[dpcompt]

I admit I'm old(68yo). I still remember my 66 912 that I owned in the 70s. Little 165 tires, 90hp, and a wonderful 5sp. My wife and I would drive that car everywhere. Now I have an '18 Cayman Base and just can't imagine how much any car could be better. As fast as the S or GTS are, the Base PDK is just an exceptional car on the road. It's gutless in7th, but getting pretty good mpg. But at 70mph, downshift into 3rd and the car is really fast. And then there's the handling. I used to autocross an '86 Carrera and a '90 Carrera 2. They are not even in the same ballpark as these 718 Caymans( or Boxsters). I guess I am just getting old, but the the balance of power, handling and ride of the 718 Base cars are just about perfect in my experience.

 

[MOG_80TH]

All excellent points. It is funny how some look down at a car with 'only' 300ps. In reality, 99% of the time we only need a fraction of what these cars put out, power wise.

Like you 912, my Morgan 4/4 is on skinny tyres, just over 115 ps and on paper it's slow. But my god is it a blast to drive and thrash around. But zero handling lol.

I have a GTS and to be honest, I'd had been just as happy with the 2.0. As you pointed out, the handling and chassis dynamic on this thing is simply amazing. Almost effortless.

Happy motoring.

 

[chester7]

I'm still in the evaluation phase of my 718 GTS. I love prodigious power, but so far the stock level seems enough.

 

[jimmuller]

@dpcompt, you nailed it. There are of course quite a few of us on the forum who drive a base model and love it. I sure don't need any more power, rarely get any opportunity to use what I have already. Love the gas mileage on long trips at steady speeds. Love the comfort inside, love the fact that my sweetie loves riding in it. Love the tight handling and quick throttle response. Something that doesn't get hyped much is just how fit it feels, nothing flabby or loose. After 17 months and 15000 miles it is still the same complete package it was when it had 50 miles.

BTW, 69 isn't old. I have it from personal experience that 71 is the new 35.

 

[aeronca65tl]

dpcompt

I also agree.
To be honest, I don't really care about horsepower bragging rights (which, I suspect, is the real reason for the appeal of some of these big horsepower cars).
I suspect there are a number of current owners who could not fully exploit the full 300 hp of a base car.....even at a race track.
A while ago, I found out there was a 260 hp version of the Cayman in some non-US markets and was thinking that would have been fine for me, for street use.
I have a modest collection of British sports cars all with skinny tires and none of them have more than 90 hp. They are all great fun to drive.
There is more to a good car than its horsepower number.

 

[mksz51]

I crossed over from a C7 Corvette - and haven't missed it one bit. I think the OP hits the nail with a single word - balance. Faster and more powerful vehicles out there for certain but few have the ability to "do it all" like the 718 series vehicles.

 

[JazzCatGab]

As yet another sexagenarian (yep, only for a decade) I agree with the OP. A more beautiful, responsive, and dexterous sports car would be impossible to find, IMHO.

 

[johan]

The Boxster/Cayman do have a really good chassi thats for sure.
But in my opinion they are held back by Porsche since 911 always gonna be the king.
A Boxster/Cayman with +420hp would be a truly Great car.

I know that people say that they dont need more hp, you never gonna use it, learn to drive better.
Say that to 911 Turbo owners or GT2 owners and see what happends

 

[BudgetPlan1]

All excellent points. It is funny how some look down at a car with 'only' 300ps.

Guilty as charged, used to think like this as well. Peak #'s, dyno charts, rumbling exhaust...that's what a 'real' car was.

Until the Cayman came along.

Wife has a '19 Vette and when I get stuck having to drive that to work, it's fun for about 2% of the commute (startup for sound, blasting down freeway on-ramps). Take the Cayman and 98% of the commute is fun, such an all around engaging car.

The Cayman does extend my commute time somewhat as I never seem to come straight home, always end up eschewing freeway and wandering home via backroads.

Vette could have 800hp instead of 460hp and it'd still be the same story. I wish my wife would consent to trading in the large, ponderous, cramped, uncomfortable Vette on a Boxster.

Have to admit that my disdain for the Vette disappears somewhat each time that V8 comes to life...but returns as soon as I jamb myself inside and actually have to drive that barge.

 

[HooosierDaddy]

I've found that as I'm getting older the want for MORE POWER is still there. But the ability (reaction times) are starting to lack and leaves me thinking that in reality I don't need or really have the ability to use the power I do have.

 

[DriveInHouston]

I could get killed just as easily with my MR2 back in the mid-80s, with all of its 116 HP...

 

[MattRG]

Power is somewhat of a vague term on its own since gearing and torque make a big difference in how strong and engine feels but I agree, the 718 cars, even in base form, feel like "enough". There's a nice kick in the pants from pretty low in the rpm range and plenty of acceleration all the way to redline. Slightly shorter gearing would make these cars feel even snappier (both in the PDK and especially in the manual) but I understand why Porsche doesn't do that.

I do think the current iteration of the Boxster/Cayman are the most fun out of all of them just because of the easily accessible torque (and I am a torque junky) but I also know that some folks preferred the way the earlier cars made power.

 

[phroenips]

Power is somewhat of a vague term on its own since gearing and torque make a big difference in how strong and engine feels

And don't forget about vehicle weight. The less weight an engine and drivetrain has to move, the less power is required for the same feel.

For general cars, for me, I've determined that somewhere in the 400-450hp range is the sweet spot for what I like in power. Still plenty to make me giggle when I want it, and above that is the point of diminishing returns. The 350-365 in the S/GTS still meets that for me, but the car is a good 600-1000 pounds lighter than the other cars I've driven with 400-450hp.

 

[DriveInHouston]

I was struck that my Mustang GT had the same HP/lb ratio like the Cayman S. I always thought it would be much heavier. But it was not agile, just brute straight line force.

 

[duegatti]

Back in the 90's, my friend had an Eagle Talon, and I had a 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. Same 2 liter turbo's, I believe making 200 hp and 210 lb/ft. He now has a Maserati GT; I had a C5 Corvette for 6 years and now have my 718 S. We still talk about those 2 liter turbo's; we miss them.

 

[Barryng]

IMO, how much power you need is directly related to how you use you car and what gets you off. My Boxster will never be tracked and will always be 100% used on public thoroughfares. I also like the thrill of sudden and very rapid acceleration. These represent a constraint (safety and responsibility on public streets) and a sometimes contradictory desire (rapid acceleration). Top end speed is of no practical matter to me. Therefore, there must be a balance. That balance for me falls more or less at about 30 pounds/HP (3,000 Lbs & 300 HP), almost exactly what my base Boxster provides. Sure I would like even more acceleration but $10K for another 50 HP when I ordered my Boxster last year just was too little bang for the already excellent buck so I stayed with the base model and have had not a single regret since I drove the car away from the Atlanta PEC last April.

In 1985 I bought a Nissan 300ZX Turbo. It was considered fast for its time and I made it a lot faster by installing an inter-cooler and doubling the boost. I do not know what the actual HP was with the doubled boost but it was very fast and I was a lot younger and apparently ultra very stupid. Late one night I raced some gorgeous blond in some expensive fast car on Miami Beach's Alton Road from a traffic light and reach almost 120 MPH before she braked and turned down some street. Nothing happened, I never saw her again, and I seriously shudder to this day, 35 years later, when I think of the enormous risk I took and the associated consequences. The car was about 3,200 pounds and I remember it being a lot faster than my Boxster so it must have been producing well over 300 HP.

 

[alf_17]

I never track my cars, and I also have "just" a base 718 Boxster, and for driving on public roads is has more than plenty of power in my mind.
After test driving a base 718 I never even considered an S or GTS.
When test driving a 992 C4S I found out that it is not a "problem" reserved for the 718, in my mind the 992 C4S had too much power to enjoy fully in a safe manner on public roads, so I got to save some money when ordering my base 992 C2
I blame the turbo engines, because before Porsche switched to turbo engines I have never heard anyone say that the S models had too much power.
I ofcourse understand that some people would prefer to have as much power as possible, but for most people a turbocharged base model Porsche will be more than sufficient.

 

[antennahead]

IMO, how much power you need is directly related to how you use you car and what gets you off. My Boxster will never be tracked and will always be 100% used on public thoroughfares. I also like the thrill of sudden and very rapid acceleration. These represent a constraint (safety and responsibility on public streets) and a sometimes contradictory desire (rapid acceleration). Top end speed is of no practical matter to me. Therefore, there must be a balance. That balance for me falls more or less at about 30 pounds/HP (3,000 Lbs & 300 HP), almost exactly what my base Boxster provides. Sure I would like even more acceleration but $10K for another 50 HP when I ordered my Boxster last year just was too little bang for the already excellent buck so I stayed with the base model and have had not a single regret since I drove the car away from the Atlanta PEC last April.

Same here My base 6MT, as ordered, comes in at the rated 2944 lbs. For a "non-track" car, I too could not justify the expense. I totally get that for others this was not the case. Choices are a great thing

 

[alf_17]

A bit related, a review of the base 992.

 

[DriveInHouston]

... more or less at about 30 pounds/HP (3,000 Lbs & 300 HP), almost exactly what my base Boxster provides. ...

10 lbs per HP man! 10 pounds!...