[OhRichman]

Hi fellow Porsche 718 fans. I just completed a week in Switzerland where a I rented a Porsche 718 Boxster GTS as well as a 911 Carrara 4 GTS for the week through Porsche Drive. For those that are interested, I highly recommend the Porsche Drive program where you can rent various cars directly from Porsche. They even give a 10% discount for PCA members.

In any event, I personally own a 718 Boxster Base and thought I'd share my thoughts on how it compares to the Boxster GTS. I've owned my 718 base for about 18 months and have a very good feel for how it handles and the power delivery. By comparison, here are my general observations of the Boxster GTS:

1. The GTS is faster, but not as noticeable as you might expect. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't envy the additional power of the GTS.
2. The sound of the GTS is better. However, I've grown to like the sound of my Base as well.
3. My Boxster Base has 20" wheels with the standard suspension. The handling of the GTS with all of its various additions of PASM, etc. is undoubtedly better, but I haven't been able to reach the limits of my Base yet. Thus, the additional handling attributes of the GTS were probably lost on me.
4. Overall, I don't think the additional cost of the GTS justifies the difference in price to the Base unless you are a high level enthusiast or are going to track your car.
5. As for the 911 Carrara 4 GTS, it is a fantastic car. Great power and wonderful to drive. With that said, it felt to me more like a great sports car with a grand touring edge. The Boxster GTS felt more like a pure sports car to me. For my preference, I think the 718 is a better sports car driving experience at a significantly lower entry price.

Feel free to ask any additional questions you have.

 

[DJL]

Thanks for pointing out the Porsche Drive program.

Did PTV make a discernible difference in the handling of the GTS?

 

[OhRichman]

To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference in handling of the 718 GTS versus my 718 Base. I drive my Base very hard on some extreme roads and managed to wear out my rear tires last year at 3900 miles, so I'd like to believe I have some experience here. I was very surprised that I didn't feel like the GTS handled better in a meaningful way, even when hitting the tight Alpine curves. Now I'm sure there are experienced track drivers that will definitely disagree with me and say the GTS handles better. No doubt that is true at the extremes. I just don't think the vast majority of us get anywhere close to the extremes in this car. I should also point out that I never turn off my traction control, so I can't compare things in that regard.

As for the Porsche Drive program, I thought the pricing was very reasonable. We paid about $2300 for the 718 Boxster GTS for the week (on a $100,000 car) and about $2700 for the 911 Carrara 4 GTS cabriolet ($150,000 car) for the week after the 10% PCA discount. Amazing deal for the caliber of the vehicles and location.

 

[cipher]

I’ve never driven a Boxster GTS, but compared to my 135is and Stingray, my base Boxster is a good bit slower and just doesn’t have the same pull as them at full acceleration. Now the base Boxster is a fairly quick car. As far as handling is concerned, I think you’ll get very similar road handling compared to GTS but PASM is going to edge things out. If they both had PASM, everything would be equal. Neither my Corvette nor Boxster have PASM/Magnetic suspension and I don’t really miss it for my driving.

 

[Moin66]

Hi fellow Porsche 718 fans. I just completed a week in Switzerland where a I rented a Porsche 718 Boxster GTS as well as a 911 Carrara 4 GTS for the week through Porsche Drive. For those that are interested, I highly recommend the Porsche Drive program where you can rent various cars directly from Porsche. They even give a 10% discount for PCA members.

In any event, I personally own a 718 Boxster Base and thought I'd share my thoughts on how it compares to the Boxster GTS. I've owned my 718 base for about 18 months and have a very good feel for how it handles and the power delivery. By comparison, here are my general observations of the Boxster GTS:

1. The GTS is faster, but not as noticeable as you might expect. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't envy the additional power of the GTS.
2. The sound of the GTS is better. However, I've grown to like the sound of my Base as well.
3. My Boxster Base has 20" wheels with the standard suspension. The handling of the GTS with all of its various additions of PASM, etc. is undoubtedly better, but I haven't been able to reach the limits of my Base yet. Thus, the additional handling attributes of the GTS were probably lost on me.
4. Overall, I don't think the additional cost of the GTS justifies the difference in price to the Base unless you are a high level enthusiast or are going to track your car.
5. As for the 911 Carrara 4 GTS, it is a fantastic car. Great power and wonderful to drive. With that said, it felt to me more like a great sports car with a grand touring edge. The Boxster GTS felt more like a pure sports car to me. For my preference, I think the 718 is a better sports car driving experience at a significantly lower entry price.

Feel free to ask any additional questions you have.

Hi 718 fans. Just wanted to make a few comments.
1. As you probably know, the Porsche Drive Program is also available in the U.S. I found that it's a great way to see what you like or don't like about the car. I've been driving a +$76K spec'd 718 for a few weeks now and it allowed me to realize what I like about the 718 vs. the 911, what I really don't need, nor really want as an option. In my case I really don't need Entry and Drive (yes, the trunk pops open when you wash the car and the key is in your pocket - why?), black accented exhaust sport pipes (not really, but then I'm an old guy), and the 14-way sport seats w ventilation. The latter are very comfortable, but the memory adjustments you have to go through every time are just sloooow, plus the ventilation is so, so, even though I live down south where it's hot. The standard white is not my color either.
2. Costs for a month are very reasonable (~$2400 to start for a mth).
3. You get to put 1500 miles on the car, if you want and can? I managed 500 mi so far after 2 weeks of everyday driving. I really love the fact that I can experience/test the car in all traffic conditions, road types, bad or good weather, cruising, or pushing it; and finally
4. it made me realize that the 991's and 992's I test drove a few times over the last month are not my thing or better put, not worth the extra $60K. The 718 is just a much more visceral, connected to the road driving experience. The 911's felt for me too removed and almost underwhelming in comparison. Yes, it's nice to have the extra space behind you, but if you look at the car from the driver's point of view, i.e. front and right, the car is pretty much the same size inside as the 718.

Anyway, my 2 cents. Have fun with your cars. I will.

 

[Scrounger]

Was this the 2.5 or 4.0 GTS?

 

[PKB]

Was this the 2.5 or 4.0 GTS?

I'm would presume it was a 2.5 since the original post was in 2018.

 

[Moin66]

Was this the 2.5 or 4.0 GTS?

2.5