erik_plus8

It was the 2.5l I drove. My (negative) statements apply therefore to the 2.5l.

I see no need to drive the 2.0l because I expect everything to be about the same with the 2.0l. Lag might be worse because no VGT. Sound - about the same, definitely the same characteristics. Maybe the vibrations will be a little less because of smaller moving masses. But it will never be on the same (low) level as a 6cyl.

Regarding handling improvments I had a hard time finding them during my 45min drive. OTOH, my car has X73 and the 718S had PASM. So therefore quite hard to compare. It's not a bad handling car at all. But it seems hard to detect any massive improvments. The reviewers with some amount of credibility (Chris Harris, Andrew Frankel, the Road&Track guy) do also not seem to find any huge improvement steps from 981. It is of course not worse, it just seems like a bit of "marketing speak" from PAG. The HW changes in the chassis might actually come from the substantial weight increase with the turbo engine...

O yes, the brakes were a step forward in the 718S compared to my 981. More initial bite and slightly more powerful max deceleration. Very good.

Noah Fect

The 718 is carefully optimized to make the best possible impression on a test drive.

'Nuff said.

lunarx

Wow, another software cheat from VW.

JCtx

Of course a 718 is lighter than a 911. But surprisingly, it's HEAVIER than a 981, and that really surprised me. Therefore, power to weight ratio is probably a wash. The only reason the 718 is quicker is its low turbo TQ... but that's precisely what I HATE about turbo engines, so much rather have a NA H6. Also a bit immature maybe, but nothing sounds better than a Porsche H6 with PSE IMO. These kind of purchases are mostly emotional, and to me an H4T is an absolute deal-breaker as an expensive toy car. But to each his own. I know Porsche will be successful with the 718, but probably with millennials, not baby-boomers. We'll see.

sjfehr

I drove a 718S yesterday and really liked it. I thought the engine sounded really damned good from the driver's seat, a lot like my 987S with PSE on. Yeah, it's different but it's not bad, and still sounds good. Internet videos did not do it justice. I was also impressed with the amount of low-end torque it had; modern turbos are amazing that way. If the only reason people are finding to complain is that the exhaust doesn't sound exactly the same as older cars, that's pretty perry.

It felt all-around quicker than my 987S though not by the same margin my 987S felt faster than my old 986S.

strumbringer

I really enjoyed my 718S test drive too. It sounds different from the 3.4 but not neccesarily (IMHO) in a bad way. Apart from being very noticeably faster, it handles noticeably better, the steering is quicker and more connected. I think they have a winner on their hands.

sp330

I think this sums up the sound issue best.

PhilNotHill

A couple of days ago we passed a 718 Cayman going the opposite way on a two lane winding mountain road. It was black and looked great. Stunning in fact.

A friend asked: how did it sound?

We were driving our 2011 Boxster S with the top down, mt and sports exhaust. We couldn't hear the 718. It might as well have been a Tesla.