[Graustark]

So I will be freezing my manual Base Cayman order in 6-8 weeks. Per...

https://www.718forum.com/forum/2017...394-cayman-718-deposit-paid-build-inside.html

I was able to drive a PDK Cayman S, which was great. But there was no Base Cayman (let alone manual) available to drive. I currently drive a 6MT 2010 VW GTI (200hp 200tq), which is "sporty" but no sports car.

My question is: did anyone make a similar jump to a Base Boxster / Cayman? How was your experience?

I am trying to assure myself that I'll be more than content with the Base model.

(This thread helped assure me a bit):
https://www.718forum.com/forum/engi...40-any-possible-advantages-2-0-over-2-5l.html

 

[alf_17]

I currently have two cars, a 2019 base 718 Boxster PDK and a 2018 VW Golf GTI Performance DSG (245hp).
The 718 is my fun in the sun car and the Golf GTI is my practical everyday car.
Although the Golf GTI is quite a capable performance car it pales in comparison to the 300hp Boxster, and that is despite the fact that I am still running in the Boxster, which means no more than 4000 rpm.
I have however also had several test drives in a 718 base Boxster PDK before ordering my own, so I do have some experience with the model above 4000 rpm.


I have however not had any experience with the 350hp S models, but to be honest I believe that the 300hp is more than enough for street driving.
If a ~250hp model had been available I would strongly have considered that as I believe that too much power in a car deprives you from the experience of (safely) accelerating the car flat out on a daily basis, but it of course also need to be said that my fun in the sun car before the Porsche was a Mazda MX-5 Miata, so I am experienced in having fun with very little power.

 

[CupraLeon]

I come from a similar car, Cupra R 320hp/450Nm (same platform). They drive nice, but there is no comparison to the 718's. You will be amazed by the balance/handling also on how the powerdelivery is on these cars.

 

[RetXpres]

I just bought a 2019 718 Boxster Base PDK 4 weeks ago. This is a second car, replacing a 1994 Corvette second car which I owned for 25 years. Both cars are 300 hp. I just got tired of the Corvette and wanted something different.
The 718 is a perfect fit for me. Just enough power and a very nimble, fun car to drive. This is my new toy and I am extremely happy with the Base model. I hope that you feel the same way once your car comes in.

 

[Porsche2018]

When in doubt, budget permitting, go with more power; loved my 718 CS.

 

[Veets]

I bought my 2017 base 718 Boxster with PDK last Summer. It is my third Cayman/Boxster, having had both a 987 Cayman S MT and a 981 base Boxster PDK previously. Before I got the 718 which is now my daily driver, my daily was a 2015 GTI with DSG. The GTI had plenty of torque for sure, but didn't have either the raw speed or smooth power delivery of the base 718. There is very little turbo lag with my Boxster, where the GTI had a noticable lag before the power kicked in. While I really liked my GTI, the Boxster is in a whole different class in handling and power delivery. It is a real sports car where the GTI is just a sporty car.

There is no right answer for how much power is enough. For me, the base motor in the 718 is just right for street use. In my test drives of the S, I didn't notice a significant torque increase over the base, but triple digit speeds came on so quickly that it took away some of the fun of winding out the motor. The base 718 is as fast as my 987 Cayman S, with a lot more low end torque. It has plenty of power for street driving IMO. It's a very balanced car and I look forward to driving it every day.

 

[Schredder]

I replaced my 2017 shelbygt350 with a 2019 cayman gts. The cayman is faster and more capable in all respects. But , I do think, if all I could afford was a base cayman I would still love it. I agree that it can be more fun to drive a slower car flat out than driving a really fast car restictively

 

[Graustark]

I replaced my 2017 shelbygt350 with a 2019 cayman gts. The cayman is faster and more capable in all respects. But , I do think, if all I could afford was a base cayman I would still love it. I agree that it can be more fun to drive a slower car flat out than driving a really fast car restictively

And that Shelby has, what 60-70 more hp? I have to keep in mind that horsepower is just a number. It's not exactly correlated to being faster, or a more invigorating drive.

 

[Graustark]

I bought my 2017 base 718 Boxster with PDK last Summer. It is my third Cayman/Boxster, having had both a 987 Cayman S MT and a 981 base Boxster PDK previously. Before I got the 718 which is now my daily driver, my daily was a 2015 GTI with DSG. The GTI had plenty of torque for sure, but didn't have either the raw speed or smooth power delivery of the base 718. There is very little turbo lag with my Boxster, where the GTI had a noticable lag before the power kicked in. While I really liked my GTI, the Boxster is in a whole different class in handling and power delivery. It is a real sports car where the GTI is just a sporty car.

There is no right answer for how much power is enough. For me, the base motor in the 718 is just right for street use. In my test drives of the S, I didn't notice a significant torque increase over the base, but triple digit speeds came on so quickly that it took away some of the fun of winding out the motor. The base 718 is as fast as my 987 Cayman S, with a lot more low end torque. It has plenty of power for street driving IMO. It's a very balanced car and I look forward to driving it every day.

Glad to hear about the very limited turbo lag, if any, esp w/ a PDK. I feel a manual gearbox would blur over an turbo lag more so than a PDK.

I know the PDK is faster, and is fun, but with electric cars being inevitable, I want all opportunities to row my gears that I can get, while I can.

My long-time friend had a 987 Cayman S, so like yours, and I had zero complaints the handful of time I drove it! Getting similar torque at so much lower RPM is just gravy.

 

[Veets]

My long-time friend had a 987 Cayman S, so like yours, and I had zero complaints the handful of time I drove it! Getting similar torque at so much lower RPM is just gravy.

Actually, my butt dyno seems to recall that the 987 S had less maximum torque, but really started pulling hard around 4,500 RPM. The 718 has more maximum torque, and it's all available from down low to about where the 987 S started pulling. Both are fun motors, but very different power curves.

 

[aeronca65tl]

Yeah, my base Cayman can only go naught to 60 in 4.5 seconds and is only good for 170 mph. What was I thinking?

Seriously, there are some of us who feel that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast rather than a fast car slow.

Not that a 2.0 Cayman is slow.

I can't exactly answer your question because my last normal street car was a Miata set up for autocross. I continue to own a Lotus 7 which has about the same horsepower/weight ratio as the 718......but a 7 is essentially unlike all other cars.

At any rate, I have never come home from a drive in my 718 and said to myself, "I wish this thing was a bit faster."

I understand the need for speed: I've been racing with SCCA / NASA / vintage / etc. for almost 45 years. Mostly small bore cars but I've also raced a 996 and a SpecRacer.

If someone really needs the 2.5 motor because they intend to do a lot of track days, I can understand that. But even at the track, the 2.0 won't disappoint.

Another way to look at this is that for the price differential of a base 718 and a 2.5S, one could easily buy a dedicated track car.

But at the end of the day, it's your dough: do what makes you happy. >

 

[DriveInHouston]

And that Shelby has, what 60-70 more hp? I have to keep in mind that horsepower is just a number. It's not exactly correlated to being faster, or a more invigorating drive.

I traded in a MY14 Mustang GT w. MT. The Mustang WAS faster (as in 0-60) but the MY18 718 CS PDK IS quicker, as in more nimble, faster turning, quick on the uptake, more efficient on the braking.

The difference between a muscle car and a sports car!

 

[jimmuller]

Agree that the base Cayman has way more speed than one can use in most places. My car has 7200 miles, has seen 7000rpm once. The gas pedal rarely touches the floor because thd car get going real fast too fast.

 

[Graustark]

Agree that the base Cayman has way more speed than one can use in most places. My car has 7200 miles, has seen 7000rpm once. The gas pedal rarely touches the floor because thd car get going real fast too fast.

I also have a tendency to upshift early being overly conscious with fuel efficiency. I have been trying to ween myself off of that with the GTI lately in preparation.

Also, I have no plans to track, just perhaps a once-in-a-while autocross. Tight zero-body-roll cornering does not get you in trouble on public roads... but speed does! All of my speeding tickets were years ago when driving a Honda Civic of all things. (Still kind of miss that car – reliable like nothing else.)

 

[cipher]

If I have to compare speed, I would say our base boxster is as fast as our 5.0 2011 Mustang was. If you read the tests from various magazines, the 2.0 is not very far behind the 2.5. There are certainly advantages to getting the bigger engine, but I would say unless you are driving 9-10/10 you won’t notice it. I own a Stningray, and while not as quick as that, the base boxster is very fast. I would say save your money or spend extra on the performance or luxury options you want vs getting a bare bones S.

Or you could just get a very well optioned 2019 Stingray for around $50k. The C8 is coming so there are some incredible deals.

 

[GregW]

<snips>At any rate, I have never come home from a drive in my 718 and said to myself, "I wish this thing was a bit faster."

This matches my experience exactly. Passing other cars at 80kph results in 170kph in seconds.
Previous car was a 'hot' Subaru.

 

[jimmuller]

Glad to hear about the very limited turbo lag, if any, esp w/ a PDK. I feel a manual gearbox would blur over an turbo lag more so than a PDK.

About the supposed turbo lag, there isn't any. At least with my 2.0L there is a serious torque boost above 2000rpm, or to put it another way, a serious drop off below 2000. With an idle at 1000 in sport mode, that means a slower start from standstill and a sudden whoosh as the tach needle climbs. Some people wrongly call that turbo lag.

Of course in the old days rpm's was king. In an old-school sports car the catch phrase was "Just let me get my rev's up and..."

 

[vhs]

"Kinda". I went from a SLK with a V6. I originally wanted a CS, but found the car I bought which is a base. However, it ticks the boxes for me because the 2.0 is fine for most situations (it's my daily driver), but I have Sport Chrono, PASM and PTV. The times I want even more power from a standstill, I hit the Sport Response button and it's only .1/sec 0-60 off of a CS without Sport Chrono. I'm doing that a lot now because the car is new to me, but I think I won't hit the button so often as time goes on. The PASM and PTV are more "practical" to me, because of the impact on cornering.

When it came down to it, I was looking at my car and a GTS. The GTS rocked performance wise, but for my budget (a dirty word I dislike to use), it lacked some of the features I needed in a daily driver. If I bought a super cheap beater for daily use, I'd never want to drive it.

It depends on what you want the car for, how you drive/driving habits, what you've had in the past and so on.