Plimpington2

I'm getting a 718 hard top. . . Finally. I don't care that much about the engine sound. I like the low end torque - the sound is lost on me. The only Porsche I've ever had was my late uncle's POS 996 carerra 4 cab. The 2015 Cayman was great - but I like getting power without having to goose the right pedal so much.

Anyway, I can afford a base 718 and get some nice red leather, cooled and heated seats, the Bose stereo, OR a stripped down 718 S. I prefer 3 pedals for sure.

I know you can't tell me what to buy. But I just want opinions. Is the base 718 adequate? Or would most of you rue the day you didn't buy the S when you had the chance?

Judd

996toomey

Get the S

Gene@AtlantaPerimeter

I suggest driving them if you haven't.
The base 718 is a lot of fun, plenty of car. I guess it depends what you will do with the vehicle. Are you going to track it? The S is a lot of fun and a lot of power. Are you coming from a high horsepower vehicle?

Marine Blue

Drive both and decide. I would also be curious to know what car your coming from as that might impact which way you go.

Plimpington2

I'm coming from a GTI mk7. I'll never track it. I cringe at the thought of brake, tire and clutch abuse. I'm just gonna rub it with a diaper. But I like to zoom around town and get things moving on the highway when I can on the way to work. Daily driver (3 seasons, I gather).

bruinmd

Got some feedback from someone who drove the 718 (base and S) in manual and PDK and recommended getting the car in PDK precisely b/c of the low end torque-- said it was much more fun/responsive in PDK, but that was driving the car near its limits -- he works at a dealership and had the chance to drive the car pretty hard.

Having said that, I would say that if you're going the manual route, you probably don't need the S to have a blast driving around town. I think the base in a 6MT will give you plenty of fun. If you were going to track it, I'd say get a 718S in PDK.

Zeus993

Sound advice! 100%

SCMike

I was pretty much in the same box as you about 18 months ago when I was putting my 981 Cayman order together. To "S" or not to "S". I ended up going with the base 2.7 and have never regretted it. Like you I had no intent to drive the car into the red mists, so the 2.7 was more than adequate for a daily driver (in fact, it gifted me with my first speeding ticket in many decades - verdammt speed cameras). I think my conclusion would be even more valid for the 718, since its base is significantly mechanically upgraded over the 981 base, and (despite the enthusiasts' chorus of negativity) the base turbo provides significantly more oomph in the daily driving context than the 2.7. But as other have said, do enough test driving of the choices before you decide for yourself - my 981 comments may not be entirely relevant.

As for myself, instead of up-paying for the "S", I put the extra money into the interior (where I spend all my time anyway) - the full-zoot Garnet Red Natural Leather, Premium Pkg, 14-ways, SD Steering Wheel, Seat Vent, Folding Mirrors, Bi-Xenons, Park Assist F&R. Every time that I open the door, I still go: ahhhhh.

The only thing I kick myself for with my 981 order is not specifying the Sport Exhaust. About six months after I got the Cayman, I picked up a mint condition 2011 Spyder that had the PSE. Aaargh - buyer's remorse for not getting the PSE on the Cayman. I am currently lining up my ducks to fix that with a retro-fit of the PSE on the 2.7.

Phil G.

The article on the new 718 in this month's Porsche Panorama is interesting. I thought I'd find that being a Porsche publication, there would be few negatives. The positives - torque, tighter steering, improved brakes, standard PCM, etc. The negatives - they were not keen on the new styling, especially the rear, and they just kept coming back to the Subaru WRX-like sound of the flat 4, and compared it repeatedly with the NA six. And for that you get to pay $5K more than the 981. For me, the negatives outweigh the positives, which is why I'm so happy to have bought one of the last 981S cars built for the US. My car with PASM and PSE just feels so right. As for the 718, the advantages are outweighed by the negatives, IMO. It will be very interesting to see how sales of the new 718 Boxster and Cayman compare with the 981.1 car. If I were to buy a 718, it would be an S, no question.

SCMike

Price comparisons between the 981 and the 718 are deceptive if one only looks at the base price - an identical configuration needs to be built. Just for grins, I built a near duplicate of my 981 Cayman on the latest configurator. The 718 Cayman I built was $135 cheaper than the 981 (and that was with about $15K in options). Close enough to be identical. Maybe Porsche soaks the Boxster buyers, but the Cayman is still basically the same price. Another reason why Cayman rules...

Archimedes

Going purely on the reviews, which is about all you can do at the moment short of test driving both, I'd say S.

lunarx

S, unless you hate power.
Big difference between the 2.0 & 2.5.
S was nearly lag free with great low end torque.
Non-S felt anemic by comparison.

evil panda

get the S. the platform can handle so much power that the lower trim will feel sub-optimal. hell, i traded my 981 S for a GT4 for this reason. and am now considering modifying the GT4 because it can still handle a lot more.

zanwar

Configure the car the way you really want it in both the base and the S trim then make a decision. I would skip the Bose.

CFIMarco

On paper the 718 has plenty of power and the same performances of the 981S. That's true, but only if you really hit the gas pedal. In reality, for daily driving the 718S is better, not just for track days. The reason is due to turbo lag and smaller engine. At low rpm the turbo doesn't spin fast enough to give you the power you need and the lag is more noticeable on the 2.0 than on the 2.5, because the bigger is the engine, the less you feel the lag when for example you are standing still and you want to clear the crossroad fast, but without screaming. I extensively tested both cars (718 and 718S) and I can tell you that the 718S is a much better car that worth the higher investment. I felt there is much more difference between a 718 vs 718S than 981 vs 981S.