10:45 "If the top is up, you can't really open the trunk" Thank you for pointing it out. I appreciate difference from a pure product plug. Great channel.
I live in the uk. I have just taken delivery of a 718 Spyder. Totally agree with all the comments but in reality the car has loads of torque so you can short shift and still really enjoy it. It’s the best car in the Porsche range at the moment.
Particulate filters on gas engines is silly. The brakes probably create more heavy particulate matter than the exhaust does. Maybe the enviro-nutcase regulators in Europe should demand filters around wheel wells now.
@@1NoEvo1 God almighty, that is insane! What about ground up particulate from tires and asphalt created when wheels drive over them? Are we going to put filters on top of our freeways and around tires to be perfectly free from dust??? Maybe drivers should be forced to wear giant condoms to prevent dry skin cells from flaking off and giving polar bears asthma.
I understand this video is a year old but I’ve just specc’d a 718 Spyder for delivery this year and I have to take issue with your comment at the end that the car you were driving ‘didn’t have much other than the PCCBs’. That car had the following extras that I could see. Metallic paint (£1,600), Carbon seats (£3,000), extended leather & Spyder interior (£4,100) PCCBS (£5,000) parking sensors, interior accents painted body colour (£1,500), fire extinguisher (£200), individual climate (£300) I was unable to get the car set up how I wanted it without adding almost £18,000 in options (including PCCBs).
981 Spyder was better for road use. It had much more oversteer due to narrower, non-UHP rear tires and "standard" suspension and did roll a bit more, which made it much more fun when you pushed it really hard on a windy road. 981 was just more of a riot, felt a bit more nervous, while this is more planted, understeers more (like a GT4) and therefore at least to me feels a bit more boring. That makes a good track car, but not always a good road car. 981Spyder was a bit more like a Toyota GT86 if you know what I'm all about. Not even considering the sound. Still seriously cool car, but if you have a 981 Spyder I strongly recommend driving the 982 before you buy it, maybe you do feel the same as I do.
The Cayman/Spyder is the perfect size, and paired with a great 6 cylinder it's everything the 911 should be, especially if it wasn't factory handicapped.
Would be great to hear comparisons of suspension and ride quality to the 981. We already know the sound is far superior on the 981. 200 lbs weight gain seems to offset the added hp
I love that you have handwritten notes in your journal. Its becoming a lost art. I still do it. With the long gearing, does it negate the need for a manual really?
Neil Craig hownit helps me too, is that when you write something out, you can remember what you were feeling. You connect with it at the time it was written, unlike typing or digitally recording something out.
golfbuddy1969 I exclusively write notes, lists, outlines, and tech briefing notes by hand. I wrote the entire WCCS business plan by hand on a yellow legal pad.
As a 981 Spyder owner with plenty of track days, you'd get to 5th on long straights (Phillip Island) in the mountains of Australia (lol) you'd spend most of the time in 2nd and 3rd with occasional drops into 4th. 6th I highway overdrive and 5th really only high speed on tracks.
It's also pretty famous for losing ~3 seconds of lap time after its first hot lap. I am a big Michelin fan but I think they peaked with the Pilot Exalto PE2 and Pilot Super Sport; the most recent generation of Michelin performance tires don't feel as buttoned down, and the compounds don't feel as durable or consistent as they used to IMO.
@@giovanni4436 There's more PM on the roadway than there is coming from the exhaust. Particulate filters are asinine. They actually increase consumption, which create MORE harmful emissions, much worse than heavy PM. EU regulators are clowns.
I'm one of the few that is disappointed by the announcement of this generations GT4 and Spyder for multiple objective reasons. (#3 is my biggest gripe, I really hoped the gearing changed): 1. It's been 4 years since the last GT4 and GTS. This new engine even without the filter, doesn't actually better by much. 2. The specs are just sad for anyone who isn't a race car driver or track enthusiast. Numbers have bumped up but still a 4.2 second 0 to 60. Yes, the suspension and the set up of the car overall has made them insanely fast on the ring and track, but for 90% folks buying this, they can't utilize those aspects by much anyways 3.Torque is only about 20 to 30 more than even a 981 GTS, *with the same unjustifiably long gearbox,* you're doing your daily, or doing run of the mill, spirited driving won't feel much much different in terms of power delivery and speed. Sure it has longer legs and the extra horsepower will make it go more, but who is driving over 200miles all the time to have fun? The delivery won't feel like it's significantly faster as an experience to care due to that gearbox. A decimal second difference, you won't even feel it in reality unless the method of power delivery is different, which it isn't here with the same gears. Disappointing. 4.its literally the same car as the 2012 Cayman. Sure body panels are all redone for 718 but it drives, looks, and feels pretty much the same. This car could have launched in 2013 and it would have made just as much sense...
@@irfuel actually my whole points were not about track use. It's actually the exact opposite. Hence my preposition on prefacing that my opinion really only matters for none track enthusiasts.
@@irfuel but yea...overall, not impressed especially considering NA engines will disappear soon. I thought they'd send the Cayman and Boxster a proper send off
ZDY these cars are made by the GT department, those cars are made for track use. Youre paying a premium over a GTS for the GT3 suspension and aero that comes on this car. If youre not doing that kind of driving, I agree, you are better off just buying a GTS. That said, even with the long gearing the gt4/spyder are a good 2-3 seconds/lap faster on most short courses than their gts counterparts. Thats an eternity on track. By the end of a 20 min session you will be nearly lapping the GTS on an average track. Also, motorsport just ran a GT4 2 seconds faster than the 992S on Magnys GP. These cars are built for track first, including the spyder. And yes, there is a market who actually track these cars, thats why they exist (including me and my 981 GT4 and my former 987 Spyder).
@@dan63085 I agree with you! Again, as I had prefaced, for people like you, by all means, it makes a lot of sense. But in my city/province (Toronto, Ontario, apparently we sell the most Porsches and once upon a time, Ferrari as well, turns out when you have a short summer, people are more willing to spend on something that's less usable to fully enjoy the short summer) nearly every person who owns a GT car never tracks. I'd say 30% owns for fun and don't care about driving sporty, another 50% drives spiritedly but nothing like pushing track limits, and the last 20% either tracks or straight up don't drive them (literally, for example, many foreigner students lease these things because relative to their own country, it's very cheap here. But when they leave the leases don't end, and the cars just sit and rot. Sometimes sold on consignments or lease taken over, but they only sell to their own groups most times). So the true balls to the walls track nuts are maybe 5 to 10% of the owners in my city. In a whole club of hundreds of people, there's maybe a handful or two that tracks. Anyways, my point is, from a "not pushing for absolute limit and time attack" perspective, but from a spirited normal enthusiast, the cars are kind of disappointing this time around.
ZDY I agree but I think porsche markets the gts for that kind of use. Porsches # is 80% of gt owners track. Personally that number is about right based on people I know who own them but thats a local pool. I think for the price what you get for these cars is phenomenal. I do agree if the shorter gearing would be better but like Matt said, they have a 911 to worry about too...
FYI for anyone watching this now (like 2022) the exhaust on this car *is* the same as the US and CDN models. The US cars aren’t louder, and have the same particulate filters.
@@waltvancourt5052 the exhaust is the same - Porsche designed one exhaust system for the entire world, everyone got the particulate filters, some are monitored some not - congrats! I have one too, great cars
OMG.......A 4 liter flat 6 in a small body like a Boxter with 416HP and ceramic brakes???? Its official....This ain't the poor man's 911 anymore. Love these drives Matt. Keep em coming. Beautiful footage, crystal clear. Dunno what camera you're using but WOW.
In an interview with JWW, the head engineer for this car has said that this is the new engine for Euro emission standards and it will be used in other cars further down the road. I guess the old 4.0 from the GT3 will be retired rather soon.
The new 4.0 may most probably last longer than the GT3 4.0, but that engine will still be in Service for at least the 992.1 GT3, so we are talking a minimum of 3-4 years from now on.
Hi Matt! ❤️the videos! I have a 1995 993 with NO flywheel and it idles perfectly. Revs like a motorcycle. The computer adapts to lack of flywheel. Mark Tashijan at Formula Motorsports NYC set it up. Mark was a Porsche Racing mechanic in Europe in 1970s. He says that the sports racing cars ran races with no flywheel. This does not work with later 993s as they have OBD2 so it throws a CEL code. Oh, another advantage of no fly wheel is the car creeps in 1st gear in traffic mush more smoothly than the DM flywheel.
Blah blah blah... In its third gear, you can drive it like an automatic... LOL! Here in Germany its "gearing" won't be a problem at all... On the Autobahn you can drive it in all its six gears... The 718 GT4 and Spyder PDK versions will be out during this year... Shifting it with paddles will be more fun than with a six speed manual in the Californian canyons.
The gearing is the same as the GT3. I had a 981 cayman S and it was the same speed for 1-3 as a 991 GT3. I didn’t really notice the gearing too much after a while. The only time is if you’re really going for it, and even then I could top 3rd, which was fine for me
Yeah, this seems like perhaps the perfect modern Porsche except for that gearing. Was excited to hear about Sharkwerks doing a re-geared transmission to remedy that single flaw.
@@Porsche1969 I disagree with everything you've said here so hard, haha. You buy this kind of car for driving engagement and enjoyment. Who gives a damn what it's like on the autobahn? I've had something like this before, where you were just in 3rd gear all day long unless you did stupid speeds, and it's no fun at all.
I think they’re maybe waiting to release the new GT3 before fitting the PDK to the GT4/Spyder so they can unleash its full potential without making the current GT3 look slow.
Porsche announced the GTS will now be coming out with a 6 cylinder engine as well. Despite Boxster/Cayman sales always being a minor part of total Porsche profits, the 718 numbers have been a disaster. Handling dynamics of the 718 is great but that engine not only sounds bad, it is horribly laggy and there is like a two second pause if you downshift to pass a truck. The good news is for people that want a weekend Boxster the 718 can be found for (Porsche level) cheap.
Great review and perspective, Matt. I love how you got to live with the car for a week and could take it to all of the places you would normally go and treat it like a "real" car. The Boxster and Cayman have always had decent practicality and I drive my 718 Cayman as often as possible and anywhere I can just because it is fun and easy to live with. Interesting that a PDK + Sport Chrono base car can put up a 0-60 of around 4.5 as compared to the 4.2 in the 718 Spyder!
I lived in the Antelope Valley for 3 years with the Angeles National Forest and some of the best canyon roads at my disposal. Back in Texas now and it is the one thing I miss the most about SoCal. I hardly ever just go for a drive here like I used to living there.
I think Porsche are maybe waiting to release the new GT3 before fitting the PDK to the GT4/Spyder this year. So they can unleash its full potential without making the current GT3 look slow.
I hope I am chosen in our local allocation. It doesn't matter how much money one has to be chosen. I would get mine in silver with a red top. Keep up the great work Matt!
6 cylinder engine in a Boxster? Interesting idea, Porsche should try it ;) If Porsche has been messing up the gearing on GT4s and Boxster Spyders for at least two generations now, surely someone in the aftermarket has figured out a numerically higher (shorter) final drive ratio...
Thank you Matt for the detailed explainer of the experience. The Boxster Spyder may be my favorite new car, and one I hopefully can afford some day. For the market it is in, it looks like a value and the 'low-output' 4.0L may be strongly driven by the 'Cayman Complex', but at 414bhp, I think it is just right for a car you an enjoy on the street while mobbing on a track. Just needs those shorter gears to be perfect.
The roof isn't a problem when you're guaranteed no rain the whole day. Unfortunately in England a beautiful summer day can quickly become a grey winters day within a few miles haha!
Great Video Matt! Reminds me of Classic Matt Farah! The Boxster is my dream car, in any year. Who needs the fastest car anyway? I've never seen a Boxter Safari... that would be fantastic.
Great review Matt. I’m extremely interested in this car but the gearing is a big turn off as I enjoy shifting almost as much as I would enjoy touching/hearing the car at the 8k redline. One correction, carbon ceramics are not the only option on that car you drove. Unlike the first gen Spyder, the carbon buckets in this car are an optional extra ($5,900).
That's alright. I'm still struggling with rationalizing spending the money for an NC2 after a person totaled my NB (which I barely fit in anyway). My rational brain says crush debt and maximize investments/savings. My soul is screaming to buy another MX-5.
I have one on order. Supposed to be getting it in April, May here in U.S. Apparently very limited. My dealership is getting only 1 allotment and guess who’s getting it :)
Save yourself $ get a 2016 regular boxster, 6 cylinder. Nice improvement from my 2003. 1st automatic trans in a long time. Faster but sometimes miss the manual trans.
Being that my favorite water-cooled Porsche is the 996 GT3 RS, the GT4 is as close to it in performance as any car Porsche make today. So a topless version is just all the better (S2000 in my garage). Shame about that 2nd-4th gear deal, though.
The reality is that most of the people who own this car want to cruise in it, with an occasional track day once in a while. The long gearing makes sense 90% of the time, it lowers the revs on the highway.
Hey Matt sorry for the confusion but I thought that all 2020 718 models get a particulate filter regardless if it's a North American or European model. I'd love to be wrong though! If North American models have no filter I'm even more excited!
My 997 911 is at the age where it’s not always a sure thing if the roof is going to close. There’s something to be said for simplicity over the long term. I’m considering a Spyder in the next year or two and I couldn’t care less about the roof.
Does the Spyder have Porsche Entry and Drive standard? Not listed anywhere but there’s options to buy a key painted in exterior color, which it says only comes with the Entry and Drive option.
I know that the 981 Cayman GT4 didn't use the GT3 engine because it wouldn't fit, which is why we haven't seen anyone roll out a swapped one yet. I hope that isn't the case here because I would love to see someone build one with the GT3's 4.0.
Hey Matt, I need to finalize my spec on this car by the end of the month. Leaning toward the full bucket seats you tested in; however, there is always the issue of desiring heated seats in a convertible. Would you spec the carbon fiber buckets on this for a weekend car in the Midwest or sport seats with heat. Could also be a car I hand onto into my 50s & 60s.
I'm trading my 2016 GT4 for this car as I miss my previous 09 Boxster S. I need a convertible. My GT4 is garaged from Halloween until mid March as I live in a snow belt. Carry on Matt.
Matt - thanks for the video (and the great channel for that matter). Question: if you had an allocation for either this or the 718 GT4 living on the east coast, would you still be comfortable with the roof for a car which would not be a daily driver but definitely driven often?
Other options for ~$100k: - ND2 Miata + Lotus Elise + Veloster N - ND2 Miata + Lotus Elise + C6 Z06 - well optioned C8 corvette - C5 Z06 + C6 Z06 + C7 Z06 - 991 Carrera T I support #consolidatingupward, but is the Boxter Spyder really upward?
@@TheSmokingTire Boxter Spyder over C8? Given you're one of a few who have driven both and similar-ish price points, that's very interesting... care to elaborate? Thanks!
If this is worth $96k or $105k, then what is a C8 convertible that does everything better for far less worth? Hard to picture anyone choosing one of the Porsche twins over the C8. You're already a 2nd class citizen in the Porsche world if you make this choice so why not go with the better choice.
The reason they developed NA 6 cylinder motor wasn’t just for the GT4. That wouldn’t be cost effective. It’ll appear in more cars.... Also they used to say a 996 GT3 engine was something like 20 or 40 grand!? I forget the number that go bandied around. The GT3 motor is A LOT more expensive to produce.
It is indeed sad that Germany, which is only responsible for 2% CO2 globally, is trying to save the world, while the main responsible countries for waste and CO2 is not taking responsibility. The fast, destructive ride against windmills... Nevertheless a wonderful compromise is the Porsche 718 Spyder. Thanks for the great video!! ...the advantage in Germany, it is easy here to drive the vehicle also in 4, 5 and 6th gear..:-)
I agree the "cayman complex"is at work regarding the new 4.0 liter though I heard elsewhere on the web that the motor will be used in other cars as well...didn't say which.
Knowing how the GT3 engines were in past models, the quality of the parts used and the material choices mean the engine is x3 the cost of a boggo standard engine.. So doesn't surprise me they've made a different 4L engine for the Boxster Spyder.
Usually the GT3 engine is a fully dry sumped engine designed to be used in the Cup Car series adapted to meet emission standards. It really is a race engine for the road. Versus the other engines used in Boxsters and Carrera's which are made to cost for road cars. When Porsche went water cooled they split the production of their race and road engines significantly, where as before they were all based on the race engines to some kind of degree. They used to suffix their engine codes with either 75 or 76 for the race breed ones like M96.76, M97.76, MA1.76 etc.. I don't know what they're doing with the engine code these days, but you can guarantee their GT engines are still of a much better quality.
James Healey the 981 base car and a gt3 both use 9a1 blocks, shows how much of a value the lower models really are. The difference is in the parts up top
Well a bottom end is a bottom end, but the M96 and M97 engines despite sharing the same codes, the bottom ends were completely different in the GT3 and Carrera models, they used the GT1 race car bottom end and a completely new top end. The MA1 engine I aren't sure as I don't have any experience with them yet. Quite interestingly though, Porsche considered making the original GT3 with a modified M96 bottom end with improved oiling and the X51 power pack top end, and designed an aero kit to go with it too.. Then decided against it for some reason and went with the old GT1 block and had to design a new rear wing with the intake on the other side for the GT3, then sold off these cars in the Japanese Market as the Power-Up edition of the 996 and as XAA and X51 options separately in the rest of the world. Porsche then stuck to the GT1 block in the GT cars until the MA1 block it seems, I understand they're using the MA1 block in race cars too in the Cup Car series? (correct me if i'm wrong) I'd be interested to know how different the oiling systems are in the GT3 and Carrera engines, as the old M9x blocks didn't like pulling more than 1G in corners, hence the GT1 block in the GT3 and Cup Cars.
10:45 "If the top is up, you can't really open the trunk" Thank you for pointing it out. I appreciate difference from a pure product plug. Great channel.
Gadgety the kinda stuff you only find out when I get the car and take it home and live with it
Quirks and features
@@TheSmokingTire When I first got the key to the Spyder and the trunk wouldn't open. I thought the previous owner sold me a defective car lol
Demar Gio same here!
@@gauchegaucho I had the same problem when I was registering at the DMV
Now one week later we have a 4.0 in the GTS! Bless Porsche.
Valuable piece of historical context when he said "the only way to get a six-cylinder in a Boxster is..."
End of 3rd is 112. End of 4th is 144.
-- Type 981 Boxster Spyder owner.
Thats 180 and 231 in km.
Long, just like older AMG 5-G automatics.
Longer gears than my car with a 5 speed. Crazy
awesome, so it is geared to potentially achieve 200mph... in a vacuum
that should come in handy, and often
Jesus. Where does first and second end?
@@tear728 second is around 80. 15 mph past where most second gears end.
I live in the uk. I have just taken delivery of a 718 Spyder. Totally agree with all the comments but in reality the car has loads of torque so you can short shift and still really enjoy it. It’s the best car in the Porsche range at the moment.
Particulate filters on gas engines is silly. The brakes probably create more heavy particulate matter than the exhaust does. Maybe the enviro-nutcase regulators in Europe should demand filters around wheel wells now.
Don't give them any more ideas
It's coming
www.google.com/amp/s/www.motor1.com/news/346653/brake-dust-particle-filter-spied/amp/
@@1NoEvo1 God almighty, that is insane! What about ground up particulate from tires and asphalt created when wheels drive over them? Are we going to put filters on top of our freeways and around tires to be perfectly free from dust??? Maybe drivers should be forced to wear giant condoms to prevent dry skin cells from flaking off and giving polar bears asthma.
I understand this video is a year old but I’ve just specc’d a 718 Spyder for delivery this year and I have to take issue with your comment at the end that the car you were driving ‘didn’t have much other than the PCCBs’.
That car had the following extras that I could see. Metallic paint (£1,600), Carbon seats (£3,000), extended leather & Spyder interior (£4,100) PCCBS (£5,000) parking sensors, interior accents painted body colour (£1,500), fire extinguisher (£200), individual climate (£300)
I was unable to get the car set up how I wanted it without adding almost £18,000 in options (including PCCBs).
Beautiful car and that gentian blue colour is stunning
i agree
@@gembi92 Me, too. That car in that Blue is gorgeous.
Agreed. I'd also love to see it in a dark forest green color too.
Bryan I’m partial to blues and greens with tan or brown interiors. I’m not one for carbon fiber everything and dark interiors.
Wrong. It’s dunt have a HEMI. Nazi Micropernis Trash
981 Spyder was better for road use. It had much more oversteer due to narrower, non-UHP rear tires and "standard" suspension and did roll a bit more, which made it much more fun when you pushed it really hard on a windy road. 981 was just more of a riot, felt a bit more nervous, while this is more planted, understeers more (like a GT4) and therefore at least to me feels a bit more boring. That makes a good track car, but not always a good road car. 981Spyder was a bit more like a Toyota GT86 if you know what I'm all about.
Not even considering the sound.
Still seriously cool car, but if you have a 981 Spyder I strongly recommend driving the 982 before you buy it, maybe you do feel the same as I do.
Matt, part what makes you so good is your absolute honesty. Great work. You and Zack are killing it 🤘
The Cayman/Spyder is the perfect size, and paired with a great 6 cylinder it's everything the 911 should be, especially if it wasn't factory handicapped.
Agreed, and still very under appreciated.
Not under appreciated by owners…
Would be great to hear comparisons of suspension and ride quality to the 981. We already know the sound is far superior on the 981. 200 lbs weight gain seems to offset the added hp
I love that you have handwritten notes in your journal. Its becoming a lost art. I still do it.
With the long gearing, does it negate the need for a manual really?
Neil Craig hownit helps me too, is that when you write something out, you can remember what you were feeling. You connect with it at the time it was written, unlike typing or digitally recording something out.
I use fountaine pen every day.
And i love it!
Jarek Nowak kind of one of those simple pleasures...
@@golfbuddy1969 100% right :)
Place where function meets art.
golfbuddy1969 I exclusively write notes, lists, outlines, and tech briefing notes by hand. I wrote the entire WCCS business plan by hand on a yellow legal pad.
As a 981 Spyder owner with plenty of track days, you'd get to 5th on long straights (Phillip Island) in the mountains of Australia (lol) you'd spend most of the time in 2nd and 3rd with occasional drops into 4th. 6th I highway overdrive and 5th really only high speed on tracks.
When I eventually move on from my 981S it will be for this car. So glad they brought back the flat 6.
bmcallister1974 a guy I know will be selling his yellow 981S for the new gt4. I’m glad he isn’t “settling” for the 4-cyl turbo gts.
i love how you keep it real. so many reviewers go "gaga" over the cup2 tire but its not great for daily street driving
It's also pretty famous for losing ~3 seconds of lap time after its first hot lap. I am a big Michelin fan but I think they peaked with the Pilot Exalto PE2 and Pilot Super Sport; the most recent generation of Michelin performance tires don't feel as buttoned down, and the compounds don't feel as durable or consistent as they used to IMO.
Never tried them but what do you mean not daily streetable? My friends and I run with re71r or indy 500...
M C From experience, they don’t loose 3s on any course, they might loose 0.3s on your average European race track.
Bruh that filter removes so much soul from the engine sound
Now you know whats going on in Europe… so sad😪
Yes but don’t expect much from the NA version - noise levels have to drop globally.
Europeans regulator are out of control. The brakes and tires will create more particulates than the engine does.
Yea most German cars after 2019, have that exhaust filter, darn emissions.
@@giovanni4436 There's more PM on the roadway than there is coming from the exhaust. Particulate filters are asinine. They actually increase consumption, which create MORE harmful emissions, much worse than heavy PM. EU regulators are clowns.
I can't wait for spring to take my Spyder out from hibernation. SPRING please come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm one of the few that is disappointed by the announcement of this generations GT4 and Spyder for multiple objective reasons. (#3 is my biggest gripe, I really hoped the gearing changed):
1. It's been 4 years since the last GT4 and GTS. This new engine even without the filter, doesn't actually better by much.
2. The specs are just sad for anyone who isn't a race car driver or track enthusiast. Numbers have bumped up but still a 4.2 second 0 to 60. Yes, the suspension and the set up of the car overall has made them insanely fast on the ring and track, but for 90% folks buying this, they can't utilize those aspects by much anyways
3.Torque is only about 20 to 30 more than even a 981 GTS, *with the same unjustifiably long gearbox,* you're doing your daily, or doing run of the mill, spirited driving won't feel much much different in terms of power delivery and speed. Sure it has longer legs and the extra horsepower will make it go more, but who is driving over 200miles all the time to have fun? The delivery won't feel like it's significantly faster as an experience to care due to that gearbox. A decimal second difference, you won't even feel it in reality unless the method of power delivery is different, which it isn't here with the same gears. Disappointing.
4.its literally the same car as the 2012 Cayman. Sure body panels are all redone for 718 but it drives, looks, and feels pretty much the same. This car could have launched in 2013 and it would have made just as much sense...
@@irfuel actually my whole points were not about track use. It's actually the exact opposite. Hence my preposition on prefacing that my opinion really only matters for none track enthusiasts.
@@irfuel but yea...overall, not impressed especially considering NA engines will disappear soon. I thought they'd send the Cayman and Boxster a proper send off
ZDY these cars are made by the GT department, those cars are made for track use. Youre paying a premium over a GTS for the GT3 suspension and aero that comes on this car. If youre not doing that kind of driving, I agree, you are better off just buying a GTS. That said, even with the long gearing the gt4/spyder are a good 2-3 seconds/lap faster on most short courses than their gts counterparts. Thats an eternity on track. By the end of a 20 min session you will be nearly lapping the GTS on an average track. Also, motorsport just ran a GT4 2 seconds faster than the 992S on Magnys GP. These cars are built for track first, including the spyder.
And yes, there is a market who actually track these cars, thats why they exist (including me and my 981 GT4 and my former 987 Spyder).
@@dan63085 I agree with you! Again, as I had prefaced, for people like you, by all means, it makes a lot of sense. But in my city/province (Toronto, Ontario, apparently we sell the most Porsches and once upon a time, Ferrari as well, turns out when you have a short summer, people are more willing to spend on something that's less usable to fully enjoy the short summer) nearly every person who owns a GT car never tracks. I'd say 30% owns for fun and don't care about driving sporty, another 50% drives spiritedly but nothing like pushing track limits, and the last 20% either tracks or straight up don't drive them (literally, for example, many foreigner students lease these things because relative to their own country, it's very cheap here. But when they leave the leases don't end, and the cars just sit and rot. Sometimes sold on consignments or lease taken over, but they only sell to their own groups most times).
So the true balls to the walls track nuts are maybe 5 to 10% of the owners in my city. In a whole club of hundreds of people, there's maybe a handful or two that tracks.
Anyways, my point is, from a "not pushing for absolute limit and time attack" perspective, but from a spirited normal enthusiast, the cars are kind of disappointing this time around.
ZDY I agree but I think porsche markets the gts for that kind of use. Porsches # is 80% of gt owners track. Personally that number is about right based on people I know who own them but thats a local pool. I think for the price what you get for these cars is phenomenal. I do agree if the shorter gearing would be better but like Matt said, they have a 911 to worry about too...
FYI for anyone watching this now (like 2022) the exhaust on this car *is* the same as the US and CDN models. The US cars aren’t louder, and have the same particulate filters.
What about 2020 usa models ?
I just got one
@@waltvancourt5052 the exhaust is the same - Porsche designed one exhaust system for the entire world, everyone got the particulate filters, some are monitored some not - congrats! I have one too, great cars
OMG.......A 4 liter flat 6 in a small body like a Boxter with 416HP and ceramic brakes???? Its official....This ain't the poor man's 911 anymore. Love these drives Matt. Keep em coming. Beautiful footage, crystal clear. Dunno what camera you're using but WOW.
More quality, less volume, worth watching, thanks Matt!
In an interview with JWW, the head engineer for this car has said that this is the new engine for Euro emission standards and it will be used in other cars further down the road. I guess the old 4.0 from the GT3 will be retired rather soon.
Maybe. But Cayman complex still applies, no way new engine for GT3 will be this one from Cayman ;
The new 4.0 may most probably last longer than the GT3 4.0, but that engine will still be in Service for at least the 992.1 GT3, so we are talking a minimum of 3-4 years from now on.
It could be the next Gen motor but it's still clubbed at the knees so it won't challenge the 911
Jetara absolutely. Everyone is saying the 4.0 will stick around for the 992 GT3. No reason to worry here
Hi Matt! ❤️the videos! I have a 1995 993 with NO flywheel and it idles perfectly. Revs like a motorcycle. The computer adapts to lack of flywheel. Mark Tashijan at Formula Motorsports NYC set it up. Mark was a Porsche Racing mechanic in Europe in 1970s. He says that the sports racing cars ran races with no flywheel. This does not work with later 993s as they have OBD2 so it throws a CEL code. Oh, another advantage of no fly wheel is the car creeps in 1st gear in traffic mush more smoothly than the DM flywheel.
Love this Boxster, but the gearing would drive me nuts
Blah blah blah... In its third gear, you can drive it like an automatic... LOL!
Here in Germany its "gearing" won't be a problem at all... On the Autobahn you can drive it in all its six gears... The 718 GT4 and Spyder PDK versions will be out during this year... Shifting it with paddles will be more fun than with a six speed manual in the Californian canyons.
The gearing is the same as the GT3. I had a 981 cayman S and it was the same speed for 1-3 as a 991 GT3. I didn’t really notice the gearing too much after a while. The only time is if you’re really going for it, and even then I could top 3rd, which was fine for me
Yeah, this seems like perhaps the perfect modern Porsche except for that gearing. Was excited to hear about Sharkwerks doing a re-geared transmission to remedy that single flaw.
@Nicholas Fouch Agreed. When you are that close to perfect how could you not.
@@Porsche1969 I disagree with everything you've said here so hard, haha. You buy this kind of car for driving engagement and enjoyment. Who gives a damn what it's like on the autobahn? I've had something like this before, where you were just in 3rd gear all day long unless you did stupid speeds, and it's no fun at all.
Give me an exhaust and a 100k, can't think of a better drop top with a six speed. Love it in blue on silver.
I own the 2013 981 Boxster S with porsche sport exhaust. This car is before the filter. The exhaust sounds amazing. Great cars cayman/boxster.
This is the best car Porsche makes today.
911 gt3 touring
*If you fix the gearing
@@Rentta Agree. I have a 981 GT4 and that's the only complain I have about this car
I'm curious to see this on the track v a gt3
GT3 is still Better but unless you care about the name otherwise you don’t need more than a GT4
You can tell when Matt vibes with a car, he was hauling here
I love how Porsche likes to screw over speculators. People who dumped money into GT4s for quick cash now face GTS 4.0.
Insane beautiful OMG what more to say in that in a manual now a days, Porsche nailed it.
Because of cars like this Boxster Spyder is why Porsche is one of my favorites
It's insane these are $97k. Such good value. Sexier than any 911, in my opinion.
Wish that was still the case
Dealers should just sell re-geard cars because that's just insane, I remember motortrend complaining endlessly about the gearing on the GT4
And yet the 2020 gt4 won evo coty. Same gearing. Same as gt3. Most faster cars are geared higher. It’s much ado about very little.
Of course it's not THE 4.0... Porsche will always keep the Boxter Cayman gimped to artificially inflate the 911's ego.
Love how this is just a point of frustration with the Porsche lineup, when it's literally something that every single car manufacturer does
@rockn roll it would be faster than a gt3 and would make the Speedster utterly stupid.
I think they’re maybe waiting to release the new GT3 before fitting the PDK to the GT4/Spyder so they can unleash its full potential without making the current GT3 look slow.
ewt415 Yep, BMW’s M2 Competition for example. BMW made it heavier than the M3/M4 to keep the M3/M4 as the faster car.
@@rousseau327 Don't think anyone said it was exclusive to Porsche. Perhaps just a bit more obvious.
Car Matt drove is about $115K pre tax.
Damm.. That's Why the older models Make more Sense.
PCCB + Full buckets + interior trim in exterior color....and that's only the stuff I can see. $115k sounds about right.
So the filter makes it sound like a 911 Turbo without the turbos.
Just needs a active exhaust haha
Porsche announced the GTS will now be coming out with a 6 cylinder engine as well. Despite Boxster/Cayman sales always being a minor part of total Porsche profits, the 718 numbers have been a disaster. Handling dynamics of the 718 is great but that engine not only sounds bad, it is horribly laggy and there is like a two second pause if you downshift to pass a truck. The good news is for people that want a weekend Boxster the 718 can be found for (Porsche level) cheap.
Matthew, this was the best and only ad I listened to completely that had meaning and purpose.
The 4.0 from the gt products doesn’t fit in the cayman without spending stupid amounts of money. It’s because it’s mounted backwards in the 911s...
Great review and perspective, Matt. I love how you got to live with the car for a week and could take it to all of the places you would normally go and treat it like a "real" car. The Boxster and Cayman have always had decent practicality and I drive my 718 Cayman as often as possible and anywhere I can just because it is fun and easy to live with. Interesting that a PDK + Sport Chrono base car can put up a 0-60 of around 4.5 as compared to the 4.2 in the 718 Spyder!
I lived in the Antelope Valley for 3 years with the Angeles National Forest and some of the best canyon roads at my disposal. Back in Texas now and it is the one thing I miss the most about SoCal. I hardly ever just go for a drive here like I used to living there.
I think Porsche are maybe waiting to release the new GT3 before fitting the PDK to the GT4/Spyder this year. So they can unleash its full potential without making the current GT3 look slow.
Right on the 👃.
When you hear the flyby sound at 4:07 I thought it was a faster car coming in for an overtake 😂
Main reason why I didn't settle for a 718 model was because of the 4cyl, This car seems so much better.
I hope I am chosen in our local allocation. It doesn't matter how much money one has to be chosen. I would get mine in silver with a red top. Keep up the great work Matt!
6 cylinder engine in a Boxster? Interesting idea, Porsche should try it ;) If Porsche has been messing up the gearing on GT4s and Boxster Spyders for at least two generations now, surely someone in the aftermarket has figured out a numerically higher (shorter) final drive ratio...
Damn that Zenith looks aggressive! Sick piece. Great car too.
Gorgeous amazing new car from Porsche. You can't go wrong with the new GT4 or Spyder for the money.
Thank you Matt for the detailed explainer of the experience. The Boxster Spyder may be my favorite new car, and one I hopefully can afford some day. For the market it is in, it looks like a value and the 'low-output' 4.0L may be strongly driven by the 'Cayman Complex', but at 414bhp, I think it is just right for a car you an enjoy on the street while mobbing on a track. Just needs those shorter gears to be perfect.
The roof isn't a problem when you're guaranteed no rain the whole day. Unfortunately in England a beautiful summer day can quickly become a grey winters day within a few miles haha!
That stock exhaust sounds strangled.....maybe Akrapovic will probably have a fix for that
look up that automotive life... in south africa no filters..it sounds better, not as good as 981 which is amazing second only to gt3
You can also get the flat 6 in the GTS which I drove brand new. This is is a slightly detuned version of the spyder
Sharkwerks can give You re-gearing for 3rd, 4rth, 5th and 6th. They don't have solution for 1st and 2nd because of how 2nd is placed on main shaft...
Great Video Matt! Reminds me of Classic Matt Farah!
The Boxster is my dream car, in any year. Who needs the fastest car anyway?
I've never seen a Boxter Safari... that would be fantastic.
Great review Matt. I’m extremely interested in this car but the gearing is a big turn off as I enjoy shifting almost as much as I would enjoy touching/hearing the car at the 8k redline.
One correction, carbon ceramics are not the only option on that car you drove. Unlike the first gen Spyder, the carbon buckets in this car are an optional extra ($5,900).
It looks amazing!!!!!
When will Sharkwerks offer the 718 gearbox mod and remove the filters? I'm waiting for that to be offered to get one of these.
I've noticed a lot of the design cues from the 918 Spyder trickling down to this 718 Spyder and even the 991.2 GT3RS.
Good on Matt for buying one!
Loved the rolling Cali stop at 11:00. Great car. I love mine tall gears and all
Such a great looking vehicle... Unfortunately I'm more on a used ND2 Miata $25k budget than this.
That's alright. I'm still struggling with rationalizing spending the money for an NC2 after a person totaled my NB (which I barely fit in anyway). My rational brain says crush debt and maximize investments/savings. My soul is screaming to buy another MX-5.
That’s about 98% of us
Stunning; the most 'want' normal car for me right now.
I have one on order. Supposed to be getting it in April, May here in U.S. Apparently very limited. My dealership is getting only 1 allotment and guess who’s getting it :)
"I put in a thousand miles on this vehicle this weekend. Went to Sonoma and back. Shifted gears twice." - inexact quote.
A master class in driving and journalism
Save yourself $ get a 2016 regular boxster, 6 cylinder. Nice improvement from my 2003. 1st automatic trans in a long time. Faster but sometimes miss the manual trans.
Make mine Silver and black, and I'm good to go. Matt, as always, great feedback on the driving experience.
Being that my favorite water-cooled Porsche is the 996 GT3 RS, the GT4 is as close to it in performance as any car Porsche make today. So a topless version is just all the better (S2000 in my garage). Shame about that 2nd-4th gear deal, though.
Love the look of it now. Great to hear Porsche thinks the 4 cylinder was a mistake and looking to bring back a 6 to the main line.
curious how the price on these will hold up compared the the GT4....
Very well presented. You do the test in real world conditions
5th and 6th leave em alone ~ Matt Farah
Leave them for Autobahn.
So Matt, after watching both this and your gt4 vids......which one would you own?
Sunday morning, coffee , TST 👍🏽
The reality is that most of the people who own this car want to cruise in it, with an occasional track day once in a while. The long gearing makes sense 90% of the time, it lowers the revs on the highway.
1:36 best view
Does the .2 gt3 not have equally long gearing?
For Switzerland I prefer the GT4 and I can't wait for the roads to re-open. But in SoCal, the Spyder might be it. Awesome cars!
Hey Matt sorry for the confusion but I thought that all 2020 718 models get a particulate filter regardless if it's a North American or European model. I'd love to be wrong though! If North American models have no filter I'm even more excited!
saadi101 nope, Europe only
I like the manual roof, one less problem and future high cost repair.
My 997 911 is at the age where it’s not always a sure thing if the roof is going to close. There’s something to be said for simplicity over the long term. I’m considering a Spyder in the next year or two and I couldn’t care less about the roof.
SmokingTire, this Spyder has the same torque as the 981 Spyder. Does that mean the pull off the line is the same between the two?
Does the Spyder have Porsche Entry and Drive standard? Not listed anywhere but there’s options to buy a key painted in exterior color, which it says only comes with the Entry and Drive option.
I know that the 981 Cayman GT4 didn't use the GT3 engine because it wouldn't fit, which is why we haven't seen anyone roll out a swapped one yet. I hope that isn't the case here because I would love to see someone build one with the GT3's 4.0.
They are both 9a1 blocks so I doubt that is true
That’s not true; it’s due to cost.
Hey Matt, I need to finalize my spec on this car by the end of the month. Leaning toward the full bucket seats you tested in; however, there is always the issue of desiring heated seats in a convertible. Would you spec the carbon fiber buckets on this for a weekend car in the Midwest or sport seats with heat. Could also be a car I hand onto into my 50s & 60s.
I'm trading my 2016 GT4 for this car as I miss my previous 09 Boxster S. I need a convertible. My GT4 is garaged from Halloween until mid March as I live in a snow belt. Carry on Matt.
Matt - thanks for the video (and the great channel for that matter). Question: if you had an allocation for either this or the 718 GT4 living on the east coast, would you still be comfortable with the roof for a car which would not be a daily driver but definitely driven often?
Other options for ~$100k:
- ND2 Miata + Lotus Elise + Veloster N
- ND2 Miata + Lotus Elise + C6 Z06
- well optioned C8 corvette
- C5 Z06 + C6 Z06 + C7 Z06
- 991 Carrera T
I support #consolidatingupward, but is the Boxter Spyder really upward?
Mike Anthony except for maybe the Carrera T, yes 100% would rather have this than any of your combos.
@@TheSmokingTire Boxter Spyder over C8? Given you're one of a few who have driven both and similar-ish price points, that's very interesting... care to elaborate? Thanks!
If this is worth $96k or $105k, then what is a C8 convertible that does everything better for far less worth? Hard to picture anyone choosing one of the Porsche twins over the C8. You're already a 2nd class citizen in the Porsche world if you make this choice so why not go with the better choice.
There you go, bringing class into it again.
Having owned a 997, i would rather tell people I have a vette over a boxter
The only bad thing is that it costs almost the same as a base model 911. On the track tho, the GT4 will definitely win. Daily driver... 911 perhaps.
The reason they developed NA 6 cylinder motor wasn’t just for the GT4. That wouldn’t be cost effective. It’ll appear in more cars....
Also they used to say a 996 GT3 engine was something like 20 or 40 grand!? I forget the number that go bandied around. The GT3 motor is A LOT more expensive to produce.
It's not like Porsche is going to bring out a special edition that costs X and you have to be on a list or anything...
Hopefully the PDK that’s out this year has shorter ratios. If it doesn’t I’m cancelling my GT4 order.
This guy
Is the audio clipping or is there water in my speakers?
How's the size of the new boxster in relation to your 993
It is indeed sad that Germany, which is only responsible for 2% CO2 globally, is trying to save the world, while the main responsible countries for waste and CO2 is not taking responsibility. The fast, destructive ride against windmills... Nevertheless a wonderful compromise is the Porsche 718 Spyder. Thanks for the great video!! ...the advantage in Germany, it is easy here to drive the vehicle also in 4, 5 and 6th gear..:-)
I agree the "cayman complex"is at work regarding the new 4.0 liter though I heard elsewhere on the web that the motor will be used in other cars as well...didn't say which.
Windy Run Probably the 992 GTS
They just announced a cayman with this engine but normal suspension
@@TheSmokingTire So all caymans will get this engine and the gt4 version gets the upgraded suspension?
I agree with the cylinder numbers
that is a bad ass looking Boxster😳
I am thinking as gorgeous as this is.. I am going to order a GT 4.0 as i won't ever track it. I am also thinking PDK? What do you all think?
This Porsche looks fun.
Knowing how the GT3 engines were in past models, the quality of the parts used and the material choices mean the engine is x3 the cost of a boggo standard engine.. So doesn't surprise me they've made a different 4L engine for the Boxster Spyder.
Usually the GT3 engine is a fully dry sumped engine designed to be used in the Cup Car series adapted to meet emission standards. It really is a race engine for the road.
Versus the other engines used in Boxsters and Carrera's which are made to cost for road cars.
When Porsche went water cooled they split the production of their race and road engines significantly, where as before they were all based on the race engines to some kind of degree.
They used to suffix their engine codes with either 75 or 76 for the race breed ones like M96.76, M97.76, MA1.76 etc..
I don't know what they're doing with the engine code these days, but you can guarantee their GT engines are still of a much better quality.
James Healey the 981 base car and a gt3 both use 9a1 blocks, shows how much of a value the lower models really are. The difference is in the parts up top
@@Chris-hb6jt thats 100% normal.
Just like Mitsubishi 4G63.
Well a bottom end is a bottom end, but the M96 and M97 engines despite sharing the same codes, the bottom ends were completely different in the GT3 and Carrera models, they used the GT1 race car bottom end and a completely new top end.
The MA1 engine I aren't sure as I don't have any experience with them yet. Quite interestingly though, Porsche considered making the original GT3 with a modified M96 bottom end with improved oiling and the X51 power pack top end, and designed an aero kit to go with it too..
Then decided against it for some reason and went with the old GT1 block and had to design a new rear wing with the intake on the other side for the GT3, then sold off these cars in the Japanese Market as the Power-Up edition of the 996 and as XAA and X51 options separately in the rest of the world.
Porsche then stuck to the GT1 block in the GT cars until the MA1 block it seems, I understand they're using the MA1 block in race cars too in the Cup Car series? (correct me if i'm wrong)
I'd be interested to know how different the oiling systems are in the GT3 and Carrera engines, as the old M9x blocks didn't like pulling more than 1G in corners, hence the GT1 block in the GT3 and Cup Cars.