Popular Mechanics (South Africa)
PORSCHE 718 GTS
Porsche restores faith in the 718 family with the revved-up GTS
The way of the fours
I USED to be a Porsche purist, seduced by the superior roar of a fine-tuned flat- six. I also just hated the Boxster when it was first launched, because I felt it watered down the brand too much, a similar criticism I had for the Macan. You can then imagine my outrage when Porsche invoked the glorious 718 heritage and placed that hallowed mantle on the very model I loathed. And then I drove the GTS.
It wasn’t really mind-blowing on the refined Kyalami circuit and the 2,5-litre flat-four still sounds like a tarted-up GTI, but you can definitely tell that the engineers really tried to turn it into a proper Porsche.
The 718 GTS is sharp, responsive and well balanced, so retaining just enough of that quintessential Porsche edge to make it feel as though it could comfortably slug it out way above its weight class.
The Cayman and Boxster models both gain the cream of the Porsche options list and performance boosts over S siblings to the tune of extra 11 kw and 10 N.m. At 10 mm lower than any 718 (Cayman and Boxster) before it, that edge I referred to is courtesy of the squat stance, with a dollop of Porsche Torque Vectoring and a mechanical rear differential.
I knew the engineers succeeded in their mission to beef up the Boxster when back-to-back hot laps in the two variants left me confused about which one was better on track. But if I’m being honest, I actually preferred the Boxster. It makes no sense, but I swear it felt stiffer.
Yes, I referenced the four- pistoned pachyderm in attendance earlier and I’m sure the angry emails are already streaming in. Here’s the thing: an allnew intake duct and re-tuned (read: optimised) variable-vane turbocharger that now bellows at 1,3 bar (a 0,2 bar improvement over the S) added some much-needed soul to the power mill. Most of its potential customers would probably accept the extra 26 kw and 70 N.m this GTS has on its six-cylinder predecessor any day of the week, no matter what it sounds like.
And that’s where it all kind of falls apart for me. There’s a button to make the engine sound a bit more appealing. I can almost picture the poor sod who spent days and nights redesigning the induction system to squeeze a silly 269 kw peak power and 430 N.m of torque (when paired with the PDK) out of a slightly compromised engine sobbing at his desk when the clueless marketing team forced the soundenhancing button issue.
R1 122 000 for the 718 GTS duo is great sports- car value with no real mid- engined competition, and the engineering set behind it should be applauded. That four- cylinder builds on a proud history and, in GTS guise, has finally made itself worthy of the historic moniker.