Test drove a 718CS today. Yes, it's a real Porsche...
 

I could have appended this to one of the other threads, but I figure the more 'headlines' the better.

I test drove a 718CS MT this morning.

The short story: I think that
- at least 50% of the people 'dissin' the 718 and its flat-4 have never actually driven one.
- of the remaining 50%, half of them had already decided that they wouldn't like it before driving one.
- it is a real Porsche.

I like the basso growl of the f4 at idle. It sounds like it's having fun as you load it up to its red-line (after properly warming-up the oil of course.) Most cars these days sound like a bag of rocks or a mechanical animal that's being tortured if you give the motor more than 1/3 throttle. Or both.

It's a very driveable motor. Even off boost it's got enough torque to feel not sluggish and with the MT it wants to run-along through town on the boost threashhold (~ 2k rpm). On the highway it's plenty fast.

And of course, it handles.

Totally agree. The F4 is a fantasic motor and really sounds incredible as you rev it out.

You want to hear bad sounding car, go drive just about any M car, in particular the M3/4. It will having you cringing it is so bad, synthetic and just plain awful. Porsche at least knows how to make their cars sound good.

The M4 isn't as bad as you suggest either. Even Clarkson was a fan of how the M4 GTS sounded, which basically just adds a titanium exhaust. This is a hyperbolic take... but I do agree that the 718 sounds better than the M4.

Agree with OP on all points. I think the sound discussion is a byproduct of the "blasphemy" of reducing the cylinder count. Of all the hate threads out there, the one common theme when breaking down the disdain is that fans of the Boxster/Cayman can't come to terms with the fact that it's a 4 cylinder. In actuality, it probably should have been a 4 cylinder all along but turbo technology wasn't quite where it needed to be almost 20 years ago when this platform debuted.

When it was first rumored that Porsche was developing an f-4 turbo motor I thought *for sure* that a 1.9999999 liter 4 would appear in all base models (911, 911-cab, 911-4, Boxster, Cayman) and that a 6-pot motor would be available in all S-trim models.
This would have enabled Porsche to sell non-S models into all the countries where displacements in excess of 2.0 liters are taxed out the wazoo and to offer 6-pot motors everywhere else.

This made sense to me because, up to that point, base-model Porsche sports-car-anything wasn't a big seller in Porsche's largest markets.

I was shocked when it became known that all 911s would get 6-pot motors and all other sports cars would get the 4-pot.


Back to topic: 718. Great Porsche.

Having owned both an M3 and M4, I just wasn't a fan of the M3/4 sound - engine, exhaust, or the fake sound through the speakers. I even had the M performance exhaust and just made the bad sound louder. None it ever made me smile the way any of the Flat 6s do, or even the Flat 4 did. The S65 engine in the E9X M3 did sound quite nice once you put the right bolts on on it - except for the fact that it just didn't handle near the level of a Porsche.

intersting topic , I was set on getting a 718 CS as an extra daily driver for me, drove yesterday and I must admit, I was not over excited , yes it is a real Porsche, felt solid and well connected, the sound was ok, but somehow I could not stop thinking that it is not a 90 k worth of car,
I am a big fan of Porsche and I have owned a bunch of them , but I think , with the 718 , the price point is getting rich
will have to test drive the GTS before I make up my mind

The GTS is the exact same engine as the S, right? So why would test driving a GTS be any different?

So buy a well-equipped CPO 718CS/GTS and you'll get more for your money. That describes my first P-car: Paid ~75% of MSRP for a perfect two-YO, 2,600 mile CPO 981CS.

No, it's not.

LOL. That's what I thought before my wife bought her 918CS four years ago: "The Cayman isn't an $80k car." Just riding in the passenger seat made me realize the error of my ways.

Well, it was then. And, with inflation, it is now.

The Porsche price point has *always* been rich. There's no point in history where you couldn't buy a car that had similar 'numbers' for less. If you go by the published numbers you should go buy a Corvette.

Seriously: we have a Z06. It's faster than the 981. But, it isn't a better car. Especially for daily use.

Also LOL. Not comparable. It it were to shed 500 pounds and go back in time 15 years before it was focus-grouped to-death you might have something.

Ah...man of few words. Yes, I see it now. 365 HP vs 350 HP.

Had to do some digging because it didn't just jump in my face when I was using the configurator.

Curious how you spec'd yours under $90K. It only takes the GTS interior, PASM, seat heating and BOSE to get there.

2018 718 CGTS $79,800
PASM Sport $290
Bi-Xenon in BLK PDLS $1,500
Auto dimming mirrors $700

And 3 splurge upgrades
GBM $650
Porsche Logo in satin BLK $220
Leather Alcantara interior in Blk with Alcantara seat centers. $2,160

$86,370 as ordered and I would have been just as happy with out the $3,030 in splurge upgrades. If I got prices into the upper $90K range I would have gotten a 911T.

I had a 981 GTS with the same basic options, except leather interior upgrade, and I was happy with overall appearance. Understand that my Porsche's are basically track cars and I would rather spend the $10k to $15k in interior upgrades on tires, wheels and brakes and seat time. Porsche does a wonderful job of getting people to buy options that are standard on cars that are 1/2 the cost.

Peter

Are we being "option purists" now?

I see you use your cars for primarily track use; that's great. Most do not. Me personally, even if I didn't use my car as a primary means of transportation, I don't spend as much time on the track and, as excessive as it sounds, enjoy simple things like never having to pull a key out of my pocket and looking at a contrast stitched leather dash.

I'm not criticizing you for how you chose to option your car, because it's YOUR CAR. I am criticizing you for criticizing what you think others should do with their own money.

The way I see it, my near-perfect spec 718 GTS would come out to about $93k MSRP. It is actually in my opinion too expensive to justify, so I ended up in a very well equipped 981 GTS (which also had an original MSRP of $93k). Maybe in a couple years I do this all over again and get a CPO 718 GTS. I think that's the sweet spot for the best value; a couple years old with a handful of miles and a very long certified warranty. These cars might not be a good value for $90k+, but they sure as hell are for $60k.

I'm always amused by this type of 'dictim': "If you spend more than X$ or X% on options you're an idiot" or irresponsible, or ... whatever.

Along with this:

Porsche is the only mass-market car manufacturer that allows you to pick and choose your options one-by-one. You can get want you want and not get what you don't want.

Like the superfluous BS that comes with the two or three 'packages' that you may choose from if you (can) order a car from any other manufacturer? Where there's one thing that you want but you have to get 7 things you don't want or could live without? Or, worst case you have to accept something you hate in order to get one thing you want?

Everyone thinks their concept of reality, their needs, their desires is the only reality and everyone else is a moron if they don't agree.

I've got news: Porsche has figured this out and its long list of individual options is the response that allows anyone with the means to spec a car that aligns almost perfectly with their desires.

The only thing that's common to these multitudes of realities is the b1tching about option price. If you don't like the pricing you are free to buy a car from a manufacturer and deal with the compromises imposed upon you by that manufacturer's concept of what you should have.

And Porsche enables you to spec exactly what you want. While allowing 'manifold danger' to spec something very different.

What Porsche offers through the option list that no one else offers is: dynamic range. You can spec a focused 'track' car or 'luxury' car or a mix of both. Or, all of both if you can write that check.

And that's the last peice of the Porsche puzzle. Folks that are willing to pay for a bespoke car enable a high-value pre-owned market for those that are willing to compromise their desires to save money.

It's brilliant.

Dealers spec what they think they can sell to walk-on buyers.

When I was test driving the 718 my SA told me something interesting. In summary:

Folks buy Boxsters off the lot. Cayman buyers order.

Thus, he has a lot of Boxsters on the lot, but few Cayman.

pretty much the same exact engine. Same everything block-wise... just an updated plenum and turbocharger. So yeah, EXACT same engine plus a few (2+) new peripherals.

My ordered 2018 Boxster S blew through the six figure barrier like it wasn't there. I love it. I kinda wish I got body colored headlight washers, though.

Some of us like the options. Of course I wish the car was free but I'd rather pick and choose rather than a 30% price increase and have the cars come with more equipment standard that I don't want. It sounds like a CGTS was not your first choice in car but a compromise based on price. That's not the case for all of us. Given the choice of a 911T, a GT3, or a BGTS (even if they were the same price) I would chose the BGTS all day. Spending $15k on options is well worth it to get the car of my dreams.

A lot of misconceptions in this case. My reply was to you can't get one for less than $90k. I disagreed and said yes you can. The 718GTS is one of the best handling Porsches around! The GTS is a tarted up S model with a nicely done interior and handling package at 0 options. Now you might not be able to keep it below $90K with your add ons but that was not the ?


rdmustang you assume a lot about what I can and cannot afford. ;) Yes I would have gotten a .2GT3 if I could have gotten an allocation at MSRP but alas that didn't happen. But to assume the CGTS was a poor 2nd you are sorely mistaken.

worf928 You might think that Porsche would include auto climate control, standard on my dog hauler 2014 Base model WRX, and charging $700 :banghead: for an auto dimming mirror is :rolleyes:

Peter

I can't *NOT* have one.

I cuss incessantly every time I have to drive a rental at night.

I can totally relate to that.;) I copied all the options and packages to an excel spreadsheet to see if I could game the numbers somehow. All I can say is that Porsche did a pretty good job spec'ing and pricing.

I own a 2015 981BGTS. Test drove a 718CS this past weekend.

Originally just stopped by Porsche dealership while I was out running around so that I could hear the exhaust note(s) side by side and compare; salesman being what he is, he suggested a test drive.... Like I'm going to say "No"???

Thoughts, in no particular order:

1. Sound is definitely different. 718 more 'raspy'; 981 more 'throaty.' Is one "better" than the other? Not to me. Sport exhaust still a must have option, IMO.
2. The torque curve looks (and feels) like somebody stepped on it (a good thing, IMO). Seriously, max torque is flat from <2K to almost 5K; on my 981, there's a noticeable torque increase when you hit about 4500 rpm or so up to about 6500 rpm. On the 718, there's a lot of torque at a relatively low rpm. It's nice to have. Noticed that I've gotten used to the 981 and actually like having to get the engine to "sing" a bit to feel the nice torque; almost a Pavlovian response with me now, LOL.
3. Wonder about long term reliability/dependability with turbos. This isn't specific to the 718; turbos are nice but one more gizmo to fail.
4. I don't like Alcantara (my 981 is *all* leather; no ultrasuede anywhere). This is mainly because it wears so poorly, especially on shift knob & steering wheel.
5. In a convertible, I still much prefer the look of a Boxster to a 911 Cabrio.

So, I'm happy with my 981 and not looking to trade into a 718 (nor anything else, for that matter). Glad I did the evaluation myself.

I spent a few weeks working the configurator in concert with driving a number of on the ground cars to try to figure things out. Certainly had quite a few 'holy crap' moments. Too many options, not enough seat time with them all leads to over rotating on the build decisions IMO. In the end, I ran into a leftover '17 S that largely, but not perfectly fit the bill. The price differential was so great, an ordered car was at least 4 month out and as you point out life is too short, so I bought the car. Might not be ecstatic, but I'm pretty damn happy. What ever works, works.

Definitely understand not wanting to trade up from your 981 BGTS, as I'm in the exact same position. But to address a couple things:

- long term reliability with turbos: I've had a plethora of turbo cars, and never once had an issue relating to the turbos themselves. I've only ever HEARD of any of my friends having issues when they try to dump tons of boost on an otherwise factory setup (or all out drag cars)- and then the issue was mostly with blowing things apart in the engine as you may well expect- the turbos held up just fine. In my 335i I had an issue with the high pressure fuel pump that's necessary because of BMW's particular design for that engine, but that's a well known problem that has been traced back ultimately to supply chain issues; can't blame it on turbos. TL;DR, it's an engine component just like anything else, and as such no more prone to failure than any other engine component. If anything, Subarus have proven that long term reliability is absolutely attainable in a turbocharged car; plus, virtually everything is turbocharged these days. Time will tell of course, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.

- Alcantara wears better than leather. 6 months ago I would have had a similar anti-Alcantara stance, and 1 month ago I would have been resigned to agree on the wearability, as the steering wheel and shift knob were darkened and smooth. I had the car detailed about a month ago and the Alcantara is like new, no other way to describe it. Apparently it's very easy to clean and maintain, as long as you don't get horrendous stains like blood, chocolate, ketchup, etc. on it without some sort of protectant... which would be the same sort of situation with leather anyway. Plus you don't have to worry about cracking/fading like you do with leather, so I'm convinced it actually wears better, and I've been converted to an Alcantara fanboy now.

-

The lever is a lie. You literally turn your actual mirror into something that *might* make you aware of lights behind you, and I think I'll just agree to disagree in the effectiveness of the auto-dimming technology as all my cars have inadvertently had them for the past 7 or 8 years and I never even noticed it UNTIL I had to get into a rental, which seems to me to be exactly the point. While we're assuming things, maybe you just didn't know you had to push a button for it to actually work? I guess it's not *completely* auto, but yes you can turn it off. It would actually make sense if that's why you don't think it works lol.

Plus there is no lever for the side mirrors.

First world problems indeed, but it's uncommon to complain about the solutions.