Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 PDK
The GTS 4.0 is tainted by overly long gearing in manual form, so could the paddleshift be the way to go?
PORSCHE GB’S KERMIT-HUED 4-LITRE Cayman GTS has been no stranger to the pages of evo over the past six months, but its open-air twin in the 718 GTS range, the Boxster, has been absent since our first Driven test of the model, which was overseas, back in issue 271. It’s time to put that right, with the added bonus that Porsche has chosen to specify this particular GTS with the twin-clutch PDK gearbox option.
Did I just say that was ‘a bonus’? That might not sound like the sort of traditional evo-talk you’re used to, but given that plenty of column inches have been devoted to bemoaning the yawn-inducingly long gear ratios of the manual GTS drivetrain, perhaps PDK might be the way to go? As our Henry Catchpole wrote in our ‘Automatic v Manual’ test last month, when a manual ’box is flawed and the auto alternative suits the nature of the car in question, we wouldn’t flinch from opting for two pedals instead of three. And when it comes to auto ’boxes, few are as crisp, obedient and satisfying as Porsche’s Doppelkupplungsgetriebe. Given the firm pioneered the dual-clutch idea in sportscar racing nearly 40 years ago, I suppose that is rather apt.
The combination of the 718 Boxster’s sublime chassis and the glorious 4-litre, naturally aspirated flat-six remains truly wondrous, of course. The 981-generation Boxster, on which the 718 is closely based, was already the roadster of choice if you were after an engaging sports car that was also painless in everyday use, and the 718 adds quicker, sharper steering and even more sophistication to the damping. There’s a school of thought that says the GTS models are almost too good, that they’re so polished and competent in what they do that a little of the challenge that raises the heart rate has been lost, especially compared to the more direct and uncompromising Gt4/spyder versions. You might, on occasion, feel that in a Cayman, but I don’t think it’s an issue in the Boxster GTS, because with its less focused remit, and open-air vibes, there are other perspectives to distract and enthral.
Until recently, all this fine work was fatally undermined by the presence of a wheezy, rattly flat-four behind your shoulder blades (cue angry correspondence from indignant four-pot 718 owners, but it’s true). However, the GTS 4.0 fixes that by substituting in its place the frankly awesome 394bhp, 3995cc flat-six developed from the 3-litre twin-turbo units found in the 992 Carrera models. With less than nine years to go until internal combustion engines can no longer be sold – in the UK, at least – the introduction of a new petrol-fuelled powerplant is something to be rejoiced in itself.
In practice, the inevitable particulate filter and valved exhaust strangles the 4-litre engine to
a degree, but it matters very little, because the induction noise is almost to M3 CSL proportions, and really does make you go all gooey inside. It might be a good 1000rpm shy of a GT3’S high-rev theatrics, and have been forced to sacrifice a tiny bit of top end compared with the 414bhp Spyder through enforced ECU sedation, but on the road you’ll not be worrying about that for a moment. The incentive is there to thrash it mercilessly, and here’s where the PDK transmission comes into its own.
In the PDK ’box, first gear is little more than a launch ratio, while second feels very short indeed and is only really for tighter hairpins. But given the closer relationship between second, third and fourth gears, there’s a far greater chance of repeatedly accessing the higher echelons of the GTS’S rev band than in the manual version, where letting the car bury deep into the upper reaches of third gear means travelling at well over the ton.
Of course, you can leave the PDK to its own devices, and in daily driving it’ll do the easy, sleepy, early-shift thing you’d expect. It’ll do maximum attack, too, but there’s no substitute for pulling the paddles (decent feel to the mechanism, a bit on the small side though), even if, ultimately, there’s also no substitute for three pedals and doing it all yourself. Predictably, the PDK GTS is a fair chunk quicker off the line to 62mph, by half a second no less, but then raw speed is far from everything on the road.
Overall, the GTS recipe is a compelling one. Yes, the fact that the GTS interior package (carbon trim, contrasting stitching and seatbelts) is £2096 when you’re already buying a GTS model is an options ploy only Porsche could get away with, but at £67,250 the Boxster GTS does look conspicuously good value given it’s so far beyond any potential rival. There are a great many reasons for purchasing one of these wonderful cars, and if you did opt to tick the £2303 PDK option, on this occasion we wouldn’t blame you one little bit.
Engine Flat-six, 3995cc Power 394bhp @ 7000rpm Torque 317lb ft @ 5500rpm Weight 1435kg (279bhp/ton) 0-62mph 4.0sec Top speed 179mph Basic price £69,553 + Makes a strong case for choosing PDK
- Just imagine a manual ’box with closer middle ratios… evo rating
‘There’s a far greater chance of accessing the higher echelons of the rev band’