Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman

[Cole]

Originally Posted by dhuang

My friend who worked for Porsche NA (now a Jalopnik writer) said, and I quote:


...and he has had the privilege of living with multiple company cars (usually 911s), and tried out pretty much every model, including the GT cars.

What's not to love?

• Mid-Engined
• 6-Speed
• Lightweight (unlike where the 911 is going)
• Playful
• Convertible
• Most Inexpensive Model

The 981 was fantastic in my view, and the 718 further improves on this awesome recipe.

I'm actually considering making a deposit.

I'd really like to try a Boxster. I just don't know if I like the idea of living with a soft top (Miata is a rule breaker for this one, plus you can hard top). Can you get a hard top for them?

A person a couple houses down from me owns an early 2000's Boxster. Looks kinda girly, but sounds great and it seems like they're some cheap thrills now. Will have to try and find one local that I can drive for 20 or 30 minutes.

[MightyMeeple]

Yep, and here we go. Sorry, I didn't mean to feed the troll.

Could we all get back to talking about the new Boxster/Cayman? I'm pleasantly surprised with the choice of turbo-4 cylinder. Gutsy move. Some day (likely many years from now once kids are done with college) I will own a Cayman. I need to go test drive one.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by fumanchu1

I am curious though why you consider the 86 too fat(basically a gt is how you put it) yet the boxster is not too fat even though it's heavier (were you talking about weight or other factors like wheelbase,etc?) I'm truly curious and hell if I can change the tone/subject of this convo let's go and do that

Where did I say that the Boxster's weight is acceptable?


Yes I think the 86 is too heavy, there are 4 doors and hatchbacks that undercut it's weight by several hundred lbs with much higher rooflines and cheaper purchase prices. I won't bring the ND into the equation although it proves that you can still make RWD cars lightweight. The 86 reminds me of a 944 (matches the 944S2 specs almost perfectly with some improvements) which is decidedly a GT car, Porsche never set out to make sports cars (aside from the 550 Spyder), they set out to make GT cars, comfortable do-it-all cars that are fun, livable every day and of high quality. Despite the sporting pedigree they've built up and the direction their marketing has taken that is still their fundamental philosophical target in car design from Boxster to Cayanne. The 86 specifically targeted the Cayman as a design reference and I think they added the rear seats, targeted 200 hp, and quality chassis design, at a price point that sacrificed lightweight peppiness and overall landed on the GT side of the spectrum rather than the entirely enjoyment oriented sports-car side of the sporty car continuum.

They wanted to make the Japanese equivalent of a budget priced 911 and I think they succeeded. With certain concessions the 86 can pretty much do it all for many people.

If you haven't hopped into some sub 2,500 lb sporty cars please do. The 86 is noticeably bigger, heavier, and more 'serious' than the lightweight cars I've driven and been in: Abarth, NA/NC Miata, and an '85 Civic. Go-Kart comparisons just tell me that the person saying the analogy has never actually driven a go-kart at 10/10ths. When the 86 is a pig in comparison to the ~2,000 lb Hondas and Miatas which are pontoon boats in comparison to actual go-karts, someone is confusing MB with Mb.

You can't have your cake and eat it too, while others say they'd willingly pay for a $32k FI 86 with 200+whp I'd gladly pay same money for an 86 that's 200 lbs lighter, and not freebies like battery, seats, stripped interior (although the rear seats can go), etc. I mean like chassis material choice and design, exotic materials in the powertrain.

The 86 is good at what it does, so is the Boxster and the Miata and the IS300 and on and on. But trying to compare apples to oranges and fitting round pegs in square holes is just a recipe for pointlessness.

Originally Posted by fumanchu1

Holy fuck I don't like Kurt Cobain either you gonna start a fucking rant/witch hunt because of that too s2k?

OK now you're just a terrorist. Kill the infidel!

[dhuang]

Originally Posted by MightyMeeple

Could we all get back to talking about the new Boxster/Cayman? I'm pleasantly surprised with the choice of turbo-4 cylinder. Gutsy move...

They probably did it to further separate the 911 line from the other H6-powered Porsches. Again, this is the same company that neutered the GT4 so it wouldn't get too close to the flagship 911.

Another company follows this model: Ferrari.
The gentleman Ferraris are all powered by the signature V12 engine, while the mid-engined sport models stick to using the flat-plane V8.

By making this move, Porsche reinforces the 911 as a GT car and classify it a premium product, while the 781 (and whatever the Cayman will be called) is the basic sports car in the Porsche range.

[IMOA]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

Let's be completely honest here. Porsche intentionally made the GT4's gear ratios tall so that it wouldn't outperform more 991 variants than it already does.

In fact that holds true for almost all S or above Caymans. 3rd gear in my CS is good for 115. That's just stupid. Especially considering that 6th gear is too short for highway cruising (for good fuel economy). SMH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Except the 911s also have the same tall gearing. They use shorter gearing on the new pdks but again, that's for both 911s and the Boxster/Cayman platform.

Originally Posted by strat61caster

lol your mountain roads sound like the freeways around here, if I max 2nd gear in my 86 on a mountain road I'm about to fly off the mountain because I'll be braking too late.

I've never driven a mountain road I'm not comfortably north of 60mph and that includes roads like Stelio etc. in tight hairpins which you might get down into the 30 mph the taller gearing means you can use 1st very comfortably. Again, the taller gearing costs you 0-62 times but brings more gears into play when your moving. Using your example of a mountain road you can't hit 60 mph on in a lot of cars you'd be mainly in 2nd whereas in the gt4 you'd be between 1st and 2nd constantly (and 3rd )

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by IMOA

I've never driven a mountain road I'm not comfortably north of 60mph and that includes roads like Stelio etc. in tight hairpins which you might get down into the 30 mph the taller gearing means you can use 1st very comfortably. Again, the taller gearing costs you 0-62 times but brings more gears into play when your moving. Using your example of a mountain road you can't hit 60 mph on in a lot of cars you'd be mainly in 2nd whereas in the gt4 you'd be between 1st and 2nd constantly (and 3rd )

At this point I'm less concerned about the gearing and more concerned about what you consider a mountain road.

For reference, in 2014 Hamilton in Monaco had to slow down to 42 km/h to get around the hairpin at Monaco. F1 car, street circuit, real hairpin, Pirelli racing slicks, tuned for maximum mechanical grip, 26 mph.

What you describe sounds like an autox course for Corvettes with some scenery. I'm not saying it's not a nice and fun place to be, just that your definition of mountainous is a lot less tight and twisty than mine.

[IMOA]

I used stelvio as an example. Other comment would be that f1 cars are actually a bit rubbish at low speeds/ultra tight turns and not every corner on a mountain is a hairpin

[Eighty 6]

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/26/2...he-718-boxster

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by IMOA

Except the 911s also have the same tall gearing. They use shorter gearing on the new pdks but again, that's for both 911s and the Boxster/Cayman platform.

Yeah man, but most of the 911s also have considerably more horsepower! Haha.

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by Cole

I'd really like to try a Boxster. I just don't know if I like the idea of living with a soft top (Miata is a rule breaker for this one, plus you can hard top). Can you get a hard top for them?

A person a couple houses down from me owns an early 2000's Boxster. Looks kinda girly, but sounds great and it seems like they're some cheap thrills now. Will have to try and find one local that I can drive for 20 or 30 minutes.

You mean a removable hardtop? Or something more permanent. Yes, Porsche makes a removable hardtop for the Boxster. Though if a convertible isn't your thing the Cayman is a fantastic car, and is the superior sports car.

[Entroper]

I want to see a dyno plot. The advertisement is X torque from 2000 to 4500 rpm. How quickly does it fall off above that?

Never really been a fan of turbo engines. Maybe someday I'll have an older-gen Boxster.

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Where did I say that the Boxster's weight is acceptable?


Yes I think the 86 is too heavy, there are 4 doors and hatchbacks that undercut it's weight by several hundred lbs with much higher rooflines and cheaper purchase prices. I won't bring the ND into the equation although it proves that you can still make RWD cars lightweight. The 86 reminds me of a 944 (matches the 944S2 specs almost perfectly with some improvements) which is decidedly a GT car, Porsche never set out to make sports cars (aside from the 550 Spyder), they set out to make GT cars, comfortable do-it-all cars that are fun, livable every day and of high quality. Despite the sporting pedigree they've built up and the direction their marketing has taken that is still their fundamental philosophical target in car design from Boxster to Cayanne. The 86 specifically targeted the Cayman as a design reference and I think they added the rear seats, targeted 200 hp, and quality chassis design, at a price point that sacrificed lightweight peppiness and overall landed on the GT side of the spectrum rather than the entirely enjoyment oriented sports-car side of the sporty car continuum.

They wanted to make the Japanese equivalent of a budget priced 911 and I think they succeeded. With certain concessions the 86 can pretty much do it all for many people.

If you haven't hopped into some sub 2,500 lb sporty cars please do. The 86 is noticeably bigger, heavier, and more 'serious' than the lightweight cars I've driven and been in: Abarth, NA/NC Miata, and an '85 Civic. Go-Kart comparisons just tell me that the person saying the analogy has never actually driven a go-kart at 10/10ths. When the 86 is a pig in comparison to the ~2,000 lb Hondas and Miatas which are pontoon boats in comparison to actual go-karts, someone is confusing MB with Mb.

You can't have your cake and eat it too, while others say they'd willingly pay for a $32k FI 86 with 200+whp I'd gladly pay same money for an 86 that's 200 lbs lighter, and not freebies like battery, seats, stripped interior (although the rear seats can go), etc. I mean like chassis material choice and design, exotic materials in the powertrain.

The 86 is good at what it does, so is the Boxster and the Miata and the IS300 and on and on. But trying to compare apples to oranges and fitting round pegs in square holes is just a recipe for pointlessness.



OK now you're just a terrorist. Kill the infidel!

Makes sense. Also I've driven light cars they just weren't sporty at all, guess ill have to find a lotus elise to drive around and see the difference in handling


and when people say go kart I think they refer to it in relation to say a mustang or camaro

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by fumanchu1

Makes sense. Also I've driven light cars they just weren't sporty at all, guess ill have to find a lotus elise to drive around and see the difference in handling


and when people say go kart I think they refer to it in relation to say a mustang or camaro

Nah just take a trip to your local Mazda dealership in your IS300, take any Miata on the lot for a test drive, try and push it on some on-ramps or whatever then take the IS300 on the same route when you leave. Remember, actually push the car a little bit, not just cruising around

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Nah just take a trip to your local Mazda dealership in your IS300, take any Miata on the lot for a test drive, try and push it on some on-ramps or whatever then take the IS300 on the same route when you leave. Remember, actually push the car a little bit, not just cruising around

I don't own the Is300 anymore sold it to my buddy


Only thing I have now is a winter beater and my boosted brz which is stored until the shitty snow goes away.


I'll give that a shot sometime this summer though...