718 GTS Boxster 2.5 t
718 GTS Boxster 2.5 t
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Razorback

Original Poster:

623 posts

248 months

Yesterday (13:21)
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Long time Porsche owner here, 24 years of primarily 911’s but my journey with P started with a 986S back in 2001. Sold my 997.2 turbo last year as I fancied a change and currently running a M2C, think you know what’s coming here….
Yes, I’m miss Porsche & as good as the BM is it simply isn’t a P, so I’m hankering into getting back into one & im really fancying a Boxster GTS 2.5t turbo, this is where I hesitate a bit. My thoughts are the engine is the flat 4 2.5 turbo & im wondering how this engine is holding up for general use,as opposed to a flat 6 in particular the turbo.
The car is low mileage & covered by P warranty so any problems will be addressed by that, but what’s the car like to live with etc over & above reliability as well.

Comments good or not so good are welcomed 👍

crystalmethod

1,296 posts

204 months

Yesterday (14:37)
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Razorback said:
Long time Porsche owner here, 24 years of primarily 911 s but my journey with P started with a 986S back in 2001. Sold my 997.2 turbo last year as I fancied a change and currently running a M2C, think you know what s coming here .
Yes, I m miss Porsche & as good as the BM is it simply isn t a P, so I m hankering into getting back into one & im really fancying a Boxster GTS 2.5t turbo, this is where I hesitate a bit. My thoughts are the engine is the flat 4 2.5 turbo & im wondering how this engine is holding up for general use,as opposed to a flat 6 in particular the turbo.
The car is low mileage & covered by P warranty so any problems will be addressed by that, but what s the car like to live with etc over & above reliability as well.

Comments good or not so good are welcomed ?
I've driven 4 and 6 cylinder 718's. If I had a choice I'd always go 6, as I prefer NA delivery vs that of a turbo. But the 2.5t engined car is a very very good one by any measure. I think they sound great too, and anyway - you're coming from a 997 turbo, so you're very used to the pro's and con's of Porsche turbo power delivery

Haven't heard of any major issues apart from PADM failure which blights many cars that have it fitted, and is definitely covered by the warranty. So, I'd crack on and buy. The weather's improving every week

scrounger73

465 posts

183 months

Yesterday (15:03)
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the 2.5 is a stonking engine and with VVT and 365 hp you'll be fine. Plenty of low down torque for the back roads. If you can get a good one in the right spec, drive it and if you love it, push the button.

AmoCS

1,194 posts

244 months

Yesterday (16:33)
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2.5S is an amazing piece of engineering, "racy" engine with v.quick response, different to the 6 cylinder that has long gearing so you need to rev it high to get the performance. The 2.5S has instant acceleration with little/zero turbo lag. It is a v quick car, some US tests recorded 0-60 times of 3.6sec with PDK/LC.

Techno9000

227 posts

101 months

Yesterday (17:40)
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Have test driven a couple of Flat 6 981 s, then test drove and bought a 2.5 718 S.
The turbo in the 2.5 doesn t have a bad reputation. The issues with the PADM (that all GTS will have as part of the Sport Chrono pack) are mentioned above.
The Flat 4 engines seem good on the whole, if anything the one item that springs to mind is the water pump. This too would likely be covered by a Porsche extended warranty.

Living with a 2.5 is easy, mine has PDK making it a nice car to cruise in and rather quick to pick up her skirts and shift as you wish. 36mpg quite easily attainable on a long A & M road journey.

Edited by Techno9000 on Thursday 7th May 17:43


Edited by Techno9000 on Thursday 7th May 17:46

hooch500

175 posts

80 months

Yesterday (18:03)
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I have a the S with PDK, it was high ish miles when I bought it late 2024 69k ). Funnily enough I traded an F87 comp so I know where you’re coming from.
Probably been a bit unlucky with mine, it developed loose blanking plugs on the block and a big oil leak so gearbox out for that. A few months ago the PDK developed a fault, this is now sorted £ 4.5K later. It’s just about to have a leaking water pump done at 80k..

Very different to the M2. Steering in particular is much better, especially after a less conservative geo than factory. It definitely feels slower than the M2 but I would guess there’s not much in it in performance. It’s not as adjustable as an M2 either but it definitely is more composed. I pulled the fuse from the crappy SoundAktor which is basically a large vibrating device creating bassy resonance into the cabin. Without it the car feels much smoother. The engine is actually quite smooth. It also revs out very well for turbo.

Disappointing reliability, my old 968CS and 964 RS were bullet proof. I drove the nuts off them both and they never let me down.


Steve H

7,028 posts

220 months

Yesterday (19:58)
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I’ve had a 2017 S for about 2.5 years. It’s been a brilliant car, only reliability issue was a leak in the front coolant crossover pipes which was a bit odd and would have been costly if I couldn’t sort them myself.

As a car to do distance in on anything from a motorway to a twisty Spanish B road, it’s been brilliant.


hooch500 said:
. I pulled the fuse from the crappy SoundAktor which is basically a large vibrating device creating bassy resonance into the cabin.
The one disappointing thing I have found with the 2.5 is harshness below 2k rpm. Put it in Sport and it stays at slightly higher revs and absolutely sings. Please tell me it gets better for pulling a fuse!

hooch500

175 posts

80 months

Yesterday (20:19)
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The fuse is easy, open boot, right hand side just in front of rear light there’s a panel, just pull it out. The fuse is 7.5 amp Fuse slot 10 I think. The fuse doesn’t connect to anything else and it shows no warnings.

Makes a big difference. Mine has Sports exhaust so the few crackles are enough for me. The booming with the SoundAktor is bad unless you’re into Techno and big subwoofers..

I wouldn’t take mine on a long trip, the tyre noise is too bad. I’ve got an older Merc drop top for that.

Toyota-MR23

43 posts

1 month

Yesterday (20:32)
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Great shout on the GTS, genuinely one of the best value propositions in the 718 range. Just curious what’s pulling you towards the 2.5 specifically? Is it price, or is there something about the turbo power delivery you prefer?
Reason I ask is the 4.0 GTS is worth a serious look if budget allows. Naturally aspirated flat six, sounds absolutely incredible, and a lot of people find it more rewarding to drive on the road where you’re rarely near the limits anyway. The 2.5 is no slouch obviously but the 4.0 is a different experience entirely.

Steve H

7,028 posts

220 months

Yesterday (21:10)
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I have to admit I think the 4.0GTS is the sweet spot in the entire 718 range. The 2.5 is actually as good dynamically but the flat six does feel more engineered.

Whether it justifies an additional £20-30k is another question though……….