2018 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS FIRST DRIVE REVIEW (2 of 2): The value leader in the Porsche world? 

Personally, I think the 2.5 liter sounds great 😊

0-60 in 3.7-3.9 secs it’ll see off most supercars and it’s lighter and faster than the 4.0 too -- what a machine

Had my Boxster 718S for a bit over one year now and Best Porsche I’ve ever had, and Best car. The total car package, dynamics, and driver satisfaction give me a mind lift everyday.

Got a 2017 718 Boxster base and absolutely love the driving enjoyment. The torque curve is intoxicating and handling is sublime.

All of your 718 content was very helpful in my decision to buy a very low mileage 2019 CPO 718 Boxster GTS w/M6 trans. Very happy with it. Thank you.

Got a 718 base Cayman as my daily driver, the versatility and sheer fun to drive is what amazes me the most!

Bought the 2.0 manual Caymen over the S. Really didn’t see the point in spending an additional £9K (UK Purchase) plus £3K for PDK and no one at Porsche tried to point me in that direction. The base model has enough power. It’s fantastic.

Great video as always. Bought a Cayman 718 GTS. Changed from an M4 CP. Drove the GTS and S back to back, both were great, but the GTS felt like a slightly more focused car and was a nicer place to be, the GTS leather pack makes the interior feel very special

Another reviewer said it took only 3 minutes in a Carrera T to change his mind on wanting a Cayman GTS, would love to see you review a Carrera T and compare the two cars. Pricing and purpose are close enough to make it a legit comparison, I'm assuming the potential buyer is the same person for both cars.

I want to get myself into porsche door I'm thinking 997 911 carrera S or something, beautiful review and location, if I had to go with a new porsche it would be one of these GTS models, and they hold their value so well!

Got a ‘13 Boxster S with PDK and I love the sound. All I need for driving on public roads. Thanks for you insights.

My response is late but I own a 2015 981 Cayman S. I have long tube street headers with 200 cell cats along with the Porsche Sport Exhaust. It wails like a GT car. I have driven both the 718 S and GTS on the track at Barber Motorsports Park. Yeah, I also drove the 911 GTS and the 911 Turbo S on the course. The 718 definitely has a broader torque band and the S is definitely quicker than my S but I can't get beyond the sound. I do think the S has it's place. You can just buy the standard S. It is just fine w/o $10k in options. FYI, in 2015, mine which is well optioned stickered for >$85k which was crazy money considering I could have bought a much more powerful Corvette. But again, it has that wonderful 3.4L flat six engine. When comparing the 981 S to the GTS, there is no difference in 0-60 times and there is only 15HP more. With my new headers, I probably have more HP than a 981 GTS. Another $1200 for a tune and I'm at 360HP. I'm quite happy with my 981 S.

I have a 718 Cayman S being delivered mid July. With the car spec'd the way I wanted, and the fact that the dealer could offer me a significantly higher discount on an S than a GTS, the price difference was about $15k. It included things that I didn't have on my car (20" wheels, PTV, PSE, that front end). I don't think I'll mist the 15HP. I was worried that the front end makes it harder to get up driveways. I'm sure I'll be happy with my S.

I just cannot wrap my head around a 100k Boxter that sounds like a WRX. I know it's Porsche world, but you have so many options at that budget that are at least as much fun. Offerings from AMG, M, RS and even Corvettes.

really do not think Porsche needs an "s" version of the Cayman and Boxster, by the time you build up your s version, might as well get a gts. I own a 2016 boxster spyder, it has the 3.8 flat six in it, sounds amazing!

I just had my718 boxster GTS delivered. Love the drive, love the sound as well. Drove the old Boxster, good sound, but too loud, for daily driver, I prefer my current 718 GTS. Great video! I watched it 10 times now! Thanks! Li

Dayum, MM. Your videos are the best around. Crazy and eclectic, you're the only guru with Kumo as your non-speaking partner. Thanks for always interesting and entertaining videos.

Noise? Hey, at least it makes a noise.. And it really is secondary to the way it drives, looks and feels.. Consider the alternative of the cars we will be force fed in a few years with the electric whine.. That Boxster sound will be wonderful in comparison.

I own the 981 Spyder. I think there is a place for the S as it would allow someone to spec out a more visceral power package, unless they wanted to wait for a Spyder. I am wondering if the 718 Spyder will be naturally aspirated or turbo, and 4 or 6 cylinder. In watching your snippet on the sound, I am thankful that I got my 981 Spyder bc it may be the last great topless tenor.

I love the 718 GTS! It looks great, drives great and has more than enough power for 95% of people. No, the engine sound isn't perfect, but that's never been the end all be all for me. To my mind, it's all about the driving performance and this car has that in spades...and the sound is actually pretty good when you push the car with sport exhaust enabled. Also, most people order the "smoking package" for the additional 12v power socket, not because they smoke, especially since it's a free upgrade.

I bought a 2014 Cayman base two years ago, great car, enough power and torque for stateside roads. In lived in Stuttgart for 4+ years, I would have bought a GTS there because of the Autobahn. The base is great for my intended purposes, besides, it still has Porsche’s 3 Ps, PERFORMANCE, PRECISION, and POISE. I plan to add PSE which only enhance the beautiful note of that flat six!

I'd have mine with a roof, a PDK, the red/black leather interior, Bose and CarPlay. Might spend a bit on the wheels though, some of the upgrades are very very nice looking. I have a 13 C4S and I'm really curious which is more fun.

The S should exists because you don't really need all those options that are standards on the GTS. You get to spend a lot less money and still get very similar driving experiences to the GTS.

dude watching all your videos recently. so good. thanks a bunch for the content.

Excellent review! A Boxster 718 base or S would allow 18 or 19 inch wheels providing more protection from damage to the wheels than the GTS with its 20 inch wheels. All 718 models seem to be excellent except for the sound. My question for you is: which Porsche model would you most like to own yourself?

I realize my folly in that the people buying these things aren't asking this question, but: it costs four times as much as an ND Miata. Is it four times as good? Is it four times as fun? As a practical person (read: poor person), there is just so much disconnect with me when it comes to luxury/exotic cars. I tend to zone out on your luxury reviews, but then once those Camry videos roll out, I'm like, "OH SHIT! IS THAT THE NEW CAMRY!?" It's far more interesting to see what trickles down to us plebeians, in my opinion.

My take is yes, they still need the "S" for those who don't want or need the added creature comforts. It's a price point thing, what gets you the most performance for the least cash, a properly equipped S. However, most people looking to spend 90+ Large want the creature comforts. I was shopping for a Boxster S back in 2015 and ended up buying a 2015 Boxster GTS because it checked all the boxes for less money. I love the 981 GTS and have no intention of replacing it with the 718 version. I'll give up the few horses to retain the flat-6 sound and because it was the last of the flat-6 GTS's it's holding its value a lot better than a base or S model 981, icing on the cake.

I have no Porsche yet, however it maybe soon. I like the various levels to choose from as mere mortals we can afford the lower tiers. It also provides us with enough used vehicles to choose between every model of the twins. I hope a PDK VERSION of the 718 GT4.

S GT silver on order. S exists because some of us see no value of polyester, Alcantara in a car that is driven regularly.

Unless you’re tracking it a base will do, and if you’re tracking it you need the GTS, or wait for the GT4. I’ve only owned a 944.

The soul performance exhaust sounds pretty good

Motoman I almost thumbs you down but after seeing the deer I automatically clicked up! Even that deer has the common sense of the sound, design and it’s sheer accuracy

I ordered a loaded Cayman GTS for end of August delivery. Options add up fast. I tend to go for the higher level cars within a car model line, so a base level Cayman and S model Cayman were not considered, even thought they would make more sense. I was not interested in the ragtop Cayman, as a convertible is a painful car in Florida. I suspect I will like the car a lot based upon the reviews on RU-vid.

Love the chalk white color, goes well with the black rims and accents. The cost though......still dreaming of 2011 Boxster, sport exhaust, hydraulic steering and flat six sound.

I have a 981 Boxter GTS. Although I love the looks of the new car, I could never get rid of my 6 cylinder. The 981 GTS’s are holding their value really well for a reason. The turbo charged engine just doesn’t FEEL like a Porsche. If you want torque then go and buy an RS3 or an M4

Got a 718 Cayman S (track clips in my channel). the GTS will always be just an options package. and you would still need to add more options on top of it to make it a pleasant place to be in. What you save in a GTS is not really worth it. because if you were to spec an S you probably wouldn't select every option that comes with the GTS.

I wish Porsche still made this car. But idiots calling themselves "purist" ruined that. At least I got mine! And yes I love it, even more than any of my past porsches. My 1st Porsche was a 1985 911 Carerra Coupe, 2nd Porsche a 1991 911 Coupe, 3rd a 2006 Cayman S, and 4th and present Porsche, a 718 Boxster GTS w/PDK. All Porsches before that have been manual transmission and flat 6. 1st one had no power steering and a cable clutch. 2nd had power steering (and people complained about it) and it had a hydraulic clutch plus it had A/C that almost worked, and snap oversteer that worked excellent if you lifted of mid corner! 3rd Porsche had everything the second had plus way better steering feel and super good A/C, but no sunroof (both the 911s I had also had a sunroof), no mid/late corner snap oversteer, and great enough sounding engine that sheriff wanted to say it sounded like 70 in a 30, and decided to write that down on a piece of paper. So I traded my dream Porsche on a brand new Hyundai and I was raped by a new car salesman who got my Cayman S with a brand new clutch and flywheel for $11,000 w 80k miles. My 718 GTS is stealth, sounds like a 1980s GT 1 race car and my gardners lawnmower sounds like a Tesla. My old boss has a real race Porsche. A 917.

I thought the exact same thing regarding the S. I now own the GTS so maybe I’m biased but I just can’t see why you would buy the S unless you wanted the extra power and didn’t add a single extra to keep the cost down...?

I plan on buying one but I'll probably keep my 996 with Fabspeed exhaust . Lets face it , the flat six had it's fair share of issues .Will the 4 be reliable and not suffer from past engineering mistakes ? Guess wait and see but I'll be getting the extended warranty

It would be fascinating to have those stats for used Porsche’s as well, guarantee you get to a point where the value of a Porsche is like 50% of the buyers annual income

I had a chance to drive one for a few blocks last year. great car. I prefer the v6 911 though.

Now that this is finally out, then the V6 GTS should drop more in price. God do I love how that thing sounds. I live behind a Porsche dealership and hearing them turn those on makes my day. Honestly, I agree. Porsche should drop the S and maybe make the base model come with more standard equipment. Especially when you consider that the hp difference between this and the S is only 15 ponies.... :S But then again, the whole point of the Cayman is that it's Porsche's entry-level vehicle, so it has to be less expensive than a Boxster, and if it came with more standard equipment, it would probably be above it in standard price, so it is a hard choice to make. I would probably rebadge the GTS the S instead. and make a GTS trim basically so that its one that comes with certain preselected options and you only need to select your personal preferences like full leather seats and the like.

My target vehicle is the 2016 Porsche Targa 4 GTS... Those may never get down to a price I'd be willing to pay, so I may consider a Used Boxster GTS at some point (preferably 6-flat). Until then... I can dream about the 2016 Targa 4 GTS.

Nice reference to my daily driver Mazda 3!

As I said in 1 of 2, I have an S. would be very happy with the GTS but a) wasn’t available and b) more expensive. Very happy with my Boxster S.

on the configurator, if you build an S and a GTS, and make them equivalent, there really is no price difference. The S exists still, I think, so you can build a more gentlemen's sports car - if you don't like those boy racer parts like the blacked out lights and the alcantara bits. I still like my chrome bits, and I really don't want black lights and black wheels.

I love the colour !

You can get a 718 cayman without the special gage color for $86,430. If you choose a manual transmission you don't get the extra 15 hp that is available in the PDK (sales not strong enough to justify beefing up the transmission). So you save 9 grand for foregoing the GTS label... that certainly justifies the existance of the "S" model.

Well the with the launch of a new line there has always been a base and S model. Then till mid-model cycle. GTS always comes along with more value/option packaged. So that let's say to keep the model line up fresh? And perhaps pushes people to buy the GTS more because of the better value/dollar than the S model (more standard equipment and usually slight bump in hp) So does it replace the S trim? I don't think so. It's just simply the Porsche way of say pushing sales of the now mid-life cycle of a particular model?

Of course Boxster S should exist. I wouldn't opt for loaded out GTS. I'd rather have a lesser S model but still with the more potent 2.5L engine. I own a 2004 Boxster S, the last year of the first iteration. A NARP (Not A Real Porsche) but also rightly called the car that saved Porsche. I love my Boxster S! Tomorrow I take it to Melbourne Porsche for an oil change and will talk them into letting me test drive the 718.

I own the 981 Boxster GTS, I live in the alps. 3.4l flat 6 natural aspirated, beautiful motor, its sound is so important for the whole driving experience I cannot imagine changing to a 718 flat 4 turbo.

Can you tell us a little about the 996? My 996 is a 40th anniversary (jahre) with GT3 rollcage, carbon bucket seats and the same wheels as yours ... Somewhat similar then.

I drove the 2017 Cayman GT4, that is an awesome car !! Best bang for the Porsche buck, if you can find the one?!

I'm going to flip the question around; Why didn't Porsche make the GTS "more" car to differentiate itself from the S.

981 GTS owner, daily driver, PDK, and yes i think the S should exist, makes the GTS owner feel special lol

Love the car... don’t love the car at that number... hard to justify 95k for that

Can you please test drive the 718 Spyder. Planning on buying one shortly and would love to hear your view.

a cord on my 718 Boxster S top just broke. I was bragging about how much better the top is, over the 2011 I had. But now. Can it be repaired, replace; the cord. will it happen again, and again and again. A small thing but ? ? I should have gotten a hard top convertible, like a BMW M4. or Benz.

Great review. Wonder what color was on that GTS? White or white metallic or something else? It looked more chalk.

No comparison to the sound that came from the 6 cylinder.

Was the sport exhaust turned on when you put your foot into it?

Dont think i can stomach 89k for this car. Gonna go w/ the XE S loaded to the hilt for 20k less. Which I drove back to back against a M4. Jag all day long.

The 718 should not exist. They should have built a Miata. That is, dropped 200 to 300 lbs and left the flat 4 NA or put a low boost SC on it. Then it would have been sufficiently different from the 981 that is could have been interesting in it's own right. Putting the fart machine turbo flat 4 in the 981 form factor just makes me hate it. I am a 981 Spyder owner and love NA engines of all types, even 4s. I really hate turbo engines. Hence my biased opinion of the 718.

Good news, the 2019 718 GTS has a V6 option.

Might be the best car Porsche makes, great review. .."Yeshua / Jesus is the way "

explain to me like I never ever (cough) drove a stick.... some folks are sying how much more they get from it... drove one, drove several pdk.. could you explain the advantages of manual vs pdk in manual mode ?

Yeesh - $95K for a Boxster. There’s a reason I bought an Alfa Romeo 4C Spider instead...

cayman and boxster can be good but I can't fit in because of the seat doesn't go back as much as I like so bad car for me

driving a tt rs can compete in daily life and sounds amazing what more :D

Did Matt Farrah talk you into wearing watches now

To think I ever felt bad about 911 depreciation. SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ANUALLY. frankly they should be paying all of our depreciation :P

It reminded you of a Mazda 3?.......

The S should not exist, it’s pointless. I would get a base or GTS. I have a base model 718 cayman.

How the fuck do you make 600k, or even 300k. Sound trumps everything on the used market. A last gen gts will be a much better car.

Uh.... not V4. Flat 4 bud.

V 4! Lol! Boxer 4!

It's not a V4.

Dude u don't need to be making 500k to buy 911 smh and that dude at Porsche might be smoking crack I would never pay 95 for Cayman no matter what it's is even I love Porsche and I have 997 and I think 70k for Cayman is ok

The S should exist.

base GT4 sell for $70k new here, so this car is people with mo money than brains.

GT4 or bust. These four cylinders sound like a farting hatchback. Just everything falls apart from that engine note. Everything is there, but the engine. Big miss. $95k and you have a four cylinder. Yikes

Still sounds like crap compared to older flat six and Porsche KNOWS it!

Boxster gts

Ben Linus

Yep, that awful sound just kills it. Why Porsche, why?

Hair dressers car love it shhh I am a 911 (997) owner. I will tell my buddies it's my wives car. Great post

Obviously American, no technique in changing gear. Brought up with an automatic gearbox.

v4? flat 4 boxer