A 718 Cayman drove by me on the highway and sounded like a WRX

[rainfall]

I looked around and couldn't find any WRX.

It was a bit louder than what I would typically classify as a pleasant engine sound too. I guess there is nothing they can really do with this new chassis, right?

[FC4]

Yes. It has a Subaru engine in it.

[Red Bread]

[Teeone]

The exhaust note is a function of the engine and the exhaust. The chassis isn’t really a direct contributor to the sound.

[rainfall]

I thought the sound came directly from the chassis and not the engine/exhaust? :P

The chassis is designed in a way to accommodate a certain engine layout. If the 718 was designed to accommodate a boxer 4, it might/might not fit a flat 6 with a turbo.

[avocet]

718 gt4 will have a flat 6. Whether it will fit a turbo? Where there is a will, there is a way($$$)

The Cayman is on my very, very short list of cars I would consider. The new T definitely has my attention. Lol.

[gatorfast]

May not sound great but it's a beautiful car and drives like a dream. Still prob sounds better than my m3 lol

[RM7]

The exhaust note in the WRX depended on headers and the exhaust. I got a crazy low pitch rumble from a borla aggressive exhaust on my WRX wagon, such that at a fast-food window the guy was actually looking around for the "big V8" he heard, lol. This was also due a huge amount to the unequal length headers that car used. If you installed equal length headers for a bit more power, it sounded like a honda with a fart can. At least most of the WRX owners out there did full downpipe exhaust mods (because they were easy and relatively inexpensive), as compared to people that put on axle-back kits for cosmetics.

[MJBO]

Yeah new 718 sounds like garbage, even in GTS form. Thought exactly the same thing, sounds just like a WRX.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by avocet

718 gt4 will have a flat 6. Whether it will fit a turbo? Where there is a will, there is a way($$$)

The Cayman is on my very, very short list of cars I would consider. The new T definitely has my attention. Lol.

After seeing the specs for the T, I would pass and just get a regular Cayman. At least with the 911T, you get enough of a weight savings to make a difference.

I really love our base 718 Boxster and actually like how it sounds too. Power is smooth and immediate, and handling makes you look like a skilled driver.

If I were to buy another 718, it would be the GTS, but I don’t feel like my regular 718 is down on power despite being slower than my tuned 135is and Stingray.

[Frozen]

Doesn’t sound good at all but I drove one and it’s an incredible car. And will hold its value.

[avocet]

The sound is all about perspective.

The 356/carrera series, 550, original 718, 904, yes even the 914, and maybe not so much the 912 makes for some serious pedigree.

After all, I have a yellow Ducati. Now THAT kept me up at nights.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by rainfall

I guess there is nothing they can really do with this new chassis, right?

Except that its blazingly quick, and not only handling wise.
Especially the 718 cayman S. It does 0-200 (kph) in under 13,5s. Thats normally only achieved by cars that have well over 400hp in this type of car.
It might sound less than the previous generation, but performance wise it obliterates it (and the competition)

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by MGM135is

After seeing the specs for the T, I would pass and just get a regular Cayman. At least with the 911T, you get enough of a weight savings to make a difference.

I really love our base 718 Boxster and actually like how it sounds too. Power is smooth and immediate, and handling makes you look like a skilled driver.

If I were to buy another 718, it would be the GTS, but I don’t feel like my regular 718 is down on power despite being slower than my tuned 135is and Stingray.

Agree on the 718 T. I don't think the concept translates as well from the 911 to the cayman. The engine in the base 911 is highly regarded and many feel it is even more enjoyable than the S version. Add some weight saving items and popular options like sport chrono and performance exhaust and you have a winner. But for the cayman, the base engine is typically regarded as the worst in the lineup with major turbo lag and lack of power compared to the 2.5 variant in the S/GTS. Would have been better to make the cayman T with the S engine, slotting it between the S and GTS.

[rainfall]

not that I can afford a 718 S right now, but ok, i heard enough good comments in this thread about it to consider one in the future, as long as the manual option is still available

[Viffermike]

Sigh. Haters gonna hate. (And swallow what they've been spoon-fed based on what they've read.)

rainfall : See my sig. You will not know the greatness until you actually drive one. Better yet: Drive one either right before or right after a flat-6 Boxster/Cayman.

Then, and only then, will you understand.

NA Flat-6s are nearly dead. Flat-4s are what Porsche started out using long before Subaru did in 1965 -- heck, the original 718 race car made its debut in 1958. My advice is to know your automotive history before comparing something to something else, and consider it before your knee jerks.

Does a flat-4 sound different than a flat-6? Of course they do.
But a V12 sounds different than a V8, which sounds different than a V6, which sound different than a V4 ...
... and an inline 6 sounds different than an inline 4, which sounds different than an inline 3 ...
... and a 4-rotor Wankel sounds different than a 3-rotor Wankel, which sounds different than a 2-rotor Wankel ...
... and a 60-degree V-twin sounds different than a 90-degree V-twin, which sounds different than a one-cylinder thumper ...
... OH!: A water-cooled engine sounds different than an air-cooled engine, too ...

Drive one. And bone up on Porsche history.

[NickyC]

I've never cared too much about sound, I've driven almost exclusively BMW inline 6s for the past fifteen years so that's pretty obvious.

If the crappy raspy S54 or the weedwacker S55 doesn't bother me, I don't think anything will.

[bvanlieu]

Agreed, its a bit lazy to say it sounds like a Subaru (it doesn't really: classic subaru sounds come from unequal length headers), however the majority opinion of the subjective sounds comparison of the new flat 4 is its less aurally pleasing then the 6 it replaced.

If I never heard the 6, it would not be a hot topic but I owned an older 2.7 987 and when given the chance to vote again with my wallet, we went with a 2015 GTS over a newer 718 at similar cost.

Even without the bigger torque curve of the 2.5T in the 718 S, the older 3.4 is arguably too much engine for the street. These cars or so well balanced, you can't wring them out easily on the street without being REALLY in the illegal zone.

One thing is for certain: plenty of 718's will be hitting the used market and when the prices hit your happy point, go drive both and decide what you like better. Its not a bad problem to have

- b

[Funf6cyl]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Sigh. Haters gonna hate. (And swallow what they've been spoon-fed based on what they've read.)

rainfall : See my sig. You will not know the greatness until you actually drive one. Better yet: Drive one either right before or right after a flat-6 Boxster/Cayman.

Then, and only then, will you understand.

NA Flat-6s are nearly dead. Flat-4s are what Porsche started out using long before Subaru did in 1965 -- heck, the original 718 race car made its debut in 1958. My advice is to know your automotive history before comparing something to something else, and consider it before your knee jerks.

Does a flat-4 sound different than a flat-6? Of course they do.
But a V12 sounds different than a V8, which sounds different than a V6, which sound different than a V4 ...
... and an inline 6 sounds different than an inline 4, which sounds different than an inline 3 ...
... and a 4-rotor Wankel sounds different than a 3-rotor Wankel, which sounds different than a 2-rotor Wankel ...
... and a 60-degree V-twin sounds different than a 90-degree V-twin, which sounds different than a one-cylinder thumper ...
... OH!: A water-cooled engine sounds different than an air-cooled engine, too ...

Drive one. And bone up on Porsche history.

Good post. Porsche has a lot of history - winning history, mind you, with the flat 4 (not to ignore the utter dominance of the flat 6).
As someone who owns a 718 GTS, there are few cars that drive better. The dynamics of the car are simply beyond words and the car feels like every other Porsche in that no detail is an afterthought, yet they still leave so much on the table.
This engine sounds by and large nothing like a Subaru. It screams up top and has a very Motorsport note. To be honest, it’s 100X nicer sounding than my f8x m3 and m4 which made me cringe and also lost power up top. The flat 4 pulls harder to redline and is a very fast and capable track car. To be honest, I enjoy my 718 GTS as much as my 991.1S and my 991.2S.

[mremg]

I did get a chance to hear the sound recently. I think the sound has grown on me now. It sounds horrible when recorded on camera, but in real life it sounds a lot more 'mechanical' and has 'clatter' like the old beetle. I don't think it sounds like a WRX either.

In any case, the NA Flat-6 era is long gone and I'm glad Porsche is still making these cars instead of just going 911 and cookie cutter SUVs only in their lineup.

[10"]

They do sound terrible...worse than any Porsche I can remember. And no the 914 in the 70s didn't sound this bad...

[6ixSpd]

My brother has a 718 and the sound is palatable at best... however, the performance of the car is fantastic and undeniable. My father has a 981 GTS and I'd take the keys to that one every single time. I have hundreds of hours of seat time in both, in every driving situation imaginable (commuting, back road thrashing, track) and I'd take the 981 10 times out of 10, but that my personal preference for the sonour flat 6 revving out to almost 8K RPM. Both chassis are ridiculously capable performers that I consider it a wash. The only thing the 718 does better is power/torque. The 981 was the best of them all in my opinion - the 718 GT4 notwithstanding.

If I didn't have my E92 M3, the 981 GTS would be a seriously strong contender albeit pricier. I'd never buy any 718 even if I was in the market, other than the GT4.