Spoiler alert

[happy days]

Sorry, couldn't resist!

[Col Lamb]

Dont you have cars to clean?

[Wing Commander]

That does look nice and clean & shiny

[Mistertoad]

Snap!

[Wing Commander]

This Off Topic Chat section would benefit from more pics of your Boxsters, guys!

[MacanArif]

How do you find your 718s - by all accounts (from all the reviews) they are fantastic cars to drive but aural pleasure has been somewhat reduced due to the 4 cylinder turbos.

Be interested to hear your views.

The smaller size of the 718 compared to the 991 (which has somewhat grown since the 997 version) probably makes it a more compact sports car as well.

[Nuclear Nick]

Not an owner, but was loaned a Boxter for three weeks. There were moments when the engine sounded a bit like a Tuk Tuk, I thought. Other than that it was great fun and went pretty well too.

[happy days]

How do you find your 718s - by all accounts (from all the reviews) they are fantastic cars to drive but aural pleasure has been somewhat reduced due to the 4 cylinder turbos.

Be interested to hear your views.

The smaller size of the 718 compared to the 991 (which has somewhat grown since the 997 version) probably makes it a more compact sports car as well.

Quite simply, it's the best car I have ever owned. I kept the spec to exactly what I wanted, so it's a manual (I'm in the camp that believes a manual is a better option for a sports car), I don't track it so it has none of the SC or PSE and it absolutely fits me like a glove. Very comfortable. I opted for the S as 50 extra BHP is nice.

I opted for the trio of blues - Sapphire with blue roof and full blue leather interior - so it looks good to me on the outside and the inside. The quality of the full leather interior is amazing. Standard wheels were perfect for me so I didn't go for any optional ones.

There are two niggles that initially spoiled the car for me. Firstly, the auto hold function. On the Macan, you shove the brake pedal firmly to initiate hold; on the manual 718, that doesn't work. Hold only engages when the car is going up a slope greater than 5%. That's so steep it's almost an alpine pass! And it doesn't hold going down hill, which caused me to roll forwards quite a bit when I got it first. The e-brake switch is tucked away under the dash so it's not that easy to engage in daily driving. And there can be a lurch forward when it is engaged before it stops, so it doesn't make for a smooth motoring experience.

The second niggle concerns the auto dimming rear mirrors which have a gap of about 5mm all the way around and cause temporary blinding when a car is behind you - this is both with interior and exterior mirrors. Pretty poor.

I also don't have much love for CarPlay, but that's not really a Porsche thing. Also being so low, it can be difficult to exit from gracefully. Ok, that's four niggles...

Now to the noise which is what most readers of this post are probably wanting to hear about. It's no F6, that's for sure, but to me it's not unpleasant. My last boxster had two distinct zones where the noise was best - at 3,000rpm and again at 5,000. An absolute howl which was a delight to experience especially with the roof down, or in a tunnel!

Now the 718 is different, that's for sure, but it is not totally crap like I have read many reviewers saying. The trade off is that it absolutely pulls like a train from 1,950rpm where peak torque is delivered. So in almost any situation, you have the full torque available without having to rev the head off the car. No need to drop any gears, just press the foot and away you go, rather rapidly. I have often used a rather sexist comparison to compare the F6 and F4 engines. They're like two very, very attractive young ladies, one blonde and the other brunette. You might prefer blondes, I may not. Either way they're rather gorgeous. Not the same, but not in any way disappointing and you'd be happy with either.

Of course the Porsche purists will say that a Porsche sports car should have a 6-pot in there and I would have tended to agree until I drove the 718. (I shuddered when the Cayenne was introduced with a diesel engine). The same purists would still have us driving around in air cooled cars too, by the way! I understand that legislation is what is forcing manufacturers to turbo charge their cars in a bid to reduce emissions, and I can live with that.

One thing that I absolutely love is a small double backfire when changing gears between 1-2 when the revs are at exactly 4,500 rpm. It's a loud double bang that happens only when sport mode is engaged. Lovely! Scares small children and old ladies.

The handling is simply sublime. I can't remember any situation where I thought, hang on this could get tricky. It sticks to the road very well. The car is way above my driving capabilities, that's for sure. There is a mountain pass near where I live with a double hairpin bend on a steep section, and in the 718S it is an absolute joy to traverse. Spelga Pass for any of you who know the area.

Am I disappointed? Absolutely not. I waited 8 months for this one to arrive and enjoy it every day. 350BHP in a car that weighs 1300kg is never going to disappoint. Will I buy another? Absolutely.

[jonmacan]

Great review Happy...

I agree fully..we had a 718 boxter loaner for 4 days and what a hoot it was.. anything over this weight is hard to pass off as a proper sports car.. fabulous machine..if only I didn't need 5doors and more space.

[Nuclear Nick]

Yes, great review. No wonder you're happy, er, Happy! Based on the short loan we had I'd agree with you, particularly the handling and fun factor, and that's what a sports car is all about, isn't it?