2018 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS and 718 Cayman GTS new car review
It’s time to pose a hypothetical question. If you we in the position to buy a thoroughbred Porsche 718 Boxster S that can accelerate to 100km/h in a very solid 4.6 seconds, would you instead pay an extra $27,600 for a version that’s a little more powerful and can shave perhaps 0.1 seconds off that time?
That, in effect, is what Porsche Australia will be asking potential customers when the Boxster GTS – and its fixed-roof sibling, the Cayman GTS – goes on sale next March.
At $175,900 for the Boxster GTS (or a couple of grand less for the Cayman variant) you’d expect a bump in performance and buyers will get it. The 2.5-litre turbocharged flat-four engine has benefited from some air intake and electronic tweaks that raise turbo boost pressure from 1.1 to 1.3 bar, and peak power output has gone up 11kW compared with the S, to 269kW.
As with other 718 models, the standard transmission is a six-speed manual but opting for the dual-clutch PDK auto for about another $6000 doesn’t just negate the need for a clutch pedal, it also drops another half a second off the 0-100km/h time, down to 4.1 seconds.
The 718 GTS is about more than just horsepower however. There’s the look, for starters, with styling augmented by a new front air dam with black spoiler lip, darkened headlamps, big (and again, black) 20-inch alloys, GTS logos on the flanks and black inserts on the rear bumper.
It all looks meaner and more purposeful than the standard 718 models and especially in the primary red, yellow and blue colour schemes available, also bright, extroverted and attention-grabbing.
Inside, the biggest change is the adoption of extra sporty seats with added side support that are welcome for racetrack driving or on twisty roads but require increased gymnastic ability to enter or exit.
Porsche’s active suspension management (PASM) is included as standard equipment and on the GTS lowers the ride height by 10mm.
With greater suspension control, and the potential for seriously firmer settings in ‘sport’ or ‘sport-plus’ modes, it’s part of the reason the Cayman GTS laps the Nurburgring’s 20.8km Nordschleife circuit two seconds quicker than the S, or a full 16 seconds faster than the previous, naturally aspirated GTS.
If it sounds like the 718 GTS is all about hard-core performance, the good news for those who don’t necessarily want to act like a race driver all the time will still find normal levels of comfort.
Fire up the Boxster’s horizontally opposed four cylinder engine and it settles down to a gentle burble; the manual gearchange is light in action and virtually foolproof in practice, the engine pulls strongly from low revs and the suspension in the calmer driving modes gives a pleasant and comfortable ride.
Power the roof back on the Boxster to improve the view and airflow, and you could be forgiven for thinking the Boxster GTS is a particularly lovely Friday evening boulevard cruiser. As always, there’s even plenty of space between the front wheels or above the engine for weekend luggage despite the selfishness of the two-seater layout.
With a goodly amount more throttle and holding on to the lower gears, the GTS rapidly demonstrates its more animalistic character. On damp roads the rear tyres start to battle the electronic traction control for grip, and the engine’s gruff exhaust bellows from the rear and can be increased in volume by the centre console-mounted loudness button.
On an open, flowing road there is every temptation to explore the capabilities of the GTS and it never fails to disappoint. The power delivery is fluid with bottom end torque transferring to ample top-end punch as revs rise, the rearward weight bias of the mid-mounted engine negates any thought of understeer from the handling balance, the standard brakes haul it all down from speed and it’s all at once vastly competent and very good fun.
In fact, it almost takes a race track to really explore the limits of the GTS and at the car’s launch Porsche provided just that. Plus, the chance to swap a manual Boxster for a Cayman with the PDK dual-clutch auto.
Historically the Cayman has been the racier of the two models thanks to being granted a little more horsepower and a less flexible, fixed-roof body but that gap has narrowed thanks to identical engine outputs and advances in the torsional rigidity of the Boxster.
The electronically controlled gearbox offers advantages other than mere convenience: in Sport Plus mode for instance, you not only get launch control software for maximum acceleration getaways, but a ‘sport response’ function also primes the turbocharger and drivetrain for greater activity and engine torque outputs peaks 10 Newton metres higher at 430Nm.
So while the conventional manual gearbox is hardly tiresome to operate, simply toggling the paddles on the PDK leaves the driver to enjoy other aspects of the GTS on the track.
That includes the straight line performance which is bounteous without being scarily overwhelming, and the sheer levels of grip that allow pin-sharp turn in from the grippy front end, while the rear is equally sticky or telegraphs its intention to slide wide if the driver plays hard on the throttle.
The GTS’s standard four-calliper brakes seem plenty good enough for the job of hauling down for speed, but opt for the six-calliper ceramic composite stoppers with bigger discs and you have a car that slows every bit as hard as it goes.
And when it gets back to that initial question of what you’re paying for in the 718 GTS, it isn’t for a car that has been beefed up in any one particular dimension but has been heavily massaged in all.
That the GTS retains the Boxster or Cayman’s inherent balance and useability with incremental advances is no mean feat; as ever, it is an easy car to drive fast but rewarding and entertaining as well, and suddenly you start to understand that could well be worth the extra cash.
2018 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS pricing and specifications
On sale: March 2018
Price: $175,900 plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.5-litre four cylinder turbo petro
Power: 269kW at 6500rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 1900rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 4.6 sec (claimed)
Fuel use: 9.0 L/100km
2018 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS pricing and specifications
On sale: March 2018
Price: $179,080 (PDK) plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.5-litre four cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 269kW at 6500rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 1900rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 4.1 sec (claimed)
Fuel use: 8.2 L/100km
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