Road & Track Defends Four-Cylinder Porsche Boxsters

By Adam Pockross - February 26, 2016

porsche 718 boxster

For those of you that are having trouble with the Boxster losing two cylinders, some displacement, and its non-aspirated status, perhaps this Road & Track story will help.

In an article appropriately titled, “A Four-Cylinder Porsche Boxster Is Not the Sign of the Apocalypse,” author David Zenlea takes us through the history and development of the new four-cyl turbos that are replacing the outgoing flat-sixes. He pays particular attention to the fact that the new Boxsters shouldn’t have any trouble beating out the old ones in either the 0-60 sprint or at the Nürburgring. As you’d expect from any new generation model.

Zenlea also delves into how Federal CAFE numbers are mostly to blame for the NA to turbo conversion. But while the Volkswagen Group could have forced Porsche to accept the VW GTI’s engine, or some other corporate four-cyl, they didn’t, and now it sounds like Porsche has created a pretty darn amazing piece of machinery, even if it’s not the flat-six NA you’re used to. According to Zenlea:

“The turbo fours were developed in concert with the 911’s new turbo sixes and carries over several key components, including fuel injectors, connecting rods, and exhaust valves. Most everything else—the shape of the combustion chamber, the iron coating of the cylinder walls, the heat-treating of the crankshaft, the way the water pump disconnects at certain engine speeds to save fuel and get the engine to operating temperature more quickly—derives from the same clever engineering.”

Those 911s seem pretty fast, right? Perhaps this isn’t the apocalypse.

The article goes into further detail, about both the engine and the rest of the updates for the new 718 Boxster and Boxster S. Unfortunately, Zenlea only gets a chance to sit shotgun for a ride along, so we’ll have to wait for a more thorough review. Still, it’s worth the read. So check it out, then let us know what you think!