[Yery2000]

I am coming from BMW Z4 (300HP, 300 lb-ft [email protected],400 rpm). The 718 CGTS is a fun car with less rolling, great balance and handling. These are my feedbacks after three week ownership (500 miles)

Chalk : I wanted unique color. So I chose Chalk. The great thing is that the color is changing depending on angle of light. Under sunlight it is closer to white while in dark it is close to grey. It is beautiful and unique.

Leather interior : The leather feels very smooth but looks skinny or thin unlike BMW and Mercedes where the leather has a texture, are thick and looks durable. I feel like the leather in my CGTS seems to get scratch easily.

HomeLink : don’t follow the Porsche manual. I wasted hours of hours and gave up. As someone suggested, I followed the direction in HomeLink website. You need to choose your car and garage opener model. In just one try, successfully programmed the garage door opener.

18-way sport seat plus: well compared to my outgoing Z4, the side bolster support is weaker. Much weaker. I find myself that the BMW seat is more comfortable. No lower back pain even hours of driving but in CGTS after 30min driving in narrow winding road I feel some pain.

PASM Sport (a.k.a. SPASM) : The rolling is not noticeable even in 1G lateral acceleration. The Z4 has rolling even far before 1G. I am glad that I opted for SPASM. But I didn’t try PASM. So I can’t make comparison with PASM. But the normal mode is compliant. No issue at all. Well, maybe because my local roads are relatively smooth. Yes the Sport mode is bumpy but not that bad. Even with 39 psi tire pressure (20” wheel) it is not that bad. But Yes I prefer more compliant ride if sporty cornering is not sacrificed. So considering the PASM controller from DSC but worrying about voiding factory warranty.

Ground Clearance: it is 20 mm lower than base Cayman. The approach angle is about 10 degree. So the slope where you enter should be less than 10 degree. I didn’t go around the city enough yet but I know I have to be very careful in speed bump, entry/exit in a street mall. I have to avoid entering some street malls which have higher slope.

No Switched outlet : USB port and 12v socket do not turn off when ignition is off. They are live for 5 min. Had to turn off radar detector manually every time the ignition is off. I will be hardwiring the radar detector soon.

Exhaust note : well I never owned Subaru and didn’t extensively listen to the music from 981 NA flat 6 neither. So I don’t miss anything. I am very fine with the exhaust noise. Nice pop up sound at around 3,000 rpm in Sport mode.

Soundaktor : The drone sound from it is noticeable in Sport and S+ mode. It is not that bad but I was planning to remove the fuse in order to compare w/ and w/o it. But the fuse is used not only for Soundaktor but also Bluetooth since newer 2019 718. So gave up.

Power steering plus : Very far from silky Lexus power steering. Not even close. The power steering plus is still firm. Wondering how firm it would be without this option …

Apple CarPlay : it doesn’t immediately change to CarPlay mode when the USB cable is connected to the phone. It takes some time to switch to CarPlay. But the music from Bluetooth smoothly is taken over by CarPlay once CarPlay is launched. iOS 13(will be released to public in 2019 fall) will allow to use the phone while in CarPlay mode. So we need a phone holder connected to lightening cable for one hand operation such as the one from Proclip but expensive.

Trunk : The trunk area is hot. I guess that it is due to the heat from engine and exhaust pipe. I can’t put wines in the trunk. Grocery shopping should go to frunk.

Trunk lid : Whenever close the lid, I leave fingerprint marks on the lid which are annoying. I wish it had the Porsche badge like in frunk.

Missing shelf : In Z4, behind the seats there is a shelf with a net so that I can put Kleenex tissue box, small bag or laptop(w/ Velcro the laptop can be anchored). Wish 718 had a shelf.

Rattle, rattle and rattle: Big buzz/jittering/vibration noise are coming from trunk. I followed the link https://www.718forum.com/threads/718-cayman-rattle-squeak-guide.16160/#post-139484. I applied soft part of Velcro to rubber/plastic parts of contact in the trunk door. It didn’t solve the noise. But I found a gap between the plastic part of the inside hatch lid and metal part of the door. After inserting papers in the gap, the buzz noise is gone. But now I hear new rattles from different locations which were hidden by the buzz noise. One from my left shoulder/ear and others probably from rear compartments. Hmmm..never ending hunting noise.

Headlight : The configurator didn’t mention the wattage of the bulb. Any of Porsche website didn’t mention it neither. I didn’t know the standard headlight bulb is 25w. Otherwise I would have upgraded to the PDLS (35w) with extra $1,500. Driving backroad with no street light is challenging. A bummer!! Really disappointed with Porsche. This is a $100k car. The way Porsche makes money by forcing customers to buy higher options is insane. 35w bulb and ballast are marginally expensive than 25w counter parts. Even 55w bulbs are on the market. I don’t need a swivel headlight. All my three cars have an automatic swivel headlight but I don’t appreciate much. I just need headlights bright enough to drive a car in backroad “safely”. Is it too much request??? Planning to upgrade the bulb/ballast/cable as shown in https://www.718forum.com/threads/for-us-195-successfully-changed-non-pdls-25w-to-35w.17204/ . Ordered parts.

Window streaks: Just a night before window tinting I realized the driver side window had streaks. I never had this kind of streaks in any non-tinted car. Using microfiber damped by water I tried to clean the weather strips which contact the window. Black powder came off on the towel. Wow. I am pretty sure it will scratch any tinting film. I can clean only part of the weather strips which are closer to A-pillar. Porsche needs to insert some soft material in between weather strips like moleskin/felt tape (like similar tape from http://www.tintprotector.com ).

Seat belt : the driver side seat belt is twisted by 180 degree. So it is flipped. Weird. The passenger side is normal. Dealer should fix it. Hey Porsche where is your quality control??

===Mods======

Opti-coat Pro plus and Opti-guard : I have been using Opti-coat for 6-7 years (two vehicles were coated). I am a very happy customer. It has decent resistant to scratch and small rock chip. Easy to maintain the shiny exterior. But the price went up quite high than 7 years ago. In this time Opti-guard is added for leather protection as well.

Touch screen protector : I bought a screen protector to protect the factory screen. The factory screen is matte finish. The screen protector is reflective. So, I worried about glare. Yes when the screen displays black color, there is some reflection but not that bothering. Maybe the glare can be more noticeble in Boxster w/ top down. Good thing is that the color/clarity is significantly more vibrant than the factory matte finish. I used a squeezer to remove major bubbles during installation. As claimed, no bubbles left. I love the screen protector. But it leaves fingerprint marks. Here is the link

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZ3X4JV/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_GmhqDbNAG8931



I see other product which claims no fingerprint mark in Amazon but didn’t try it.

Front Grill set : Installed a grill set from Zunsport. Easy to install it and very neat and nice but I realized I don’t need the air intake grill for MY2019. So I am selling it. If you are interested in, see the market place in Rennlist. https://rennlist.com/forums/market/1153919

Window tinting : I have been using SunTek quite long. But in the shop they brought up Transitional film from CoolVu. The VLT is 20% in daylight but 35% in night. The VLT is variable. Cool! I live in NW. It rains in winter. This film will help in rainy night with little light. The Total Solar Energy Rejection is 56% for mine (20-35% VLT). Quite decent as well. This product is quite new. So I can’t find reviews on longevity, scratch resistance, fading etc. I will report if anything comes up.

Others : Clear side marker (the dealer installed for free), trunk liner and net.

 

[dreamer]

Wow. That was a lot. I read one thing that isn’t correct. The fuse for the soundaktor has nothing to do with the bluetooth. I have 2019 and unplugged the fuse for the soundaktor and my Bluetooth works fine.

 

[phroenips]

Wow. That was a lot. I read one thing that isn’t correct. The fuse for the soundaktor has nothing to do with the bluetooth. I have 2019 and unplugged the fuse for the soundaktor and my Bluetooth works fine.

Can confirm. I also have a 2019 CGTS, pulled the soundaktor fuse, and still have bluetooth.

 

[GTS18BGTS]

I fully agree about the base headlights. It does seem cheap and actually almost dangerous to put such underpowered headlights in this car. It's almost as if Porsche is expecting buyers to have read the poor reviews and then spec a more expensive option because of them. To me that's kind of cheesy.

 

[JazzCatGab]

Very thorough report! Not sure I understand your need for a phone holder, however. I have a dedicated iPhone in my phone compartment. I turn it completely off when I get out and it automatically restarts when I enter the car. I do have to open the arm rest and punch in the PIN before it shows up in the PCM. At that point, I can make or recieve calls via Siri and the PCM. I forward my usual iPhone to the car iPhone when I get in the car, so if you are talking about continuous communication on the phone while getting in the car, I think I would be screwed.

 

[Wine.O]

Interesting observations in re the seats as compared to the Z4. I too had a Z4 (2014) and found the seats, while comfortable, provided about as much lateral support as my living room couch. The bolsters were useless to nonexistent. I always assumed BMW didn't mind as the car cornered like a pig anyway (at least in comparison to the 718, or the MX-5 I had prior). My 2-way sport plus seats now hold me snugly through 1+g turns. Quite delighted with them.
Every butt is different I suppose.

 

[Protohuman]

Great post, very informative. Could you give a bit more comparison about the engine of CGTS and Z4? I'm coming from a BMW n54 and considering a CGTS. Thanks.

 

[Silversword]

I must confess I've yet to drive mine in the dark so I have no idea what the headlights are like. I only spec'd the basic headlights as I don't intend to do much night driving, and if I do it will likely be on lit roads. I have reasonably good eyesight so maybe it won't be an issue, but I cannot understand how they could be that bad and still be safe enough to have as standard equipment though.

 

[EuroKip]

Can confirm. I also have a 2019 CGTS, pulled the soundaktor fuse, and still have bluetooth.

Pulled fuse on Doktor , Bluetooth went inop and CarPlay slowed down.
2019 no navigation. I’ve read some do and some don’t. Maybe nag makes a difference

 

[Wine.O]

Great post, very informative. Could you give a bit more comparison about the engine of CGTS and Z4? I'm coming from a BMW n54 and considering a CGTS. Thanks.

As I say, every butt is different, and this was a 2014. I found the engine adequate but that's all. It suffered from significant turbo lag and overall made the car feel very heavy (and very nose heavy). The dimensions aren't terribly different between the two (width and wheelbase) but where the 718 feels lively and nimble, the Z4 felt like driving the family sedan. Then there were the seats: comfortable to cruise in, but I would literally slide sideways in them when I turned. While it looked the part of the roadster, it was my biggest vehicle disappointment. My 718BS proved to be everything I was after. Like I say, just my experience.

Hopefully they've done a good deal better with the new generation.

 

[Wine.O]

Pulled fuse on Doktor , Bluetooth went inop and CarPlay slowed down.
2019 no navigation. I’ve read some do and some don’t. Maybe nag makes a difference

2019BS with a July 2018 build date. My fuse was pulled right away. Bluetooth and CarPlay are fully functional. (In case someone is tracking statistics.)

 

[Viffermike]

Pulled fuse on Doktor , Bluetooth went inop and CarPlay slowed down.
2019 no navigation. I’ve read some do and some don’t. Maybe nag makes a difference

What's your car's build date, @EuroKip ?
The OP's experience, and his info on it, with pulling the Soundaktor fuse might have to do with a mid-year 2019 change that's likely been documented somewhere else. Such changes happen all the time.

OP: best to share your experience with that in this thread in the DIY subforum, as well as related threads in the Electronics & Audio subforum. If a change has been made by Porsche to the wiring through that fuse -- always a risk, and something I warned everyone here about at the outset of the discovery of the fuse-pulling method of disconnection -- then we need to revise the DIY.

Thanks, and welcome to the forum!

 

[CaymanMatt]

Pulled fuse on Doktor , Bluetooth went inop and CarPlay slowed down.
2019 no navigation. I’ve read some do and some don’t. Maybe nag makes a difference

Are you sure you pulled the correct fuse?

 

[John-e89]

As I say, every butt is different, and this was a 2014. I found the engine adequate but that's all. It suffered from significant turbo lag and overall made the car feel very heavy (and very nose heavy). The dimensions aren't terribly different between the two (width and wheelbase) but where the 718 feels lively and nimble, the Z4 felt like driving the family sedan. Then there were the seats: comfortable to cruise in, but I would literally slide sideways in them when I turned. While it looked the part of the roadster, it was my biggest vehicle disappointment. My 718BS proved to be everything I was after. Like I say, just my experience.

Hopefully they've done a good deal better with the new generation.

Did your E89 have sports seats Wine-O..? I’m on my 3rd 35is with the adjustable side bolsters, they go very tight in my experience. So far they’re softer than the 18 way seats in the GTS, the E89 did have non M sport seats which were, frankly, hopeless, no side support at all. I agree 100% that the E89 is a flabby, heavy, non sports car with zero steering feel, but it’s cracking as I daily and motorway cruiser with a drop top hard top. Tbh I don’t have any turbo lag from the twin blowers, just effortless torquey grunt, too much in fact for the chassis to cope with.

Just my opinion obviously.

 

[GTS18BGTS]

Very thorough report! Not sure I understand your need for a phone holder, however. I have a dedicated iPhone in my phone compartment. I turn it completely off when I get out and it automatically restarts when I enter the car. I do have to open the arm rest and punch in the PIN before it shows up in the PCM. At that point, I can make or recieve calls via Siri and the PCM. I forward my usual iPhone to the car iPhone when I get in the car, so if you are talking about continuous communication on the phone while getting in the car, I think I would be screwed.

Do you have CarPlay or Connect Plus? Need to tether the phone with a usb?

 

[Wine.O]

Did your E89 have sports seats Wine-O..? I’m on my 3rd 35is with the adjustable side bolsters, they go very tight in my experience. So far they’re softer than the 18 way seats in the GTS, the E89 did have non M sport seats which were, frankly, hopeless, no side support at all. I agree 100% that the E89 is a flabby, heavy, non sports car with zero steering feel, but it’s cracking as I daily and motorway cruiser with a drop top hard top. Tbh I don’t have any turbo lag from the twin blowers, just effortless torquey grunt, too much in fact for the chassis to cope with.

Just my opinion obviously.

Ahh, my seats must have been the base. Truly unfit for anything sporty. V/ glad you're getting a better experience from yours.

 

[Naptown]

Thanks for the HomeLink info. Will try it tomorrow.

 

[GTS18BGTS]

Yeah the HomeLink has been giving me fits. I tried 3 or 4 times to pair the remote to no avail. Thanks for the info. I have it bookmarked. I'll address it tomorrow too.

 

[vhs]

HomeLink : don’t follow the Porsche manual. I wasted hours of hours and gave up. As someone suggested, I followed the direction in HomeLink website. You need to choose your car and garage opener model. In just one try, successfully programmed the garage door opener.

The manual was no help for me. I found a video on setting up Porsches with Chamberlin (which is what I have) and it took on the first try. It worked easily on our Q5 too. Gone are those "visor warts"!

No Switched outlet : USB port and 12v socket do not turn off when ignition is off. They are live for 5 min. Had to turn off radar detector manually every time the ignition is off. I will be hardwiring the radar detector soon..

I had an audio shop run my detector's wire up through the electronics by the mirror, under the headliner and down the pillar to the main fuse box. Aside from the wire from the detector to the console, the rest is hidden perfectly. Also, the detector turns on when the key is turned (1/2 way) and goes off when shut down instantly. No five minute lag after shutdown, which is nice.

Apple CarPlay : it doesn’t immediately change to CarPlay mode when the USB cable is connected to the phone. It takes some time to switch to CarPlay. But the music from Bluetooth smoothly is taken over by CarPlay once CarPlay is launched. iOS 13(will be released to public in 2019 fall) will allow to use the phone while in CarPlay mode. So we need a phone holder connected to lightening cable for one hand operation such as the one from Proclip but expensive.

It sounds like you have Connect, which I do as well. Getting CarPlay initiated can be a but buggy at times. I find a fresh reboot of the phone helps in that case.

I have an iPhone XS running 12.4. I'm not sure why you need iOS 13 to use the phone in CarPlay. Do you mean have a phone in BT mode and CarPlay at the same time? That would seem redundant. I can use the phone via the CarPlay screen or by Siri pushing the button in on the stalk. It works very well. I like how she'll read and dictate text messages too. Am I missing something?

CarPlay can be a bit frustrating when it doesn't start up right away. I may post in the Electronics forum for help with getting consistent instant start ups. I keep looking for iOS 13 because it has some new features for CarPlay. I also wonder if there's a software update for the PCM that might make it run smoother.

Headlight : The configurator didn’t mention the wattage of the bulb. Any of Porsche website didn’t mention it neither. I didn’t know the standard headlight bulb is 25w. Otherwise I would have upgraded to the PDLS (35w) with extra $1,500. Driving backroad with no street light is challenging. A bummer!! Really disappointed with Porsche. This is a $100k car. The way Porsche makes money by forcing customers to buy higher options is insane. 35w bulb and ballast are marginally expensive than 25w counter parts.

There are some videos on YouTube comparing the different bulbs and ballasts. Some people on here have had good results with upgrading to the Phillips Extreme Vision 2 35w, which is what I plan on doing. There's a few threads in here on that.

 

[Yery2000]

Great post, very informative. Could you give a bit more comparison about the engine of CGTS and Z4? I'm coming from a BMW n54 and considering a CGTS. Thanks.

Mine is still under break-in period. So I couldn't floor it. I didin't drive in S+ mode yet either. But it seems much better overall. In Normal mode, it is a bit sluggish though. So I use Sport mode all the time unless I cruise in highway.