Milehigh981

Phil G.

Here's the point. Buying a Porsche is so much more than just about performance! Yes, the new 718 will be faster than the current 981 cars (excepting the Spyder) but for me it's the whole package - look, feel, rich/full sound and smoothness of the NA six. Many of us buy these cars for other reasons than pure performance. Porsche will always make cars that are faster and have more torque than their predecessors. I am thrilled with what I bought, and wouldn't swap it for a 718 - even if that car is quicker, although I understand many will buy it just for that reason.

Raghu

Phil,

I am in 100% agreement with you. A fast car on paper will be surpassed by another iteration down the line. That is how technology pushes forward. Progress is persistent. However, the experience of driving an NA 981 is so sweet especially with a stick that no amount of PDK and turbo can duplicate. I have a 991 TT S (2015) and a spyder 981 and although the TT S will blow the spyder out of the water on speed and handling, the pure engaging experience of the spyder is so rewarding. I think that we just don't work hard enough on the driving skill and are quick to change a car because something else is now faster on paper than the one we had before. A great driver in a 200 HP stick shift car can still outperform others that are less of a driver in a 500 HP PDK. It would cost me less to do driving lessons and track training than to change cars and the driving experience probably will be more rewarding too.

skiahh

That depends, entirely, on the course. Any idiot in a 500 HP car (PDK, Tiptronic or stick) can outperform any driver with only 200 HP in a straight line.

Throw in curves, though, and you get to the point where the better driver will outperform (and probably have more fun!) on a regular basis.

Phil G.

Well said! Agree with your comments.

Spook410

So.. the upcoming base 718 won't be as fun to drive in most situations as the current 981? 'Fun' being a combination of many things about driving a sports car. Hmm.. unlikely. On city streets and freeways 80 ft/lbs of torque are going to add a whole lot more to the overall experience than what is lost in throttle response and exhaust note. Of course in those cases where current power levels in the base model are found to be adequate and things like exhaust note are paramount, some very good deals on used ones are coming soon.

Bud 981

350hp and 309tq is not earth shattering for the new 2.5l 4 banger, and considering it weighs more then the outgoing 981 I doubt owners will be running to the dealership to trade in their old 981's for this new ride, the price of the 718 is more to boot. And it sounds like a Subaru... what's not to love...

Spook410

I do think you'll see base model 981 owners looking to swap for the 718 base. There will also be new buyers like me who may consider the 718 over a BMW M2 or M3. And if the current Porsche cognoscenti eschew 4 cylinders, that will be good for me as it will put the dealer in a position to make a better deal.

Phil G.

Spook, it will be interesting to see how the 981 cars hold their value following the introduction of the 718. I think that we six cylinder owners are going to see ours cars retain their value well over time. Unlike the resale of the 996 when the much improved 997 came out. But in that case, and as much as I loved my C4S, we 996 owners knew the 997s were better cars. I'm not so sure that's the case with the 718 v the 981.

JBsZ06

I don't know about residual value although I think the tuning capability of the turbo 4 should be exciting.

Stock for stock I'm the flat six versus turbo four will be close enough. I usually drive a 450 hp 3200 lb corvette m6 and enjoyed driving the boxster s with PDK and sport chrono.

Fun car!

Archimedes

Well,while I think this is about more than trade ups, I do think you will see a lot of owners move into the 718 because its; better looking, much quicker based on the published numbers and offers a whole host of new features. A big part of the market won't give a rats *** about the sound.

patdonahue

I saw a video of the car yesterday, an was wondering about a few items. That is a tight packaging of the turbo and it appears that there is some type of heat shroud around the turbo, bet that is going to be a warm area under there . I wonder if Porsche has the turbo bearing in a coolant bath like the older 944 turbos had with a pump to cool it down after shutdown. 4 valves per head -it seems like the turbo would make the engine breath as hard as it needs to without having to use 4 valve heads, unless it is for emission control. I cannot find out if the new 4 cylinder uses vario-cam or if the turbo made all that redundant .Do both the base and S models have the variable vane turbos? This will be an interesting car for a tech point of view I think. I see the compression ratio is at 9.5 as opposed to 21.5 for the 6s still a pretty good compression ratio for a 4. The S puts out over 87 H.P per cylinder on the 4 as opposed to 54 on the 6.

Sportwagen

I agree it is not earth-shattering but it is good. However, that line of thinking makes the old inline sixes look even worse in comparison. The 3.4 in particular doesn’t even crack 100 hp/liter ...

Spook410

Phil, I realize this is all conjecture and hope it comes off as discussion rather than argument because obviously I don't know what's going to happen..... Base model 981's are seen as underpowered by most. When the new base model 718 fixes this, not sure where the demand for the old ones is going to be. The current 981 S models may fare better as they are indeed entertaining. However they will now have to compete against the 718 base. I would rather have a new 718 than a used 981 S. As for the 718 S, not sure I would spend the money for the extra power given how and where I drive.

And yea.. in terms of sound more cylinders are better. Can't say I mind the way boxer 4's sound though.

Phil G.

Agree with you in that the 718 is quicker, and many won't care about the sound. Whole host of new features, like what? A price increase of $5000 over the 981? There's one. As for the 718 being better looking? I don't think too many posters will agree with you on this. One of the busiest, worst looking rear ends I've seen. The 981 is just more elegant. My opinion of course.