718 review - test drove today

[cowboyengineer]

Paxto said:

Boxster GTS - good luck finding one!!

Hens teeth and very expensive.

Same issue - massive haircut on trade in.

My S has PSE, PASM, sports chrono, classic 20 wheels pretty much all best GTS options except third radiator and funky clear lights and badges.

Opc swindon will have one in, they bought it on Tuesday

[Mario149]

Paxto said:

Boxster GTS - good luck finding one!!

You can have mine for.......£75K!

[Mario149]

On a serious note though, BGTSs are bloody thin on the ground aren't they? In fact there aren't even that many Ss about. Wonder if they've genuinely all been hoovered up by people who don't want a 718.

[bcr5784]

Mario149 said:

On a serious note though, BGTSs are bloody thin on the ground aren't they? In fact there aren't even that many Ss about. Wonder if they've genuinely all been hoovered up by people who don't want a 718.

Same for Caymans, probably fewer Ss than GTSs

[Twinfan]

15 Cayman Ss and 8 CGTSs in the OPC network.

43 Boxster Ss and 2 BGTSs.

[Ozzie Osmond]

^^^ Out of interest, how do those numbers compare with base car availability?

[DJMC]

Ozzie Osmond said:

^^^ Out of interest, how do those numbers compare with base car availability?

I make it:

77 base Boxster 981
23 base Cayman 981

Oh... and 1 Boxster 981 Spyder: http://locator.porsche.com/ipl-customer/ipl/detail...

[tyrrell]

Hell would have to freez over before I'd swap my BGTS for a four pot turbo !

[DJMC]

7 = G
1 = A
8 = H

God Awful Handling?... No.

Gone All Hiccuppy?... Hmm, no.

Anyone???


9 = I
8 = H
1 = A

I Have Accomplishment?


You have a go...?

[Stunters]

GAH = Genuine Aural Hardship?
IHA = Insipiring Heaven Aurally?

[ORD]

I see a lot more base Caymans and Boxsters than S or GTS.

My impression is that there are also more base 911 than Ss.

[bcr5784]

Anyone who had seen/driven the car noticed what tyres they were on? Michelin PS4 ? What size wheels?

[DJMC]

bcr5784 said:

Anyone who had seen/driven the car noticed what tyres they were on? Michelin PS4 ? What size wheels?

P Zeros on Solihull launch cars.

[Ozzie Osmond]

DJMC said:

I make it:
77 base Boxster 981
23 base Cayman 981

OK, so very roughly twice as many base cars as "S"s. Interesting.

[Sparkyhd]

I tested the 718 and 718s today and liked them both. They sound fine to me and I'm thinking about trading in my Cayman 2.7.

I love my Cayman but realistically the performance isn't very accessible. At full revs it's up to 90+ in second gear and there's only one short stretch of road near me where I can give it a good blast. In everyday traffic having torque at low revs makes sense. If I could have a Silverstone track day once a week I might think differently.

One thing did worry me. As I was leaving the salesman told me I would have to proof the roof every 6 months and don't get red because it stains. This never occurred to me and I'm now thinking owning a soft top is akin to owning a pet. Should I be concerned or is caring for a fabric roof no big deal?

[truck71]

Sparkyhd said:

I tested the 718 and 718s today and liked them both. They sound fine to me and I'm thinking about trading in my Cayman 2.7.

I love my Cayman but realistically the performance isn't very accessible. At full revs it's up to 90+ in second gear and there's only one short stretch of road near me where I can give it a good blast. In everyday traffic having torque at low revs makes sense. If I could have a Silverstone track day once a week I might think differently.

One thing did worry me. As I was leaving the salesman told me I would have to proof the roof every 6 months and don't get red because it stains. This never occurred to me and I'm now thinking owning a soft top is akin to owning a pet. Should I be concerned or is caring for a fabric roof no big deal?

He's trying to sell you something you don't need, tell him to do one.

[Cpb1702]

Sparkyhd said:

I tested the 718 and 718s today and liked them both. They sound fine to me and I'm thinking about trading in my Cayman 2.7.

I love my Cayman but realistically the performance isn't very accessible. At full revs it's up to 90+ in second gear and there's only one short stretch of road near me where I can give it a good blast. In everyday traffic having torque at low revs makes sense. If I could have a Silverstone track day once a week I might think differently.

One thing did worry me. As I was leaving the salesman told me I would have to proof the roof every 6 months and don't get red because it stains. This never occurred to me and I'm now thinking owning a soft top is akin to owning a pet. Should I be concerned or is caring for a fabric roof no big deal?

Interested to get your views on the difference between the 2 718s and which you prefered?

[bcr5784]

Cpb1702 said:

Interested to get your views on the difference between the 2 718s and which you prefered?

+1, The base car appeared to being dismissed by the press in early reviews - but I have seen much more positive reviews both in the press and by individuals more recently. Don't want to put words in your mouth, but in theory with it's variable geometry turbo and lower boost, you might expect the S to feel less like a turbo than the base car, with less lag, but what's it feel like in practice?

[EricE]

I test drove the base PDK 718 with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. PDK and the high torque low down makes the chassis more accessible and playful when you squirt out of corners and hairpins at low speeds. On my roads up a mountain it felt considerably quicker than a GT4 which was always out of its power band because of the gearing which works much better on tracks. The 2.5 must feel like a rocketship.
Completely different proposition than the old NA flat six but entertaining in its own right, just invest in the Burmester and turn up the volume.

I think a twin-turbo 2.0L flat six would have turned the 718 into an excellent daily driver package but we all know why that didn't happen.

[Dyffed]

I've only seen two reports on the 2 ltr. car. One in Autocar and the other in Auto Express. I think both testers preferred the car over the 2.5 ltr. "S' Model.