Nothing earth shattering here, but may be of interest to some. Sapphire Blue is a great colour IMHO. Merry Christmas to one and all.

 

I saw that video a few days ago. Not the best “review” since he makes no mention ( from what I recall ) , that the 718 is the first Spyder to be worked on by the GT division. His impressions seem opposite from what I have read about the previous Gen being a softer ride. He thinks the 718 is softer.

 

Could be the X73 fixed damper suspension on the 981, compared to the variable damper (GT4-like) suspension on the 982. I’ve never driven an X73 car, but I find my 982 Spyder to be surprisingly comfortable and compliant over bumpy roads. The X73 is always semi-stiff, leading to a busier ride, while PASM can be softer damped most of the time, only firming up during acceleration/braking/cornering or situations where excessive body movement is detected. AP had also mentioned the Spyder tune of PASM is also a bit softer than it is on the GT4.

With regard to exhaust note, I’ll have to admit the 981 sounded better. I have mixed views on the rather unnecessary pops and crackles of the 981, but the clearer and higher pitched sound from centre exit exhaust with no particulate filters, and always open valves with PSE on, made the out-of-the-box sound of the 981 way better.

 

Much respect to Tim Harvey but that video was incredibly stupid

 

Im a big fan of Sapphire Blue.

PS. If you dont like all the pops and crackles of the 981 GT4, just get a Soul X-Pipe and 95% of them dissappear.

 

My 981 Spyder was absolutely softer than my 718 GT4.

 

“Equally as fast” isn’t exactly right. Isn’t the 718 significantly quicker?

 

Same peak torque and gearing, but the 718 has more torque at low RPM, and substantially more power at the top end.

 

I’m surprised you’ve never driven an X73 because you nailed it. My 981 Spyder definitely had a harsher ride overall compared to my 718 Spyder. The 981 Spyder felt less damped and chattier. Still a great car but I felt more “beat up” after a long ride compared to my 718 Spyder. The PASM in normal mode on 718 Spyder is quite compliant and makes for a reasonably comfortable ride. I had/ have LWBS in both so I got to truly feel the suspension through the seat and steering wheel

Additionally, Despite similar HP, the 4.0L in the 718 is a night and day difference. You can feel the ample torque on tap throughout the rev range. The only time I felt a real push with my 981 Spyder was above 5000 RPM. The long gearing did not suit the 3.8 but with the 4.0 I have no complaints.

 

FWIW my 981 CGTS with X73 was quite a bit harsher than my Spyder. The 981 sport exhaust did have the pops and bangs but also had a bit of unpleasant drone at lower cruising rpm. Can't say I really miss the pops and bangs, and the OEM exhaust on the Spyder is fine for me until I decide I want a completely different (not louder) sound. For me, exhaust sound is less of an issue in my Spyder as there is wind noise to contend with at higher speeds, and at lower speeds I am often enjoying my Burmester.

The best sounding exhaust I ever had was on my B7 RS4 with its 4.2L NA V8 with an 8300rpm redline, mated to a custom built (one-of-a-kind) Milltek exhaust.

 

Nice review, I thought the comparisons and commentary was unbiased and fair. Except for the exhaust note which has been widely discussed, they were overwhelmingly positive about all aspects of both cars. It was clear they enjoy both Spyders and as they summarized, there isn’t a bad choice and can’t go wrong between either of them.

Thanks for sharing. There are not many back to back 981 and 718 Spyder reviews so this was a nice watch. I always enjoy seeing new Spyder content and it was nice to see someone as accomplished as Tim Harvey driving our favorite cars.

 

Errors and omissions, along with the observations and comments based on these, rendered the comparisons weak at best.

 

The comment right off the bat about how the 981 spyder and gt4 were the same in suspension, which he kind of clumsily amended, set the tone as a Fail, for me.

Then the toddling down low-speed roads as a driving comparison? Sigh

More underinformed yutzes, cranking out content.

 

I lucked into an X73 981 GTS for about six months. It was 5 years old with 15,000 miles. The roads around me are really bad. (I know everyone says their roads are bad and though I’m in the south I’ll stand by that assessment.) Nonetheless, I thought the X73 suspension was incredible. I’d happily take it over any other suspension I’ve had. Not sure if I’ll prefer it to spasm in the 718 GTS4 but I like the idea of a great non-adaptive system.

 

My humble opinion: The 718 Spyder's GT suspension is spectacular. Ride comfort in normal mode, perfect handling during spirited driving in sport mode and the right amount of power on tap through the entire power band with a perfect gear box are unmatched in the industry, even by the 981 Spyder ( I owned two of these). The 718 Spyder is truly closest to its sibling, the GT4, in every department unlike its predecessor. I would put the 981 Spyder a second. I thought the suspension was too soft in the 981 Spyder and the only time it was not soft was on bumpy roads with a lot of chatter, which is exactly opposite of the 718 Spyder characteristics. Removing the stupid particulate filter exhaust and the battery and replacing with LW battery and exhaust would bring weight down by about 60 lbs. I know I don't have 60 lbs to lose being 5'7" 165lbs. That would make the 718 Spyder just perfect!
The one think I wonder: Will the weight loss change suspension and handling and increase chatter on bumpy roads?