One of the best things about all of Matt's videos, they are clearly marked with stuff like "FULL DISCLOSURE: Porsche flew me to Portugal, fed me, and put me in the Intercontinental Hotel Estoril for this review." Kudos to that Matt, that's pretty cool. Also Cool Video.
The first thing that comes to mind is that this is the first iteration of the 718. At the end of it's lifetime it will be even more bonkers fast. Think about it - this is as fast or faster than 911s of ONE generation ago. 4 cylinder or not, this is a serious sports car. Great review Matt.
+luimarco How bout a video on Blaha's newly discovered white supremacist past, reptilian lies etc.? guaranteed to drive some traffic to your channel kpsutbi
I think Porsche got exactly the video they hoped for from you. Good choice on flying you out there. They knew you wouldn't be overly nostalgic about the 6-cylinder and judge the turbo-4 for what it is and give the car an honest review.
I'm so glad you aren't focusing on how it isn't a flat-six. Great job not being biased, and actually having fun with it! So many other people are acting like that flat-four is the work of satan or something. Awesome one-take, that thing looks seriously rapid!
thanks for getting out and giving it a blast so i can hear the engine in action... verdict sounds much better than I expected, still cant shake the lack of 6 feeling though
matt, you all were totally on track yesterday on your podcast. I eat my morning breakfast every morning at 7 to your one takes. IT IS like my morning show. My day feel incomplete without it! lol. thanks for the great content!
+Ethan Gee we just love to walk long distances on foot under the sun no really, we do. I can't understand why everyone does it, its almost as if people don't have jobs that wear down their legs to moosh
Very rarely do I get the impression that someone actually loves the car that they're reviewing. That is exactly what comes across to me in this review. Great job Matt!
+Pedro Costa i'm from france and i can vouch for roads in spain. i was driving up in the hills in spain and when i crossed the spain/france border, the road turned into shit. spain got the best roads
I like how Porsche flew you out, your in Portugal, and this still feels like a true one take. Keep it up Matt! I don't see how you don't have 3 times the number of subs...
Sounds really good actually, especially for a turbo 4 banger. But that said, I'm a sucker for WRX/STI exhaust notes, so I'm biased. Could be way worse all things considered.
Nice video in that it reflects the fun drive that the 718 S is. So much better than the 981 and to my humble view, ticks more boxes for me than the 911 (and yes, i have owned a 911). The 718 stands on its own now and is no longer a poor mans porsche and i love it.
I just test drove one and it felt fantastic. without sport exhaust it only sounded "okay" but with the sport exhaust I think it would sound very decent. it felt very sporty and buttoned down through the on/off ramps and quick but not extremely fast. I originally was thinking I wanted a 911 so I could have back seats for my kids... after reconsidering, the back seats are not useful enough to warrant the 911 even though it did feel great to drive (991.2 Carrera), I think I'll grab a Cayman or Boxster S (hopefully a GTS when i'm ready to buy) and still have money left over for a 4 door BMW 340i or something. Pleasant driving experience!
Matt, Oh yeah, So happy to see you invited to a Porsche Launch event. This is the best review I have seen so far of the new 718 ! It looks awesome, handles awesome and sounds.... well, it sounds ok for a Posche if I am honest. I do feel better about the sound after watching and hearing it on your one take. In some other vids I wanted to cry after hearing it. As a Porsche enthusiast I love most things porsche does and I am a loyal customer for life. I like to see Porsche being successful, making awesome new cars and winning races. With that said, I do feel bitter sweet about some of the "progress". I love what they are doing with the new bodies and interiors, but the Character of Porsche engines has changed a LOT with the introduction of a mostly turbocharged line up in all of their cars. I guess the air-cooled guys said the same about changing to the water-cooled motors! There is something to be admired and said about the new "turbo torque", no doubt about it and it's awesome to have the pull down low, but I will miss the screaming wail of Porsche's Past. Makes me a little sad because now my purchasing options for the newer cars is limited. I am not sure if I want to switch from screaming naturally aspirated flat 6s to turbo engines just yet.. I guess that's just me getting old and set in my ways, but thank God there are still plenty of naturally aspirated used Porsches to buy in the future, so that is still a good thing. Onward and faster is the name of the game. Go Porsche!
+Dre2383 He said right in the beginning that this was paid for by Porsche. I mean, as long as it's not some underhanded advertisement with shitty content, what's the problem with stuff like this?
If I was paying Porsche prices, I'd want proper Porsche flat-6 goodness. It's cute that Porsche is offering this, but that MSRP needs to go down. But seeing as most people buy these for the badge now-adays, I don't think they really care.
I love the ruggedness and efficiency of four cylinder high performance motors. I've driven a vintage Porsche 912 and a 4 cylinder BMW 3 series for years, wonderful and simple to drive and maintain. Carbon reduction and therefore efficiency is the mode of the age, so this new Boxster is all good. Thanks for the review, very fair and unbiased!
I drive a 981 GTS. I am happy to have the 6-cylinders. I don't need the extra power, it's more that enjoy the machine while driving. The sound of the 6-cylinder is "wow". And now I can say "it still has the 6-cylinders"... like the air-cooled aficionados don't like the water-cooled machines :-) Turbos and 4-cylinders are the present and future. So I keep my car.
did you shoot any one takes on some of the local modified cars from lisbon or was it just the boxters? Hope ypu enjoyed your stay, greetings from Lisbon.
+André Ameixas That would be cool, but the logistics of it would mean Matt would have to arrange hotel, a rental and then have the people take their cars to him. It's not as simple as it is in the states
Sounds VERY close to an STI... Awesome car though, but I'd have to agree with some other people here in the comments. Used 911 over a new Boxter any day of the week. That being said i've only driven a couple 997's and a 964 Turbo, never a Boxter.
For me it's the other way around, but i never drove a 911, only a boxster. But even before that drive, I liked the boxster more, in fact it's my favorite car, so I'm looking forward to buy one in the future.
+BXRchampion1993 I'm a fan of good gas mileage and torque that comes in at low rpm and keeps on all the way to peak rpm. The engine performs better in every aspect.
Matt i´ve been a follower for quite a while now,, unaware that you were in my country, but also in my hometown, i came to now figure out that you actually passed by me driving that lovely boxster s! I'm sure you loved Portugal and Cascais as much as my North American friends! keep up the great work and videos! Greetings from Portugal, Alvaro.
I wouldn't say it sounds like "sti" it's just that sti and this cars both have a flat 4. So you should say it sounds like flat 4. Like you say cars sounds like v8 but not the name of the brand.
+Veyronp87 would sound way better naturally aspirated. but yeah...no sound to fall in love with, you want to hear singing and all you are getting are 'sweet nothings' whispered in your ear. ugh
¡Excellent review, Matt. We really felt like we were right there. Please pick up a vacation house to share while you're there. What a peaceful place - Porsches notwithstanding.
It's great ? The sound takes some getting use to ? I got to get on board with Porsche on this one ? That doesn't sound convincing at all . If this is progress then Porsche should put the flat four in the 911 funny right. . Poor Boxter , Poor Cayman . Engineering Marvels being held back ..
A Subaru is a flat 4, not an inline 4. Well, arguably it's a boxer 4, but that makes very little difference in sound at 4 cylinders compared to the flat 4.
+hdidane00 The GT4 and R are so very similar, but the GT4 takes the R's lunch money every day of the week. The Mercede's GT is just too expensive to be considered part of this "club". So for me it has to either be the 718 or the GT4. If you have the money, you get the more expensive GT4, if you don't have the money then you get the 718. In real life I'd wait for the 4cyl turbo cayman because I hate convertibles so I'd end up with a 2.5 turbo Cayman S.
I bought the 718 Cayman S PDK. The car is amazing--acceleration, handling, hill-climbing authority, sound--super car performance for $100,000 with all of the sport gear, the lowered chassis, 20" wheels, etc. It's unflappable. The car runs a 3.6 second 0-60 (Car & Driver testing) and hits 186 mph (Automobile Mag-Autobahn run). Sorry 911 enthusiasts, but its the best new car to buy for the quintessential Porsche experience. It's also faster than the 911, 911 GTS and ties the 911 S in acceleration metrics. It is probably one of the best handling cars in the world. I give it a strong buy recommendation.
+Andreas Breslawski That's the problem!! This car closes an eye to the Z4 and the TT cabrio. But all the truly great cars cannot be placed in a segment and they create a segment. In which segment did the first boxster belong when it appeared? Which car was the competitor of the 1978 Porsche 928, 1989 Nissan R32 GT-R or the 1994 Impreza WRX STi ???(the EVO became really competitive later on).
My only thought is that Porsche decided to differentiate the Boxster /Cayman to justify the extra price of the 911. But when the first boxster appeared, the slogan was "no more 4-cylinders", young guys don't know that but I am old enough to remember it.
Just got the 718 S Boxster. It's a cruise missile with leather seats and four wheels. Replaced my beloved 2008 Cayman 2.7. Certainly a different sound....but a totally different class of performance. Better ride. And hard to believe, but better handling and steering too. The interior gets an A. The electronics a solid B (maybe an A once I figure all the crap out).
Hard-Edge Painting I mean the car would be as good with an updated old engine; plus you will have the NA feel and the noise. With this new engine; its just fast...that's it. Might as well go electric...*shudder*.
TheSmokingTire Im sure with Porsche's boffins, they could achieve it if they wanted to. Maybe not exactly the same numbers, but ballpark figures with increased displacement or techno wizardry. And you get to keep the noise and feel as well. The problem is the EU emissions which is destroying fun cars. Honestly, watching your video; I couldn't care less if it was electric now. Almost every other reviewer is lamenting the demise of the 6 cylinder. The new car just doesn't seem to have the excitement anymore. At least, the type you want from a Porsche. That engine would be perfect in the new STI though. But in a Porsche; it has to have the X factor.
+engared I don't really care what others say. I drove the car 400 miles, twice as much as any other journalist (I had my own car; didn't have to share) and I loved it.
