718 review - test drove today
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
There are clearly people for whom the exhaust note is a primary factor in choosing a car. Indeed someone posted on here that (in the case of the 981) it was the MOST important factor in their choice of car.And then there are those (like me) who find the exhaust of the 981 very pleasant and engaging, but don't find it produces spontaneous orgasms - and that other factors (handling, steering) arouse us rather more .
bcr5784 said:
I would add there are those on here who "knew" that a 4 cylinder turbo was going to be truly awful, and would never be convinced it could be any good - I reserved judgement until I tried it.
I had an opinion before driving one, as most people would one way or another, and I went in very open minded. The throttle response was better than I expected once spooled up but the initial lag was of course present.The 718 S was quick, which no-one doubts, but quantity over quality is where it falls down.
bcr5784 said:
And then there are those (like me) who find the exhaust of the 981 very pleasant and engaging, but don't find it produces spontaneous orgasms - and that other factors (handling, steering) arouse us rather more .
Everyone enjoys different things, which is good. For me, I can enjoy the sounds of the car more of the time than I can the steering and handling. I fact, I can be sitting still at a junction on a sunny day with the window down and get great pleasure from hearing the burble behind my head and a big grin as I pull away. I'm certainly not marvelling at the steering or handling when pulling out of Sainsbury's car park. 
Using my car as much as I do, I would say that I get huge pleasure out of the steering/handling about 20% of the time (at best) because that's how often I can be pressing on to the degree where those aspects are really coming into play. As for the engine/exhaust sound, I would say that ratio is reversed - when the 20% being when the car is generally a noisy place to be - like having a more serious conversation with a passenger or on the phone.
If this was a car I used only when going out to give it the beans around deserted roads, those percentages would look very different, so it really is down to personal pleasure and use.
But in that scenario you wouldn't want a heavy Porsche. You would want something much lighter and more engaging.
The whole point of Porsches is to be lovely cars to drive in practically any situation. A glorious engine is part of that. Take it away and I am not sure I entirely see the point.
The whole point of Porsches is to be lovely cars to drive in practically any situation. A glorious engine is part of that. Take it away and I am not sure I entirely see the point.
The turbo lag discussion in modern cars is a bit retarded to be honest. It is so minimal and anyway it's how the engine functions, and to complain about it would be the same as complaining a 2-stroke not going well off the pipe or complaining your car is not accelerating well from 60 when your in the top gear...
You might or might not like different type of engines, but learn how to operate it and you will never notice any lag. Never found myself 'in lag' in my 930 if I didn't want to, my bike only really goes between 10-14.5k rpm never have I considered it a problem. Can only imagine I have 'way more' lag in my GT2 then the new boxmans, and in the GT2 is almost not noticeable.
New boxman engine sounds crap though.
You might or might not like different type of engines, but learn how to operate it and you will never notice any lag. Never found myself 'in lag' in my 930 if I didn't want to, my bike only really goes between 10-14.5k rpm never have I considered it a problem. Can only imagine I have 'way more' lag in my GT2 then the new boxmans, and in the GT2 is almost not noticeable.
New boxman engine sounds crap though.
The noise is definitely a massive disappointment in the 718. The 981 sounds much better but after an extended test drive I really it too is fairly massively flawed in numerous ways as a DD. It sounds glorious but is slow, very easy to drive and in no way challenging, the touch screen display just doesn't work when you're on the go, terrible cabin noise at motorway speeds and I found the seats much too tiny across my back.
I ended up getting an M4 which is night and day to the 718 cayman, it sounds great, has zero turbo lag and the tech and comfort are a different class oh and it's significantly more challenging to drive. The 981 bored me after a 3 hour test drive whereas after 3 weeks I'm only just able to start pushing the M4.
I ended up getting an M4 which is night and day to the 718 cayman, it sounds great, has zero turbo lag and the tech and comfort are a different class oh and it's significantly more challenging to drive. The 981 bored me after a 3 hour test drive whereas after 3 weeks I'm only just able to start pushing the M4.
riano said:
I ended up getting an M4 which is night and day to the 718 cayman, it sounds great, has zero turbo lag and the tech and comfort are a different class oh and it's significantly more challenging to drive. The 981 bored me after a 3 hour test drive whereas after 3 weeks I'm only just able to start pushing the M4.
I see you didn't like the apple so went for the orange.Both great cars but completely different and not really comparable at all.
As for the challenge of the M4? They must really have changed a lot since the 2012 M3 I drove which was basically a fast 3 series. No challenge involved in either of the cars mentioned.
Whilst I am on - why would I want to be challenged? I want to be rewarded by a car - not challenged by one. If you want a challenge, buy a Pug 106. Hands down the s
ttiest thing I have ever had the misfortune to put my arse in. That was a real challenge. It was a challenge to keep up with traffic, pull out onto a busy roundabout and the biggest challenge? Not crashing it just so there was one less on the road. riano said:
The noise is definitely a massive disappointment in the 718. The 981 sounds much better but after an extended test drive I really it too is fairly massively flawed in numerous ways as a DD. It sounds glorious but is slow, very easy to drive and in no way challenging, the touch screen display just doesn't work when you're on the go, terrible cabin noise at motorway speeds and I found the seats much too tiny across my back.
I ended up getting an M4 which is night and day to the 718 cayman, it sounds great, has zero turbo lag and the tech and comfort are a different class oh and it's significantly more challenging to drive. The 981 bored me after a 3 hour test drive whereas after 3 weeks I'm only just able to start pushing the M4.
Lol, I ditched an M3 CP in January and ordered a 718 CS I ended up getting an M4 which is night and day to the 718 cayman, it sounds great, has zero turbo lag and the tech and comfort are a different class oh and it's significantly more challenging to drive. The 981 bored me after a 3 hour test drive whereas after 3 weeks I'm only just able to start pushing the M4.
The M3 to me felt like a rep mobile on the inside, none of the sense of occasion a Porsche provides. The noise (standard Comp pack exhaust) was nothing to write home about, and whilst it was blisteringly quick it felt like a boat when I got to roundabouts or twisties. Nice that we're all different though hey?
Si-3PO said:
Lol, I ditched an M3 CP in January and ordered a 718 CS The M3 to me felt like a rep mobile on the inside, none of the sense of occasion a Porsche provides. The noise (standard Comp pack exhaust) was nothing to write home about, and whilst it was blisteringly quick it felt like a boat when I got to roundabouts or twisties.
Nice that we're all different though hey?
Never drove the M3 but I know it sits higher and is heavier than the M4 so maybe that contributed to the 'boat' feeling but in anything other than comfort setting there's absolutely no body roll in the M4. I went for the full leather interior as opposed to the extended in most Ms and to be it seems significantly nicer than the Porsche, the more I spent time in the Porsche interior the more I got the impression they were designed as weekend cars without the creature comforts I wanted in a daily. To be honest, had I never driven the M4 I would have thought the cayman was pretty decent but after 1 test drive of an M4 it really felt a totally different league to the caymans, although at over £72k I guess it should and isn't really comparable as someone has already alluded to. The M3 to me felt like a rep mobile on the inside, none of the sense of occasion a Porsche provides. The noise (standard Comp pack exhaust) was nothing to write home about, and whilst it was blisteringly quick it felt like a boat when I got to roundabouts or twisties. Nice that we're all different though hey?
riano said:
...although at over £72k...
Christ! Not sure I could stomach the depreciation that will attract, but fair play to you. I looked at an M4 that was in a similar price bracket a while back and whilst it looked the nuts, I knew I would cry like a baby when it came time to trade it in and I had thrown away many, many pounds in depreciation.I'd buy one that was 12-18months old, for sure.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Probably a bit harsh. No doubt what you meant was 'compare' rather than 'discuss', but I'll forgive you. Obviously the bit where I said "not a good comparison" seemed to escape your attention.Anyway, I'm just glad I got the thread back on topic after it was derailed by a discussion on solar power for some reason. I thought a quick mention of engine noise would get us back to where we were.
Glad to help.
PhantomPH said:
Christ! Not sure I could stomach the depreciation that will attract, but fair play to you. I looked at an M4 that was in a similar price bracket a while back and whilst it looked the nuts, I knew I would cry like a baby when it came time to trade it in and I had thrown away many, many pounds in depreciation.
I'd buy one that was 12-18months old, for sure.
It might have a list price of 72K, highly doubt that was the amount paid though. I negotiated £7.5K off my brand new M3CP order (list price was 67K), and even better deals were to be had on the M4. It's these kinds of crazy dealer contributions that are killing the residuals. I'd buy one that was 12-18months old, for sure.
Si-3PO said:
It might have a list price of 72K, highly doubt that was the amount paid though. I negotiated £7.5K off my brand new M3CP order (list price was 67K), and even better deals were to be had on the M4. It's these kinds of crazy dealer contributions that are killing the residuals.
Correct, I couldn't stomach the massive depreciation and being a stingy accountant I went for a 12 month old one, paid just under £48k and got a few things thrown in for free, got the same apr BMW offer on new cars on PCP and it comes with a 5 year service pack so think it worked out considerable more reasonable than a new one.riano said:
Si-3PO said:
It might have a list price of 72K, highly doubt that was the amount paid though. I negotiated £7.5K off my brand new M3CP order (list price was 67K), and even better deals were to be had on the M4. It's these kinds of crazy dealer contributions that are killing the residuals.
Correct, I couldn't stomach the massive depreciation and being a stingy accountant I went for a 12 month old one, paid just under £48k and got a few things thrown in for free, got the same apr BMW offer on new cars on PCP and it comes with a 5 year service pack so think it worked out considerable more reasonable than a new one.riano said:
The noise is definitely a massive disappointment in the 718. The 981 sounds much better but after an extended test drive I really it too is fairly massively flawed in numerous ways as a DD. It sounds glorious but is slow, very easy to drive and in no way challenging, the touch screen display just doesn't work when you're on the go, terrible cabin noise at motorway speeds and I found the seats much too tiny across my back.
I ended up getting an M4 which is night and day to the 718 cayman, it sounds great, has zero turbo lag and the tech and comfort are a different class oh and it's significantly more challenging to drive. The 981 bored me after a 3 hour test drive whereas after 3 weeks I'm only just able to start pushing the M4.
After 9 BMWs over 28 years the brand failed after the E46's demise. My 981 still thrills me after 15k miles and 20 months as a DD.I ended up getting an M4 which is night and day to the 718 cayman, it sounds great, has zero turbo lag and the tech and comfort are a different class oh and it's significantly more challenging to drive. The 981 bored me after a 3 hour test drive whereas after 3 weeks I'm only just able to start pushing the M4.
BMWs, especially the 4 series, are mostly lard arsed lumps of lard. Precisely what I commented to my son after test driving the one he was almost going to buy. I think it's generally accepted the M4 is lacking as a driver's car, and that the Cayman 981/718 eclipses it as a driver's car. No challenges, just goes with you whatever you wish to do.
DJMC said:
After 9 BMWs over 28 years the brand failed after the E46's demise. My 981 still thrills me after 15k miles and 20 months as a DD.
BMWs, especially the 4 series, are mostly lard arsed lumps of lard. Precisely what I commented to my son after test driving the one he was almost going to buy. I think it's generally accepted the M4 is lacking as a driver's car, and that the Cayman 981/718 eclipses it as a driver's car. No challenges, just goes with you whatever you wish to do.
'lacking as a driver's car' that is most certainly not a criticism i've ever heard of it. The main problem people complain about is trying to get down the massive amounts of torque from low revs (not a problem in a 981 as it has nothing to speak of), i'd agree that the 981 has no challenges though and that's precisely why I found it boring - it's just too easy to drive and nothing about it is exciting. Does sound great though in fairness.BMWs, especially the 4 series, are mostly lard arsed lumps of lard. Precisely what I commented to my son after test driving the one he was almost going to buy. I think it's generally accepted the M4 is lacking as a driver's car, and that the Cayman 981/718 eclipses it as a driver's car. No challenges, just goes with you whatever you wish to do.
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