th
Ferrari - 2nd
Porsche - 4th

Overall I think we are 4th in terms of 'premium brand' car sales, just behind Germany.

[nsm3]

Just read Reuters saying 810k German cars to 'Britain' last year, more than any other Country(?). Not verified and find hard to believe, but still, there it is.

[DJMC]

_Leg_ said:

I've got a 718S on test drive for the weekend this weekend and own a 981S so I'll be doing a back to back comparison video on Saturday, probably upload it Saturday night/Sunday. It'll be on:

https://www.facebook.com/Richsgarages/?ref=aymt_ho...

and

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoSsUdU0UY5J5E0j...

Obviously having both cars side by side lets me compare things there and then. Sound is an obvious one but anything else people would like to see compared specifically on video?

I knocked a crown out yesterday in the gym (don't ask), hopefully they'll fix it today but otherwise you'll have to forgive the gappy smile in the video! ;-)

What's you requirement? I mean, are you getting rid of the 981S anyway, so you'll be biased toward the 718S?
Or have you blagged a 718S to rubbish it, so you'll be biased toward the 981S?

To be impartial, I would think the tester has to own neither, nor have any interest in owning either.

[Fokker]

TB303 said:

Having driven the 718 which is still an exceptional car in many ways, I agree with the review - I'm not sure why on earth you'd have one over a 981.

Anyone know what roads he is driving in the beautifully shot video? Stunning scenery.

Brecon beacons just above Merthyr Tydfil - if you look on a map, you'll see a reservoir, its around there.