The new 718 Gt4/Spyder are here!

[BubblesNW]

TDT said:

https://youtu.be/kRCnms4mQ9w

One of the best reviews i've seen so far... apart from a few inaccuracies like... multi-link rear suspension.

It was all Greek to me.

[GT98]

SpyderT said:

718 GT4 without particulate filters. Skip to 7.10 for the sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA08PTEfb3s

I do wonder if they build the SA cars without the PF how would it effect your Warentee if you changed the full system out. I think I’m a matter of months full replacement exhaust without PF will be available.

[bcr5784]

BubblesNW said:

TDT said:

https://youtu.be/kRCnms4mQ9w

One of the best reviews i've seen so far... apart from a few inaccuracies like... multi-link rear suspension.

It was all Greek to me.

I've seen the Cayman quoted as having multi-link and (double) wishbone suspension. It does make you wonder if you can take anything those journalists say with anything other than a large pinch of salt.

[ags11]

I presume USA cars do without too?

[Porsche911R]

bcr5784 said:

I've seen the Cayman quoted as having multi-link and (double) wishbone suspension. It does make you wonder if you can take anything those journalists say with anything other than a large pinch of salt.

I think the last round of 718 gts reviews were all shocking and fixed bullst. But then every car reviews is like that now, I guess to keep up with the you tubers hype style reviews.

Shame the details get swapped for crap. And NO bad things are said about any new car these days from any brand.

Every cars amazing these days.
It’s a shame reviews have all gone like this.

Edited by Porsche911R on Sunday 23 February 08:41

[Twinfan]

ags11 said:

I presume USA cars do without too?

Yep, anything non-EU I think. Unless California gets them?

[Twinfan]

Porsche911R said:

I think the last round of 718 gt reviews were all shocking and fixed bullst.

All the 718 reviews commented negatively on the gearing, the reduced noise and a few mentioned EPAS. The gearing comments I find very odd as they weren't a problem on the 981 GT4, or at least weren't mentioned anywhere near as much.

Not sure why you have to keep coming here and trash talking cars you don't intend to buy and haven't driven, unless it's just sour grapes because you haven't been given a Spyder allocation. But then if you're still chasing one, why all the negativity?

[Porsche911R]

Twinfan said:

All the 718 reviews commented negatively on the gearing, the reduced noise and a few mentioned EPAS. The gearing comments I find very odd as they weren't a problem on the 981 GT4, or at least weren't mentioned anywhere near as much.

Not sure why you have to keep coming here and trash talking cars you don't intend to buy and haven't driven, unless it's just sour grapes because you haven't been given a Spyder allocation. But then if you're still chasing one, why all the negativity?

I said all car reviews, don't get to touchy:-)
We can go back years, I blame the you tubers. I meant to say also the last round of GTS reviews also. Which were all odd.
I reviewed my GT4 981 was honest about it, still a great car.
But every car has flaws the 981 just had too many, and one of the main ones was not fixed in the new car and now it also sounds crap, those are just facts :-) . I have not been in and asked about a Spyder since the day of release. I am not that fussed due to the ongoing gearing issues. I own the 2 best porkers for me and really have gone off newer cars, I have gone back a few years for what my next daily might me. Pre ppf and eps.
The whole 981 range was a bit meh, but you just are not honest about your reviews. Now you say you like the way the GT4 sounds, 180degree you turn, it’s very annoying. But for 4 years you loved the 981 GTS fake pops and over runs and how loud it was.

You post on way more threads than I do about cars you don’t own.

Also I did NOT bring up any issues in my post above, I just said the reviews are rubbish and to me feel more like paid adverts.

Edited by Porsche911R on Sunday 23 February 09:00

[Twinfan]

Porsche911R said:

The whole 981 range was a bit meh, but you just are not honest about your reviews. Now you say you like the way the GT4 sounds, 180degree you turn, it’s very annoying. But for 4 years you loved the 981 GTS fake pops and over runs and how loud it was.

I like both the 981 GTS and 981/718 GT4s. That is possible you know

[Twinfan]

Porsche911R said:

You post on way more threads than I do about cars you don’t own.

I do, but I don't drop in to almost every thread to specifically trash talk something or someone like you though!

[Romo]

Twinfan said:

All the 718 reviews commented negatively on the gearing, the reduced noise and a few mentioned EPAS. The gearing comments I find very odd as they weren't a problem on the 981 GT4, or at least weren't mentioned anywhere near as much.

Not sure why you have to keep coming here and trash talking cars you don't intend to buy and haven't driven, unless it's just sour grapes because you haven't been given a Spyder allocation. But then if you're still chasing one, why all the negativity?

That's not all true IMHO

The tall 981 GT4 gearing was utterly mentioned in many reviews, there must be a reason why people now mention that this problem is not solved on the 718 GT4/Spyder. How can they mention it is not solved if it weren't mentioned earlier?

[Twinfan]

Good point, I just don't remember them being mentioned at the time. I can recall the glowing praise for the car overall more than anything else!

I suspect the gearing is the only negative they can really criticise the 718 cars for, along with reduced noise. It gives them something to talk about I guess given the the 718 isn't massively different compared to the 981.

[daro911]

Twinfan said:

Good point, I just don't remember them being mentioned at the time. I can recall the glowing praise for the car overall more than anything else!

I suspect the gearing is the only negative they can really criticise the 718 cars for, along with reduced noise. It gives them something to talk about I guess given the the 718 isn't massively different compared to the 981.

They mention the gearing because they struggle to find further fault and they know the gearing is what it is to meet their emission targets overall

Reduced noise is a great description because when you finally eek out the sound track it is disappointingly mute still and very monotone unlike the 981 which is musical from the get go both in tone and volume as the revs rise

I speak from having test driven a 718 Spyder for myself and after the test drive all I had to do to guarantee a car this year was leave a deposit and specification

Recap of my view on the day:-

https://youtu.be/oFeoGx2G7IM

I would say this is a very accurate review but the one thing that's not correct IMO in this video is the exhaust sound as recorded isn't like that inside the car its far more muted very one tone "bassy" and no pops & crackles on the downshifts A massive amount of the 3.8 engines character is missing especially below 5k rpm where switching PSE on off on hardly makes much difference and near the max revs the sound track kicks in but is so muted compared to 981 and that was with the roof off

The switch from 6 cylinders to 3 on a trailing throttle is annoying to the point where I had to switch the stop / start off to cut that out too.

I have never turned stop/start off in 13 years of it being on my daily drivers so its a technology I don't mind at all but the way the 718 switches from 6 to 3 is not that pleasant and definitely noticeable to the point of being annoying

Steering feel gear change and clutch as described is exactly what I experienced on my 75 minutes test drive and the ride in standard mode felt softer than the 981's which was appreciated on our far from smooth roads especially as the grip and handling were fantastic in the newbie

I would add that the steering feel was very similar to me but extra weight of the 981 version is my preferred choice out of the 2 Spyders despite many thinking because the GT department developed this car the steering would automatically be an improvement over the older car which even according to my PEC instructor was how he felt about the new set up too for road cruising

Overall as usual from Porsche a step on but on the minus side is the step up in list price which now no longer includes buckets and imo a massive chunk of character removed by the new very muted sound track so much so that when I got back into my daily driver Mini JCW and headed for home the first thing that struck me was how much "louder" my Mini's exhaust sounded and I have never considered the standard factory exhaust on this car to be anything but a nice muted background tone

My only regret in years to come would be if the 718 proved to be the last Boxster Spyder

[bcr5784]

daro911 said:

The switch from 6 cylinders to 3 on a trailing throttle is annoying to the point where I had to switch the stop / start off to cut that out too.

I find it odd that they should have messed that up. On my wife's Ibiza the switch from 4 to 2 cylinders and back again is all but undetectable - you can only really be sure by looking at the icon on the instrument panel.

Edited by bcr5784 on Sunday 23 February 11:59

Edited by bcr5784 on Sunday 23 February 12:00

[RSVP911]

daro911 said:

Twinfan said:

Good point, I just don't remember them being mentioned at the time. I can recall the glowing praise for the car overall more than anything else!

I suspect the gearing is the only negative they can really criticise the 718 cars for, along with reduced noise. It gives them something to talk about I guess given the the 718 isn't massively different compared to the 981.

They mention the gearing because they struggle to find further fault and they know the gearing is what it is to meet their emission targets overall

Reduced noise is a great description because when you finally eek out the sound track it is disappointingly mute still and very monotone unlike the 981 which is musical from the get go both in tone and volume as the revs rise

I speak from having test driven a 718 Spyder for myself and after the test drive all I had to do to guarantee a car this year was leave a deposit and specification

Recap of my view on the day:-

https://youtu.be/oFeoGx2G7IM

I would say this is a very accurate review but the one thing that's not correct IMO in this video is the exhaust sound as recorded isn't like that inside the car its far more muted very one tone "bassy" and no pops & crackles on the downshifts A massive amount of the 3.8 engines character is missing especially below 5k rpm where switching PSE on off on hardly makes much difference and near the max revs the sound track kicks in but is so muted compared to 981 and that was with the roof off

The switch from 6 cylinders to 3 on a trailing throttle is annoying to the point where I had to switch the stop / start off to cut that out too.

I have never turned stop/start off in 13 years of it being on my daily drivers so its a technology I don't mind at all but the way the 718 switches from 6 to 3 is not that pleasant and definitely noticeable to the point of being annoying

Steering feel gear change and clutch as described is exactly what I experienced on my 75 minutes test drive and the ride in standard mode felt softer than the 981's which was appreciated on our far from smooth roads especially as the grip and handling were fantastic in the newbie

I would add that the steering feel was very similar to me but extra weight of the 981 version is my preferred choice out of the 2 Spyders despite many thinking because the GT department developed this car the steering would automatically be an improvement over the older car which even according to my PEC instructor was how he felt about the new set up too for road cruising

Overall as usual from Porsche a step on but on the minus side is the step up in list price which now no longer includes buckets and imo a massive chunk of character removed by the new very muted sound track so much so that when I got back into my daily driver Mini JCW and headed for home the first thing that struck me was how much "louder" my Mini's exhaust sounded and I have never considered the standard factory exhaust on this car to be anything but a nice muted background tone

My only regret in years to come would be if the 718 proved to be the last Boxster Spyder

Having had both Spyder’s - All IMHO :

718 Improvements :

Chassis /dynamic ability / steering feel - big step on

Power delivery - much better low down torque - feels noticeably quicker to me.

Looks - subjective - but side by side the new one makes the 981 start to look dated (amazing how Porsche do this - compare a 991.1 to a 991.2 RS for example and it’s the same - amazing how small barely noticeable design tweaks go a long way)

718 Downsides :

Cost - it’s much more expensive - interestingly enough - a 3 year old Spyder’s is still roughly at list - amazing if bought at list 3 years ago - less so if buying now. Not sure the 718 Spyder will be much more expensive from a cost of ownership perspective - time will tell - I have no idea other than I’m sure the price difference in reality will be smaller than it first appears.

Noise - sorted via a JCR titanium pipe - it then sounds glorious and IMHO less fake than the 981 - but adds more pressure to the price point above.

Honestly in summary; I’d genuinely be very happy owning either car; they are both such brilliant fun - the 981 smiles per mile is, on the face of it, unbeatable and if you are thinking of getting one I’d highly recommend it. Also, if you’re lucky enough to get a 718 Spyder allocation without having to sell your soul, I’d grab it as it’s an unbelievable package; it’s a proper thing - a real baby GT now.

So there you have it - you pays your money and takes your choice - you can’t lose with either - if someone took my 718 and gave me a 981 and £x back - I’d say that’s a shame, I prefer the 718 but I’d not lose any sleep over it - anyone who has either is going to be a very happy bunny

Edited by RSVP911 on Sunday 23 February 12:33

[Porsche911R]

RSVP911 said:

So there you have it - you pays your money and takes your choice - you can’t lose with either

]

there are 3 Spyders ofcourse and the org is still the only one with real steering feel.
The chassis is fine on the older cars not too get hung up on new stuff and hype.

But the drive is 30x more fun at £40k
And the 3.4 dfi engine revs out to red line and is plenty fast enough, a very sweet unit.
Passive dampers, a real diff, real steering, it’s the last time Porsche made a car with all analog items.

:-)

[RSVP911]

Porsche911R said:

RSVP911 said:

So there you have it - you pays your money and takes your choice - you can’t lose with either

]

there are 3 Spyders ofcourse and the org is still the only one with real steering feel.
The chassis is fine on the older cars not too get hung up on new stuff and hype.

But the drive is 30x more fun at £40k
And the 3.4 dfi engine revs out to red line and is plenty fast enough, a very sweet unit.
Passive dampers, a real diff, real steering, it’s the last time Porsche made a car with all analog items.

:-)

I’m sure you are right , however as I’ve never driven one I’m not qualified to comment - I know you love yours and other owners feel very passionately about them too - they do sound like they’d be a lot of fun

[daro911]

RSVP911 said:

Having had both Spyder’s - All IMHO :

Improvements :

Chassis /dynamic ability / steering feel - big step on

Power delivery - much better low down torque - feels noticeably quicker to me.

Looks - subjective - but side by side the new one makes the 981 start to look dated (amazing how Porsche do this - compare a 991.1 to a 991.2 RS for example and it’s the same - amazing how small barely noticeable design tweaks go a long way)

Downsides :

Cost - it’s much more expensive - interestingly enough - a 3 year old Spyder’s is still roughly at list - amazing if bought at list 3 years ago - less so if buying now. Not sure the 718 Spyder will be much more expensive from a cost of ownership perspective - time will tell - I have no idea other than I’m sure the price difference in reality will be smaller than it first appears.

Noise - sorted via a JCR titanium pipe - it then sounds glorious and IMHO less fake than the 981 - but adds more pressure to the price point above.

Honestly in summary; I’d genuinely be very happy owning either car; they are both such brilliant fun - the 981 smiles per mile is, on the face of it, unbeatable and if you are thinking of getting one I’d highly recommend it. Also, if you’re lucky enough to get a 718 Spyder allocation without having to sell your soul, I’d grab it as it’s an unbelievable package; it’s a proper thing - a real baby GT now.

So there you have it - you pays your money and takes your choice - you can’t lose with either - if someone took my 718 and gave me a 981 and £x back - I’d say that’s a shame, I prefer the 718 but I’d not lose any sleep over it - anyone who has either is going to be a very happy bunny

Edited by RSVP911 on Sunday 23 February 12:30

I certainly respect any owners views especially those who have had both versions and more time in the hot seat than myself for sure

As I don't do track days a lot of the GT upgrades are immaterial to my fine weather cruisings

I discussed the JCR and the Supersprint exhausts with the PC who were adamant any such mods could easily invalidate my 3 year warranty if they could prove these mods could have been the cause of a some sort of failure and there would be no chance of extending the warranty as it would fail the 111 point check

These initially weren't the absolute deal breakers for me but the refusal to allow any options not currently on the system in my case PTS and 918 Buckets in full leather swung me back to keeping my current Spyder which still delivers all the fun and thrills almost 4 years along

[RSVP911]

daro911 said:

RSVP911 said:

Having had both Spyder’s - All IMHO :

Improvements :

Chassis /dynamic ability / steering feel - big step on

Power delivery - much better low down torque - feels noticeably quicker to me.

Looks - subjective - but side by side the new one makes the 981 start to look dated (amazing how Porsche do this - compare a 991.1 to a 991.2 RS for example and it’s the same - amazing how small barely noticeable design tweaks go a long way)

Downsides :

Cost - it’s much more expensive - interestingly enough - a 3 year old Spyder’s is still roughly at list - amazing if bought at list 3 years ago - less so if buying now. Not sure the 718 Spyder will be much more expensive from a cost of ownership perspective - time will tell - I have no idea other than I’m sure the price difference in reality will be smaller than it first appears.

Noise - sorted via a JCR titanium pipe - it then sounds glorious and IMHO less fake than the 981 - but adds more pressure to the price point above.

Honestly in summary; I’d genuinely be very happy owning either car; they are both such brilliant fun - the 981 smiles per mile is, on the face of it, unbeatable and if you are thinking of getting one I’d highly recommend it. Also, if you’re lucky enough to get a 718 Spyder allocation without having to sell your soul, I’d grab it as it’s an unbelievable package; it’s a proper thing - a real baby GT now.

So there you have it - you pays your money and takes your choice - you can’t lose with either - if someone took my 718 and gave me a 981 and £x back - I’d say that’s a shame, I prefer the 718 but I’d not lose any sleep over it - anyone who has either is going to be a very happy bunny

Edited by RSVP911 on Sunday 23 February 12:30

I certainly respect any owners views especially those who have had both versions and more time in the hot seat than myself for sure

As I don't do track days a lot of the GT upgrades are immaterial to my fine weather cruisings

I discussed the JCR and the Supersprint exhausts with the PC who were adamant any such mods could easily invalidate my 3 year warranty if they could prove these mods could have been the cause of a some sort of failure and there would be no chance of extending the warranty as it would fail the 111 point check

These initially weren't the absolute deal breakers for me but the refusal to allow any options not currently on the system in my case PTS and 918 Buckets in full leather swung me back to keeping my current Spyder which still delivers all the fun and thrills almost 4 years along

Sounds like a good call and your car is a lovely looking thing - one of the blues if I remember correctly ? It absolutely makes the most financial sense to stick and I might have done the same in your position - I’d however already sold my 981 Spyder; I forgot to mention in my post - the heavy clutch was doing my back in as I used it (& will the 718) as a daily - 981 clutch feel is very nice & solid and as a fun weekend car, would have been no problem what so ever - but I found it a pain as a daily. The clutch on the 718 still feels really nice and weighted but is a little lighter and easier to live with (IMHO)

Re exhaust mod - interesting as I spoke to the head technician at my OPC who basically said the mod would be invisible to the ECU & will not trigger any dash lights and as it’s a bypass it can’t do any damage what so ever and as such, he said “go for it, I’ll be fine”; Obviously I don’t really want to test this theory out in practice, but based on his advice I felt comfortable to add this. (Also If I ever do need to claim on the warranty for anything that may be in the slightest bit related, I’d simply swap back to OEM - 6 bolts and just over an hour to refit - realise again in practice this will be a PITA , but again this gave me the confidence to push on with it)

Lastly just for clarity - my comments below on driving characteristics were based on A/B road driving rather than track work - not used it on track yet and probably will only do so once or twice - it’s a daily road car for me

Edited by RSVP911 on Sunday 23 February 13:48

[daro911]

RSVP911 said:

Sounds like a good call and your car is a lovely looking thing - one of the blues if I remember correctly ? I

Re exhaust mod - interesting as I spoke to the head technician at my OPC who basically said the mod would be invisible to the ECU & will not trigger any dash lights and as it’s a bypass it can’t do any damage what so ever and as such, he said “go for it, I’ll be fine”; Obviously I don’t really want to test this theory out in practice, but based on his advice I felt comfortable to add this. (Also If I ever do need to claim on the warranty for anything that may be in the slightest bit related, I’d simply swap back to OEM - 6 bolts and just over an hour to refit - realise again in practice this will be a PITA , but again this gave me the confidence to push on with it)

Re Exhaust: Yes that was exactly my thoughts regarding the exhaust mod and I had agreed with a local small garage that I use for my MOT's that they would always do a deal on swapping it back if ever necessary

As I said it was the Exclusive Options that were the final deal breaker