Tag Archives: Cayman

A Four-Cylinder Porsche Boxster Is Not the Sign of the Apocalypse

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http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a28293/porsche-718-boxster-first-ride/

Excerpt:

I’ve flown 10 hours to listen to an engine. Which isn’t that big a deal, really. I once drove 20 hours straight for a corned beef sandwich. But the stakes here are considerably higher. See, Porsche is replacing the near-perfect flat-sixes in its Boxster with brand-new, turbocharged flat-fours. The 718 Boxster now has a 2.0-liter four making 300 horsepower and the 718 Boxster S has a 2.5-liter good for 350 hp.

 

I shared the following news about the Porsche Boxster and Cayman flat-four engines:

Here’s what you need to know about Porsche’s New Turbo Flat-Four Engines

Power Specs and Details on Porsche’s New Boxter and Cayman Engines

Flat Four-cylinder Turbo Porsche Cayman

Porsche to Manufacture Horizontally-opposed 4-cylinder Engines

Yeah, I’ve been fixated on that car because…well, because of the flat-four.  I’m interested in seeing how a non-Subaru manufacturer extracts power from a flat-four.  As well, I’d like to hear how they sound.  I’m also wondering how the Porsche purists will respond to those two cars and their flat-four engines.

Sadly, I’ve not seen or heard much yet, but I’ve no doubt I’ll have my questions answered once the first real reviews are made public.

Here’s What You Need to Know About Porsche’s New Turbo Flat-Four Engines

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From Road & Track:

Unlike the 911, which is using a 3.0 liter flat-six in both the Carrera and Carrera S, just with different turbos, the 718 twins will have a 2.0 or a 2.5 liter turbocharged flat four. The 2.0 in the base cars will have 300 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque while the 718 Boxster S will have a 2.5 liter flat-four turbo with 340 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. There could also be a GTS version coming with 365 horsepower.

 

Porsche is going all-in on turbocharging.

Posted by Road & Track Magazine on Tuesday, December 15, 2015

 

In the Facebook comments, I already see people equating the upcoming 718 engines with Subaru EJs.  Now, when has Porsche ever not blazed their own trail?  Porsche will almost certainly ensure this engine will generate glorious (or at least non-nasty) sounds.  Subaru’s trademark sounds are due to the EJs running unequal-length headers.  I highly doubt Porsche will do something stupid like adopt unequal length headers, especially if they opt to use twin-scroll turbochargers.  With luxury-sport cars such as these Porsche variants, they’re going to ensure the car sounds like it looks…fast, powerful, and sleek.

Power Specs and Details on Porsche’s New Boxster and Cayman Engines

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2014-10Best-Cars-117-626x382

The bottom line is, Porsche’s all turbo lineup of boxer four-cylinder engines will replace flat-sixes in all but the highest-tier, limited-edition cars.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a26227/boxster-cayman-four-cylinder-power/

http://blog.caranddriver.com/report-details-displacement-horsepower-for-porsche-boxster-cayman-turbo-fours/

Boxster and Cayman turbocharged flat fours will have between 240 and 370 HP, per Road & Track magazine:

Here’s how the pie is being cut: base model cars should see 240 hp from their single-turbo two-liter. Step up to an “S” and displacement jumps to 2.5 liters, and output would be 300 hp. GTS models would receive a 370 hp 2.5-liter, a little below what Porsche CEO Mattias Müller indicated would be the theoretical maximum output of a turbo flat four in the Boxman.?

Car & Driver reports:

Only the ultra-high-performance Boxster Spyder and Cayman GT4 are said to retain their naturally aspirated flat-six engine, a 3.8-liter unit. Which is sure to make them even more highly desired than they already are. Meanwhile, one has to wonder whether the base, S, and GTS versions of the current Boxster/Cayman are destined to become depreciation-proof used cars, in the same vein as the final air-cooled 911 models.

Flat Four-cylinder Turbo Porsche Cayman

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I posted awhile back that Porsche might be going mainstream with turbocharged flat-four engines.  Boxer engines aren’t the most efficient when it comes to making power, but they do offer outstanding balance (center of gravity, which will enhance handling).

Here’s another article:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-videos/the-4-cylinder-turbo-porsche-cayman-cometh

Post by Road & Track Magazine.

4-cylinder Boxster and Cayman Video Footage at NBR??

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I just saw the following posted on Facebook:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-videos/this-is-probably-the-flat-four-cayman-at-the-nurburgring

I also posted awhile back about the fact that Porsche was considering using the flat-four layout in upcoming engine options for the Boxster and Cayman.

I then saw the videos provided on that page.  First, they posted a baseline video, so that people know how a current Cayman sounds:

Then, they posted a Boxster andCayman with what’s unarguably a flat-four motor:

I prefer the sound of the flat-six, but the flat-four isn’t bad.

EDIT:

There’s quite a bit of uproar with the Porsche “purists” on R&T’s Facebook page…check out the comments:

 

Post by Road & Track Magazine.

Standing Mile: 2015 STI and 2014 Porsche Cayman

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I saw the below on Google+, posted by Automobile Magazine.

Note that these two cars aren’t really comparable (they both use horizontally-opposed engines but it’s a stretch to think that they’re related in any sense). As well, the STI’s AWD advantage is nullified by the fact that this is a standing mile competition…the distance is far too long for AWD to be a definitive factor. Also, even though the Cayman is down 25 HP, it weighs 300-lb less while also being 2-wheeled, which means there’s less parasitic drivetrain loss (more of its power is making it to the ground in comparison to the STI).

These two cars only have one thing in common: horizontally-opposed engines. Well, there’s one other thing they share…they both ran the exact same standing mile completion time.

It’s fun to watch as long as the viewers realize that neither of these two cars are designed for drag racing.