718 Boxster 13 minute movie
 

Gives a good study of new model - BUT not sure about the new engine sound! Something is missing! Nice movie tho!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQqO8DUQTlg#t=800.421

Thank you for the link!
I notice they also uploaded a similar video for the 718 Boxster Base.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1MJYrvbUjU

Still love the looks, except for those bloody Nissan Altima headlights. The tweaks made trim and tighten up the appearance of the 981.
But.... Sigh.... That engine sound. It's hard to judge without experiencing it in person, but it just sounds like a generic hot 4-cylinder with an exhaust leak. :(
Now that production versions are available for review, I'm beginning to hear many automotive journalists state that the new turbo engines (in the 911 as well) do indeed lack the crisp and urgent response of the old NA engines.
Still anxious to check them out in person for a true opinion.

Imho
 

I like the new body style. But, am I the only one who thinks they've gone way overboard with all the electronic crap and shiny bits? The interior looks like something out of Tron.

No, I agree. I suppose all that stuff is a necessary evil to stay competitive, but I could do with a more pure, stripped down model. Then again we have the Spyder to help scratch that itch to an extent.

couldnt agree more about the sound.. one of the best things about the Boxster or any Porsche is the specific sound that anyone that knows even a bit about cars recognizes.
that's now lost in exchange for a generic 4 cylinder "aftermarket exhaust" sound. not saying that sound is completely bad but the Boxster lost a bit of its royal blood and one of the best selling points.

Agreed, exhaust sound is just not right

I can get why people don't like the new engines but its a no brainer for porsche. Why wouldn't they want to make more power with less cylinders, less fuel, and fewer emissions? In europe (and I'm sure NA as well), the overall emissions rating of a manufacturers lineup has total a certain target number or else they have to pay some extremely heavy premiums. Anywhere from 5 euros to several hundred euros for EVERY car they produce! Even ferrari has gone to smaller displacement turbos. I don't like it anymore than you guys do but times are a changin'!

I guess it could be worse - they could have gone for a transverse mounted traditional 4 pot motor!
(Although it seems to work well for Lotus).

Cars have been using Turbo's for years and years now....and some of them sound amazing! Spend some time watching Top Gear (the old ones) - they love it when a car sounds great.....and many they love are Turbo's.
I'll reserve judgement till I hear it in person.

I hope they shelled out more than $20 for the turbo's bearing

I would love to be a fly on the wall when someone spends $70-$80k for a 4 cylinder Boxster S and tries desperately to impress everyone

Opps did I just say that out loud

It sounds like a vw bus that's been sipping Mountain Dew and monster energy drinks for the past several days.

Which is better then a Honda at least.

It's a good sounding car, but boy is it a step back from a traditional flat 6 sound.

Personal opinion----- > Like the colour. Only kind of open top roadster I want has to have a manual stick. Video bored the **************** out of me after about 4 minutes.

G

You guys make it seem as if it sounds like a Honda Accord or a dryer full of rocks. I think it's a sexy car. Way too much complexity for me, but it looks nice. It doesn't sound terrible, it just doesn't sound like a Six. And won't.

They obviously are aware of the exhaust note issue because they've put out a few videos making sure we know how awesome it sounds - but they drown it out with music and make sure to edit the clips of when someone is seriously putting a rod to it.

You can trash potential buyers for spending $70-80k if you want. The base car has 300hp and the S has 350 and turbo motors tend to pull harder from lower rpm, so unless they loaded it up with a lot of fat these things will be considerably faster than any stock 6 cylinder boxster previously made. And if they did their homework this time, they took the time to make sure it's bullet proof.

As pointed out by another poster, Porsche doesn't have a choice if they're going to produce cars that pass emissions (unless they go all VW on us). It will be smaller engines with turbos, or a hybrid form in order to get any level of performance out of it.

One of these days they'll have to do the same thing to the "911". Imagine the belly aching we'll hear then.

To borrow a quote "if you like your flat six, you can keep your flat six". No one is forcing you to upgrade.

Is porsche also offering the flat NA aspirated engines in the new models?

Good looking car. I hope it sounds better then in this video. It's not a sound I care for. If this is really it all six cylinder Boxsters will be increasing in value. Can't wait until I can test one and hope I like how it sounds in person better.

The base actually sounds better than the S, or should that be not as rubbish as the S :) I suppose it could be that I was more interested in the girl driving the Base. Anyone know who she is?

I think the cars look good in the videos, but the engine sound kills it. I saw a program a while ago that discussed the importance of the engine sound to sports cars. The guy was saying that 50% of the enjoyment of driving fast cars comes from the engine sound, which is why they spend so much money tuning the exhausts, or even playing good engine sounds through the car speakers :barf:

I still don't get what is going on with the 718. Maybe this is the best they could do and not make it sound like a Subaru WRX.

I doubt it but I'm hoping the block can handle more boost.

The more I think about it, the less I really see the fundamental issue with a flat four being in a boxster. The spiritual successor to the boxster, the 550 (and even the 356 for that matter) used flat 4s. So if anything, the 718 is more true to the originals in some ways than the 986.

Looks like they redesigned the top and incorporated the forums AutoTop one button up or down while in motion.

I often wonder if the designers go to forums to see what their audience is focusing on.

Based on thread hits alone I think the DIY Projectors that Nine8Six produces must send a message of what consumers want on their cars.

Porsche heritage with some bling on the lights, cool rims and interior console.

Does the 718 have a flat 4 with turbo or supercharger?

Its hard to tell about sound reproduction online but it does sound throaty with a gargle when lifting, much like the Top Speed muffler with 2nd Cat delete on our 986.

I don't think the test driver was revving the engine out at all in any of those shots. It sounded like they were shifting really low in the rev range. I'll bet if you wind the piss out of that thing and give it the whole potato it will sound a lot better than in that film.