Porsche 718 GTS – A Magical Mix of Road- and Track Manners

By Stuart & Ané

Stuart: If there is one common Porsche denominator that runs through all its machines, it is one of communication. That’s a thread that runs through the entire company too, which is why every one of their cars feels like an integrated whole that delights whether you are stuck in traffic or braking as late as you can for Kyalami's Crowthorne Corner.

Let me get on the record right now about the four-cylinder boxer motor used in the Porsche 718 series. It was about 18 months ago that I first sampled the new engine, and I thought it was great then, and it’s  even greater now, in more powerful, more raucous GTS form.

It’s not just the way that it delivers in terms of power and torque, but it sounds great too. You have to be a Johnny-come-lately motoring hack to expect  a four-cylinder Porsche to sound like a six-cylinder one, or even an eight-cylinder. The sound of this new open-lunged boxer-four motor has that hard rasp that I would expect it to have, especially when you run it to 7 000 rpm and beyond.

The induction noise sounds like Weber IDF carbs from the 1960s

There is that almost “Weber-esque”  IDF-like induction noise that recalls the great four-cam Carrera motors of yore, like the one that James Dean used in his ill-fated RS 550. Remember this was the engine configuration that made Porsche the legend it is today, as it racked up class-win after class-win at races like the Le Mans 24 Hour and the Targa Florio sports car classics of the 1950s and ‘60s.

And in the 718, whether it be in coupé form in the Cayman, or in Boxster roadster spec , that engine will be a constant companion. My advice is, appreciate it for what it is, a highly-tuned horizontally-opposed (boxer) four-cylinder. And then perhaps, ask yourself why you love the sound of a Subaru WRX when you are “dissing” this motor!

Multi-surface competence

For me, the launch drive of the 718 GTS came to life down an obscure piece of road known as the Rietvlei Dam Road, south east of Pretoria in the Irene area. This was just the kind of road where Porsche development drivers of the 1950s would hone the chassis and suspension of the Speedsters and Spyders of the day, and I wonder what they would have thought if they’d witnessed the competence of this 2018 car’s ability over such ridged, rippled, at times jagged tarmac.

After all, the GTS comes with 20-inch rims covered in ultra-low-profile rubber (235-35 ZR 20s at front, 265-25 ZR20s at the rear), and yet here we were, pressing on extremely hard, and the ride was wonderfully fluid and supple, even in the stiffer Sport damper setting.

Rotary knob on the wheel to switch from normal to sport and sport+

On the 718 you have the luxury of using the little rotary knob below the right hand spoke of the steering wheel to alter the car’s basic set up from Normal (comfort) through Sport, to the ultimate Sport + setting, and this immediately firms things up for you. This is not that uncommon today, but what I like about the Porsche set-up is that you can then use individual buttons on the console to soften the suspension, dial in less or more traction assist, and alter the exhaust and induction audio levels.

Nothing fiddly about the car, on any level!

That section of road was one of the few where traffic conditions allowed us the opportunity give the car its head and concentrate on how the car behaved out in the real world. But it should be mentioned that even when driving at crawl-speed, what makes a Porsche unique is that it communicates in subtle ways. You are always amazed at how good the steering feels simply turning out of a driveway onto the road.

Because every item of steering geometry, every specification of damper control and spring rate, and wheel-size and tyre configuration, has been decided upon after exhaustive  R&D and on-the-road testing by Porsche personnel that understand true sports car ethos.

Intuitive PDK gearbox

The same goes for the PDK (Porsche's Doppelkupplung or dual-clutch ) seven-speed gearbox. It is super-quick-shifting and intuitive in choosing the right ratios for your pace and driving style, and there is a ratio for every occasion. This was made crystal clear on the laps we did at Kyalami in both roadster and coupe forms of the 718 GTS. The downshifts on automatic mode were sublime

The format Porsche chose for us scribes saw us take to Kyalami in both closed coupé and “rag-top” version of the GTS behind  experienced Porsche instructors setting the pace up ahead in quicker 911s. This was a great system, as an instructor bellowing in your ear from the seat next to you can sometimes be intrusive on a race track. Here the instructor set the lines and braking points by example, and the speed of the lap by how close you were able to follow him without getting seriously out of shape.

Getting out of shape won’t happen easily

Not that getting out of shape in the 718 GTS is something that will happen easily. The cars on track were fitted with optional ceramic brakes, so stopping ability was never in question. The car is set up to be a gentle understeerer on turn-in, but in Sport + mode it is possible to get the tail just a little bit squirrelly if you dial in too much of that 269  kW at your disposal. The steering loads progressively  the harder you punch it and the feedback is progressive too, so you have an innate sense of what the front end is doing through your hands, and what the rear end is doing through the Alcantara-supported seat of your pants!

The track surface of the new improved Kyalami is near perfect, with no mid-corner ripples to upset things, and in the GTS  it all just fell so calm and relaxed. Okay, I was following the lines of an expert driver, and that played a huge part in making  it all seem so calm and under control.

In terms of overall power increases the gains of the GTS over the 718 S model are not massive, equating to just 11 kW. But this is still enough to give the car a 0100 km/h time of 4,1 seconds and a top speed of 290 km/h. Those are very much 911 figures of a few years back! Changes to the engine are pretty much limited to re-designed air intake and turbo configurations.

As for looks, I love the dark, black, trim detail  aspects of the GTS, especially those black wheels. The headlight and tail light lenses have also been given the “black” treatment, and the effect is one seriously mean-looking baby Porsche.

Integration in every detail

Overall, the car speaks of its integration in every detail, and that only comes from creating a corporate culture where there is one common goal, which everyone understands, and they are all working towards it. Nobody in the world, right now, does this better than Porsche, despite the fact that it is producing cars now in the hundreds of thousands , each and every year!

As a Porsche salesman remarked in passing, when enjoying our appreciation of the new model,  it is amazing how much Porsche you are getting for just a little over R1,1-million. Basic pricing is R1 122 000 for the 718 Cayman, and R1 137 000 for the 718 Boxster. I repeat my view that  the decision to go the four-cylinder route with the 718, made no doubt as it was in the interests  of lowering the corporate emissions and fuel consumption profile, has given this car its own unique identity.

And in hopped-up GTS guise, the 718 has truly come of age.

-SJ

Ané: The joys of driving these two beasts? Immeasurable! The smile on my face became permanent after the first lap.

Design detail

Ever seen an ugly Porsche? I can't say that I have. From a design perspective, there's little to criticize. It's not just mathematically correct - it's the finest German Opus of sweet lines and luscious curves.

Alcantara. Alcantara everywhere...

With lashings of luxurious, race driver-friendly, suede-like material known as Alcantara, you'll never get that clammy feeling on your palms, as it does a marvellous job of absorbing moisture and affording grip. Whatever you touch (which don't involve the control switches or the gear-lever), your skin is sure to make contact with this lovely stuff.

The perfection within

Porsche's neat and cozy interior in both the Boxster and Cayman makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside: could it be that my chaotic mind comes completely at rest, ensconced in these sporty, soul-soothing surroundings? From the font on the buttons to the glossy aluminium strip above the cubby, which, when pressed, releases two hidden cupholders, there's not a superfluous switch to be seen. The loveliest feature is the perfect little analogue clock that sits atop the dash...

Four cylinders can be feisty too

Some members of the motoring media are scoffing at the 2.5-litre, flat-four engine’s sound - one journalist notes that it sounds like there's a Massey Ferguson on your tail at full blast. Of course, the outgoing flat-six sounded darn good. But consumers aren't motoring journalists (we surely can't afford sports cars), and if you're after a cracker of a 269kW / 430Nm engine with an ultra-entertaining soundtrack to boot, there's little reason why the near-perfectly augmented sound of the new 718-range will put you off. (Are Hollywood's A-list actresses' attractive features 100 percent au naturelle? Exactly...)

Press the exhaust button and the sound is amplified throughout the cabin. Work those flappy paddles for even more aural pleasure - I love it!

Steering that is more communicative than your spouse

Hydraulic steering made way for the electric type back in 2012 with the launch of the 981 Boxster, and today it's better than ever - if anyone is going to get this right, you can bet your bottom Bitcoin that it's going to be Porsche. Feedback is beautifully detailed through those massive 20-inch wheels and fat tyres, while Porsche ceramic composite brakes take excellent care of stopping duties (the latter is optional).

It flatters your driving skills

Throw its nose into any direction you wish, and even let its tail slide out a little in Sport Plus. But it will never let you down, unless you're just a reckless menace to society. Less experienced drivers who want their thrills with some peace of mind can select Sport mode for a more spirited drive, under the supervision of a multitude of electronic assistance systems. Torque vectoring allows for more grip by braking the inside of the wheels when exiting fast corners, and Porsche's Active Suspension Management (PASM) is a standard feature on GTS models, which assists in keeping things perfectly controlled.

Was I chuffed that I managed to keep up with Porsche's experienced driving instructor on Kyalami? Sure I was - but then, he was going easy one me in his faster 911 - he does this for a living and we all know what a 911 is capable of - I saw that wing pop out and it was a done deal! However, both the Cayman and Boxster are just that good - the PDK auto-box seems  telepathic in selecting the optimum gear. And surprisingly, there's not such a vast difference in the handling between the soft-top and the hard-top.

Smaller engine = better fuel economy

You'll never be more glad that Porsche have gone the downsizing route than when you're pulling up at the fuel pumps. Our morning drive on the highways and byways of Jo'burg and Pretoria returned a combined fuel economy of 10.2 litres per 100 km - I'm quite convinced that you'll squeeze 600 kays plus out of a single tank if you don't drive like to work like Nasser Al-Attiyah every day.

It's not badly priced at all

Considering that you're actually getting the swiftest, top-of-the-line Boxster or Cayman for roughly the same amount of money as you'd spend on a (pretty loaded, but still) Audi TT RS Coupé or an Alfa Romeo 4C, I think the choice is obvious - as none of the other two are Porsches...

-AT