Re: 718 Boxster Press Release

[presse.porsche.de]

i saw another article with the same photos and a bit of writing here:

[www.carscoops.com]

you can view the same photos and videos from the press release without having to download them.

overall i think the car looks good except for the black area under the rear spoiler where "PORSCHE" is written in big, bold, shiny letters. a bit pretentious for my taste. does anyone know if that spoiler is fixed? i'm guessing it is since it's up in all the still photos. but then why did they put that black area that is reminiscent of the black area on the 986 spoiler.

i'm curious to know how these new engines will feel and sound. figures on paper are one thing. the feeling in the seat of your pants is another. i'm more concerned about the latter not meeting my expectations. i'm anxiously awaiting opinions once the car gets driven.

and what's with this "virtual gears?" Gimmick or valuable tech?

--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

Looks like my prediction of pricing was correct - that they'd raise the price of the Boxster. Time remains to be seen if they will also raise the price of the Cayman. For sure, it will cost less than the Boxster.

In Canada,

Boxster pricing goes up $4,500 from $59,400 to $63,900
Boxster S goes up $5,100 from $72,900 to $78,000 and that's before you start checking of the little boxes.

[www.porsche.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2016 08:35AM by Guenter in Ontario. (view changes)

Tech specs on US cars:
[www.porsche.com]

Weight is just under 3000lb. on 718S manual cars; fuel capacity down to 14.3 gal. IIRC the 981 fuel capacity was 16.9(?) Gasoline weighs about 6.3 lbs/gallon so this is roughly a 16lb drop based on less fuel and probably the smaller tank.
IIRC, there was an article about the added weight from the new turbo being something like 150lbs; the smaller tank/less fuel must be part of the weight offset program. Hope they didn't skinny up the rotor thickness again.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

In one word.... WOW

that they have moved the ignition key from the left to the right side of the steering wheel. I think this will kill this car as a serious contender on the track because we won't be able to shift and turn the car on at the same time.

2001 Base, purchased in 2004, replaced engine at 130K+, RIP 2017

Quote
JackintheBoxster
that they have moved the ignition key from the left to the right side of the steering wheel. I think this will kill this car as a serious contender on the track because we won't be able to shift and turn the car on at the same time.

i panicked when i read this and thought that porsche had really stooped to a low level of pandering but it still looks like the key is on the left in the pics on the new microsite.



--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

Interestingly, the URL ends with 981G2.html

[www.suncoastparts.com]

[www.porsche.com]

listen to the exhaust sound clip. i noticed a faint resemblance to another well known car with a flat-four. this is not a compliment either.

--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2016 07:19PM by frogster. (view changes)

At the 26 second point, there's a shot of the interior, the driver's had on the 'gearshift'. The sound of the engine is not..... mellifluous. At all.

[www.youtube.com]

am i the only one who had to look up "mellifluous?"

interesting that the general opinion here is pretty much the same (for once). i have the feeling that as i get older, i'm not of the demographic that is being targeted. a moldy fig if you will. granted, i bought my boxster nearly 16 years ago but what i loved so much about it was its purity and simplicity. no extraneous styling. form follows function. i see a lot more "fluff" in products as they vie for your attention in an ever so much more competitive market. whereas i fell instantly in love with the boxster concept i saw in geneva in the mid-nineties, i'm not so sure that i would put myself behind the wheel of a 917 even if i had the cash burning a hole in my pocket. but i'm sure there are plenty of millennials that would so porsche will likely sell enough of them.

i really wonder how many people who would consider buying a boxster will change their minds because it is a four-cyl turbo rather than the moldy-fig six.

--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

....sigh - moldy figs .....those who enjoy the act of driving are indeed quickly being outnumbered by those who have different "needs".

There was a time when car commercials focused on driving / handling capabilities.

Have you really watch the new commercials?
This car can read you your texts, it will find you a place to get your pizza, it has Wi-Fi so you can update your online status, you can tell it to play your favourite song. It will even tell you when there's a truck directly in front of you. Driving? Really? What's that?

It is a changing world. That's for sure.

Well, on this exact topic, I think the tragedy, if there is one, in this 718 is that we won't have the stripped-down 718 many of us thought we would have a year or so ago. I can't tell from the pictures whether this car will look too gimicky or not, but some of that body sculpting reminds me of BMWs (an otherwise fine car in my opinion other than the Zs) and how difficult they bodywork looked to repair.

I give Porsche credit for at least seeming to keep the driver in mind with its cars, I think I'll hold off judgment on this one until it's been out longer.

Jeez---Same tone as those videos taken at the "ring" during development; a low, muffled tone that sounds like it could have come out of any 4 banger with a hole in it's muffler.

Here's a couple from a Subie--one with stock and one with a "nameless" brand aftermarket catback setup. I heard the Nameless setup at the track and it sounded deeper than this--not bad.

Stock-- [www.youtube.com]

Nameless- [www.youtube.com]
---
Last here's a few out of a new Mustang EB:

Stock/Aftermarket: [www.youtube.com]

After listening to all the exhaust notes from these 3 turbo 4 bangers, it's seems you can moderate the tinny exhaust note of these 4 cyl motors a bit, but you will never confuse it with an American V8 or Porsche flat 6.

We'll have to wait for a real car to drive to see what it sounds like in person, but from the Porsche video it sounds like they've mucked up one of the things that made these cars special.

Last--looks like from the diagrams the turbo sits on the front of the engine just behind the firewall on the drivers side; it will be interesting to see how get the heat out of the engine compartment--maybe some NACA ducting underneath to draw in air and expel it out the back valance.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2016 10:16PM by MikenOH. (view changes)

Did you check the options, Mike?

They no longer have our (yours and mine) favourite suspension. Now you can get PASM (10mm lower, as before). And, only available on the S is PASM Sport (20mm lower than stock) available only on the S.

No Sports Exhaust available either.

People that shop by the numbers, I'm sure will think it's great. 300 HP and 350 HP. It's like the people who judge a car by how good its 0 - 60 times are.

I saw that--too bad for prospective 718 owners. Porsche seems pretty committed to the active suspension approach for optional suspensions.Wonder if they'll ever go the magnetic shock route that a lot of other companies have chosen rather than what's involved with PASM.

No sport exhaust--my, my. You have to wonder if the turbo setup suppresses the exhaust tone to the point where an optional "sport exhaust" system has so little to work with it wasn't worth the effort. I am looking forward to the 718 launch locally to see if I can behind the wheel of one and see how it feels--and sounds.

The car should be quicker in 0-60 times via more HP and TQ and the improvements look incremental like the bumps from the extra HP in the 981 GTS package.
Having said that, the 0-60 time of the 718S with PDK in sport + is really quick--4.0 seconds, which puts it very close to C7 territory or BMW M4 ( if that matters) .

Regarding styling, it looks like change for the sake of change because it's a new model and something "new" was needed. Essentially, a carry over--which you'd expect since the 981 came out in 2012-- with the stylists dabbling at the ends of the car for a slightly different look. Predictable, but not necessarily an improvement, especially the rear.

I found that on the Canadian (but not on the US) site, you can still bring up the Boxster as well as the 718 Boxster. It gives you a chance to compare the sound of the two models. With the link below, if you just hover over Models in the top left hand corner, slide it down to Boxster and it brings up both the Boxster and 718 Boxster models so you can compare. I also notice that the fuel tank on the base car is 10 litres (2.6 gal) smaller, but you can get the larger original sized tank for an extra $160.

[cc.porsche.com]〈=ca&PARAM=parameter_internet_ca&ORDERTYPE=982330&MODELYEAR=2017&hookURL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.porsche.com%2fcanada%2fen%2fmodelstart%2f

You're right though. You can't tell until you see / hear / experience it in the metal.

In terms of looks, it's all according to personal taste. I like the side mirrors and new standard steering wheel better than the old ones. Interior vents look more tacked on, where the 981 looks more integrated. I prefer the spoiler line extending into the tail lights, making it more unique, but again that's individual taste.

To me, driving a car like the Boxster is all about feel, the Zen of driving, soul or whatever word you use to describe it. To me the Boxster has been more than the sum of its parts. I'm just afraid that it may have lost that.

going to principally turbo 4s is is another major evolutionary step. The 993 is highly desirable as the last iteration of the air cooled motors. This move toward turbo 4s makes the 981 the new classic "last of."

Quote
Laz
going to principally turbo 4s is is another major evolutionary step. The 993 is highly desirable as the last iteration of the air cooled motors. This move toward turbo 4s makes the 981 the new classic "last of."

Amen.

Not impressed with the sound of the turbo 4. Makes me happy that I picked up a 2016!

As best as I can tell, the ONLY reason Porsche has moved to turbo engines across the sports-car line is fuel-efficiency, and more specifically, fuel-efficiency in EPA or EU-type laboratory settings.

Needless to say, Turbo engines can deliver higher torque and h.p numbers than a naturally-aspirated engine of the same displacement. Turbo engines also have more parts, generate more heat, are potentially more expensive to own/maintain over the long haul, and, in the case of the 718, are heavier.

I am not at all surprised that the new turbo-four has higher power and torque ratings. Probably purchasers who aren't as knowledgeable, or as much died-in-the-wool Porsche (or for that matter, traditional) sports car enthusiasts, will be pleased to read about the higher output numbers, and likely won't even take note of the different sound and feel of the engine.

Similarly, first time new BMW 3 series owners won't know what they're missing with the turbo 4 vs BMW's superb NA (and no longer available) in-line 6.

And so many new car owners aren't in fact 'owners' - they're lessees. The long-term cost of maintenance/repair won't be of concern to them.

As those of us who are huge fans of the naturally-aspirated flat 6 fade into the background (or worse), there will be fewer and fewer who know, or care, about what the NA 6 sounded, or felt like. And one day, it will be illegal to actually DRIVE a car; it will driver the owner... err... lessee.

I feel very, very fortunate to be able to enjoy DRIVING, and to do so in what is, unquestionably, one of Porsche's absolute finest sports cars, ever.

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."